Kevin Durant admitted that longtime teammate Russell Westbrook’s recent retirement hit him harder than he perhaps expected it to.
On his “Boardroom Talks” podcast, Durant admitted he was somewhat blindsided by Westbrook’s decision to retire after 18 NBA seasons. In Durant’s eyes, Westbrook was still good enough to keep playing, and it was strange to see someone he was so close with call it a career.
“It just hit me, man, because it’s just like that’s one of the first dudes you come in with and you was around every day to finally step out of this s–t,” Durant said. “A lot of the guys that have been younger than me or drafted after me have retired, but I wasn’t as close to them as I was to Russ. It was somebody I felt like could still play. It surprised me.”
"It just hit me, man, because it's just like that's one of the first dudes you come in with and you was around every day to finally step out of this sh*t… It surprised me."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 27, 2026
Kevin Durant on Russell Westbrook's retirement.
(via @boardroom)pic.twitter.com/avXCtCdzsm
Durant added that he has not spoken with Westbrook since the announcement, but that he expected to “run into him at some point as we move forward in life.”
Durant shared a nice statement when Westbrook announced his retirement earlier this month. While their relationship was awkward at times, the two seem to be at relative peace with each other, at least on Durant’s end of things.
As for Durant, he has occasionally given some thought to retirement himself. However, the 37-year-old has given no indication that he will be walking away anytime soon.
