Thunder will retire Russell Westbrook’s No. 0 on Feb. 7, and Sam Presti says they are ‘making some room for the rafters’

Nobody will wear No. 0 for the Oklahoma City Thunder again. Sam Presti announced on Monday that the team will retire Russell Westbrook‘s jersey on Sunday, Feb. 7, when the New York Knicks visit Paycom Center, with Westbrook sitting a few feet away on stage.

Presti made the announcement at the end of the Day One Luncheon at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, the yearly event that starts the 168 days of remembrance leading up to the April 19 anniversary of the 1995 bombing. Westbrook, who retired in August after 18 NBA seasons, was being honored there by the Memorial. He wiped away tears as Presti finished.

Presti started with the downtown road work. “I think everybody knows we’re doing a lot of construction downtown, and I do want to take the opportunity to apologize for the traffic,” he said. “Most people don’t know that we’re actually doing some construction in the Paycom as well. And what we’re doing there, it’ll be finished February 7th, we’re making some room for the rafters. That’s going to be the night we retire his jersey.”

Here’s the Westbrook jersey retirement announcement from Sam Presti. (h/t @OKJenyannR) pic.twitter.com/M5xcCUmIZT

— Alex Roig (@AlexRoig_NBA) November 2, 2026

Presti’s announcement, posted by Alex Roig on X.

“Only great players leave a legacy”

In a team statement, Presti added more. “Many players make an impact but only great players leave a legacy,” he said. “Russell Westbrook’s legacy was built both on the court and in the community. His mindset was relentless, his commitment deep. For all those reasons, Oklahomans consider him one of their own and his number will be raised to the rafters, in Oklahoma City forever.”

Thunder chairman Clay Bennett pointed to the same thing. “Russell made a lasting mark on the city and state during his time with the team, and his involvement in the community has endured long after,” Bennett said. “We are deeply grateful for his genuine care for the people of Oklahoma, and he will always be considered a member of the Oklahoma City community.”

Westbrook stopped to talk afterward in front of the luncheon backdrop. “It’s a true blessing,” he said of having his jersey retired, and he said he looks forward to the night.

“It’s amazing, it’s a true blessing…to be able to get your jersey retired it creates a legacy it creates a sense of all the work you put in…I look forward to that night”

– Russell Westbrook on getting his jersey retired by the Thunder pic.twitter.com/cSc6eCJDMm

— The Daniel Bell© (@BasketballGuruD) November 2, 2026

Westbrook after the announcement, posted by @BasketballGuruD on X.

Second number in the rafters

No. 0 will be the second number the Thunder have retired since the franchise moved from Seattle in 2008. The first was Nick Collison’s No. 4, raised on March 20, 2019.

Westbrook was there from the start. The Seattle SuperSonics took him fourth overall in June 2008, days before the move to Oklahoma City was settled, and he started 64 games as a rookie after debuting in the Thunder’s first game in Oklahoma City in 2008. He played his first 11 seasons for the franchise, made the 2012 NBA Finals alongside Kevin Durant and won the MVP award in 2016-17, when he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists with 42 triple-doubles.

He averaged a triple-double in each of the next two seasons as well, before the Thunder traded him to Houston in July 2019.

His Oklahoma City numbers: 821 regular-season games, 18,859 points, 6,897 assists, 5,760 rebounds, 1,442 steals and 138 triple-doubles. The points are the most in franchise history, Seattle years included, and no one has more assists or steals since the move.

0 Forever 💙

02.07.27 pic.twitter.com/pTqRnespU2

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 2, 2026

The tribute video, posted by the Thunder on X.

Champions on both sides

After Houston, Westbrook played for Washington, both Los Angeles teams, Denver and Sacramento, and finished with 209 regular-season triple-doubles, the most in NBA history and a mark Nikola Jokic is chasing. He averaged 15.2 points for the Kings last season before retiring at 37.

The night he goes up will be a matchup of the last two champions. The Thunder won the 2025 title with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the Knicks won it in June.