A milestone for one of the NBA's all-time greats.
Friday night in Detroit, a transition layup by Russell Westbrook with 2:44 remaining in the fourth quarter of a 136-125 victory netted him his 25,000th career point. In doing so, Westbrook became just the 25th player in league history to reach such a benchmark. Westbrook put on one of his best performances of the season, scoring 23 points and dishing out nine assists in just 25 minutes and helping the Clippers improve to 32-15.
The nine-time All-Star and 2017 NBA Most Valuable Player - who became the second player in league history to average a triple-double for an entire season in 2016-2017 (31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists) - recorded triple doubles in four of five seasons from 2016-2021, with 2019-2020 being the only season when he did not. Prior to Westbrook, the only other player to average a triple-double for an entire season was Oscar Robertson, who averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists in the 1961-1962 season. Robertson, playing for the Cincinnati Royals at the time, finished third in MVP voting that year behind Wilt Chamberlain (who finished in second place despite averaging 50.4 points per game) and Bill Russell.
Westbrook is averaging 11.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists on 47 percent shooting this season and maintains career averages of 21.9 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.2 rebounds. This season, he has played a vital role off the bench for the Clippers. After the early season acquisition of James Harden led to a rocky stretch (the team went 0-5 in Harden's first six games), head coach Ty Lue moved Westbrook to the bench, and the trade that looked like a disaster at the start has ended up propelling the Clippers. After a sluggish 8-10 beginning, the team won eight straight games and have only five losses since Dec. 21. They are currently third in the Western Conference at 32-15, boasting a 19-4 home record.
At 25,000 points even, Westbrook is 192 points behind Los Angeles Lakers' legend Jerry West for 24th on the NBA's all-time scoring list. In addition to joining the 25,000 point club, Westbrook also became just the second player in league history with at least 25,000 points, 9,000 assists, and 8,000 rebounds. Westbrook's former Laker teammate LeBron James is the other to accomplish the feat.
"First and foremost, I'd like to give thanks to God for allowing me to play the game I love," Westbrook told Clippers' sideline reporter Kristina Pink after the game. "It's a blessing," he continued. "I don't take any day, any night for granted. I'm grateful to be able to play the game of basketball and be able to use my platform to share and impact and inspire other people. I'm super grateful to continue playing and grateful for tonight."
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