Russell Westbrook foreshadowed retirement in answer to young fan
Russell Westbrook seemed to have had his mind already made up long before officially hanging up his shoes.
At the end of July, Westbrook's "Why Not Foundation" held its annual two-day basketball camp for kids ages 7-14 at Jesse Owens Park and Loma Alta Park, with free admission for campers.
On Wednesday, Westbrook's foundation posted a montage of the miked-up retired guard on social media, and one specific clip seemed to catch the attention of many Westbrook fans.
During the camp, a young camper posed a question to Westbrook.
"Are you a real NBA player?" the young camper asked.
Westbrook's response?
"Some days. I used to be back in the day -- back in my young days."
Last Tuesday, Westbrook announced his retirement after 18 seasonsafter on social media with a video narrated by Oscar-winning actor Michael B. Jordan.
"Sometimes you don't even know when you've already watched the end," Westbrook wrote. "You had to be there. And now it's over."
Westbrook, 37, a Long Beach, California, native, was selected in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, who shortly thereafter became the Oklahoma City Thunder after a 2006 sale to an Oklahoma City ownership group.
He was part of the inaugural Thunder squad and spent 11 seasons in the 405 -- most notably earning MVP honors in the 2016-17 season after averaging a triple-double -- before being included in a 2019 blockbuster trade to the Houston Rockets.
He also had stints with the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets and most recently the Sacramento Kings.
Westbrook, a nine-time All-Star, finished his career averaging 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 8 assists per game.br/]
