Russell Westbrook Makes LA 2028 Olympics Demand After Retirement

When Russell Westbrook announced his retirement on social media back in August, he kept the specifics deliberately vague. He wrote only, "Sometimes you don't even know when you've already watched the end. You had to be there." Two months later, Westbrook is being far more direct about what comes next.

Honored by the Los Angeles City Council for his career and philanthropy, the nine-time All-Star used the moment to publicly declare his next goal: carrying the Olympic torch when the Summer Games arrive in his hometown in 2028. Speaking at Friday's ceremony at Los Angeles City Hall, Westbrook made his intentions.

"I'm putting this out now: I want to be in the presentation of Los Angeles, as it pertains to carrying the torch during the 2028 Olympics," Westbrook said.

Westbrook tied the request directly to his identity as a Los Angeles native. "Anything I do from basketball to business is based around L.A. I wear L.A. on my sleeve," he said. "The way I played, the way I operate, even the way I talk and walk is L.A. I'll never change that."

He went further, framing the request as part of a broader life philosophy rather than a simple ceremonial ask. "My legacy will be based on how much I give back to the people of L.A.," Westbrook said.

The request is backed by a long track record of community investment in the city. Westbrook attended Leuzinger High School in Lawndale and later UCLA before turning pro, and he founded the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Foundation in 2012 to support underserved communities across Los Angeles and Southern California, with a focus on education, workforce development and mental health resources.

In 2015, he returned to 75th Street Elementary School in South Los Angeles, the school he attended as a child, to open a reading room, and the campus's basketball practice court was later named in his honor.

Councilmember Heather Hutt, who presented Westbrook with his certificate, put it: "Russell Westbrook is Los Angeles through and through."

Westbrook's retirement itself came as something of a surprise, given how well he was still playing. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists over 64 games with the Sacramento Kings in his final season, numbers that reportedly drew offers from both the Kings and the Washington Wizards to continue his career.

Westbrook turned them down. He chose instead to walk away entirely on his own terms rather than wait for his body or a front office to make that decision for him.

The decision closed out an 18-season career that included nine All-Star selections, the 2016-17 NBA MVP award, and a spot on the league's 75th Anniversary Team.

Westbrook spent his first 11 seasons with Oklahoma City before later playing for the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets and Kings. Current Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander credited Westbrook for his impact on the organization he inherited, saying Westbrook laid the "foundation we stand on now" in Oklahoma City.

Between the way he announced his retirement and the way he's now pursuing his next chapter, Westbrook's transition out of basketball has followed the same pattern that defined much of his playing career: doing things entirely on his own terms.