{
  "id": 738228,
  "title": "The two teams that were interested in signing Russell Westbrook before his surprise retirement",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/the-two-teams-that-were-interested-in-signing-russell-westbrook",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-13T06:12:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/two-teams-were-interested-signing-061205999.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russell Westbrook announced his retirement from the NBA earlier this offseason, marking the end of one of the most statistically impressive careers in league history. Despite averaging impressive numbers over his 18-season career, including 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game during his final season with the Sacramento Kings, Westbrook chose to step away from the game. Two of his former teams, the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards, had expressed interest in signing him for a 19th NBA season. The 37-year-old reportedly turned down both offers to retire on his own terms.",
  "summary": "Russell Westbrook has officially walked away from his career as an NBA player, announcing his retirement amid the 2026 offseason. The former MVP, who is also the all-time leader in triple-doubles, averaged 15.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "After 18 NBA seasons, Russell Westbrook has retired. A …",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/after-18-nba-seasons-russell-westbrook-has-retired-a",
        "published": "2026-08-12T19:02:59.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "SB Nation",
        "title": "Russell Westbrook retires from NBA after 18 seasons",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/russell-westbrook-retires-from-nba-after-18-seasons",
        "published": "2026-08-12T19:27:16.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Associated Press",
        "title": "Russell Westbrook retires from the NBA with a farewell video narrated by Michael B. Jordan",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/russell-westbrook-retires-from-the-nba-with-a-farewell-video-narrated",
        "published": "2026-08-12T19:53:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Japan Times",
        "title": "Triple-double king Russell Westbrook announces retirement",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/triple-double-king-russell-westbrook-announces-retirement",
        "published": "2026-08-13T02:19:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Russell Westbrook announces NBA retirement after 18 seasons",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/russell-westbrook-announces-nba-retirement-after-18-seasons",
        "published": "2026-08-13T10:25:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Guide Network",
        "title": "Russell Westbrook Announces NBA Retirement After 18 Seasons",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/russell-westbrook-announces-nba-retirement-after-18-seasons",
        "published": "2026-08-14T13:04:25.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}