{
  "id": 13164457,
  "title": "Kevin Durant Delivers 'Sad' Response to Russell Westbrook's Retirement Decision",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/kevin-durant-delivers-sad-response-to-russell-westbrooks-retirement",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-09T17:13:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/sports/nba/kevin-durant-delivers-sad-response-to-russell-westbrooks-retirement-decision-12548403"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russell Westbrook announced his retirement from professional basketball after a 18-year Hall-of-Fame career in the NBA. Kevin Durant, once his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate, expressed disappointment, stating he still believed Westbrook had 5 or 6 more years left in his prime athletic prime. Durant acknowledged that sometimes players choose to step away and pursue new endeavors. The two stars had an eight-year relationship in Oklahoma City, but tensions arose when Durant transferred to the Golden State Warriors during the 2016-17 season. Westbrook concluded his NBA career with the Sacramento Kings, recording averages of 15.2 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game during the 2025-26 campaign. Currently, Durant is in his second season with the Houston Rockets, contributing an average of 26 points per game last year.",
  "summary": "Kevin Durant said he's \"a little sad\" about the retirement of his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook.",
  "key_points": [
    "Kevin Durant expresses sadness over Westbrook's retirement.",
    "Durant believed Westbrook had 5-6 more years left in prime.",
    "Durant and Westbrook played together for 8 years in Oklahoma City."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}