Russell Westbrook Becomes 21st Player with 26,000 Career Points

With a three-pointer from the left wing on Saturday night in the Denver Nuggets’ 126-123 home loss to the Washington Wizards, Russell Westbrook became the 21st player in NBA history to reach 26,000 career points. The Nuggets scored 44 points in the opening quarter but were outscored by 17 points the rest of the way with Wizard guard Jordan Poole hitting the go ahead triple with 2.1 seconds remaining in the game. Westbrook finished with 22 points, 11 assists, and 4 rebounds on 9-for-19 shooting and made 4-of-8 from downtown. 

Westbrook, who is averaging 13.1 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.0 rebounds on 47% shooting this season, has carved out a nice veteran role for himself in the latter years of his career. He has three triple-doubles this season, and has played well when thrust into a bigger role. In the 2023 playoffs, for instance, he scored 28, 30, and 37 points in Games 2, 3, and 4 in the Clippers’ first round series loss to the Phoenix Suns in which Kawhi Leonard was injured in Game 1. Overall, Westbrook is a 9-time All-Star and was the 2016-17 NBA MVP, a year in which he led the league in scoring at 31.6 points while averaging 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists, becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average a triple-double for an entire season. 

Now behind Kevin Garnett (26,071) for 20th on the all-time scoring list, Westbrook’s career point total is an impressive feat that puts a stamp on what will surely be a first ballot Hall-of-Fame career. Throughout his 17 seasons, Westbrook has shown himself to be more of an outstanding attacker, finisher, and distributor more than a true scorer, though early on in his career especially, he possessed a consistent mid-range jump shot. He has now joined an exclusive group, ahead of such primo scorers like Allen Iverson, Jerry West, and Alex English. He is also less than 700 points behind Robertson, who tallied 26,710 points in his career. 

Congratulations on 26K, Russell Westbrook.