"I Used To Be Back In The Day, Back In My Younger Days" - Watching Russell Westbrook Tell A Camper He Used To Be A Real NBA Player Felt Like A Shotgun Blast To The Chest

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When Russell Westbrook officially announced his retirement about a week ago

it was one of those things that maybe wasn't a "surprise" given his age and the fact that he wasn't on a roster, but it definitely sent shockwaves around the league. Partially because you could argue he was still a productive player, but also because he was the latest superstar player from this current era to hang it up that a shit ton of NBA fans had a connection to. Given that Father Time is undefeated, this will continue to be something that will be tough to stomach as we all get older. Growing up it doesn't really hit you, but once you start seeing the players you loved and watched over the years retire and then enter the HOF? That shit hits you like a ton of bricks.

For me, this feeling really started around 2018. That was the HOF class with Ray Allen, Grant Hill, Jason Kidd, Dino Radja etc which were all players that I grew up watching. Then came Kobe, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett in 2020, and things felt even weirder. The 2021 class with Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce, Ben Wallace, and Chris Webber wasn't any easier. 2022 saw Manu and Tim Hardaway. 2023 saw Pau Gasol, Dirk, and Tony Parker all go in. 2024 had Chauncey Billups and Vince Carter. Last year's class had Melo and Dwight Howard. Even though this is normal and people get older and NBA players retire, there's something about when the players who do it are from the era you grew up watching that makes it feel a certain way. 

This feeling has continued into 2026, where we saw Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook both hang it up. Two of the most polarizing and influential point guards of their era and two of the best to ever do it in all of NBA history. Then BOOM, they're gone just like that. The same shit will happen when LeBron, Steph, Durant, and James Harden all finally call it quits as well. On one hand, we're fortunate to have been alive to watch some of the greatest players in NBA history, but on the other hand, it's going to be weird as hell once none of them are in the NBA anymore. 

You sometimes forget that there is a whole generation of basketball fans that have no real recollection or connection to any of these NBA greats, and boy does that make you feel old as shit

Man, seeing that response from Westbrook had me feeling like this

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Not to sound like an old, but you just had to be there when it came to the Russell Westbrook Experience. There wasn't really anything like it

I'd say his retirement was something that all basketball fans felt, not just OKC fans or fans of teams that Russ ended up playing for. If you're a basketball fan and were old enough to see his entire career, that retirement announcement had you in your feels on some level. A true 1 of 1 player, even with his faults. 

I'm sure there will be some who go the hardo route and do the whole "who cares" routine, but I dunno, the way I look at it is people form real connections with pro sports and players. When you watch a team or a player for nearly 20 years, it's pretty normal to be bummed or somewhat emotional when they finally walk away. Maybe that's lame to some, but not to me. 

It feels like just yesterday I was watching Russell Westbrook at UCLA, and now in the blink of an eye he's not only retired, but kids are asking if he was actually a real NBA player. Woof, that one was tough to stomach.