The Oklahoma City Thunder will put Russell Westbrook's No. 0 into the rafters at the Paycom Center on Feb. 7, 2027, when they host the New York Knicks, the team announced on Monday.

Westbrook retired this offseason after an 18-year career that saw him make nine All-Star teams, nine All-NBA teams and win the 2016-17 MVP award. All but one of those All-Star and All-NBA seasons came as a member of the Thunder; he averaged 23.0 points, 8.4 assists, 7.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game across 821 appearances in an Oklahoma City uniform. 

"Many players make an impact but only great players leave a legacy. Russell Westbrook's legacy was built both on the court and in the community," general manager Sam Presti said in a statement. "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."

The Thunder traded Westbrook to the Houston Rockets before the 2019-20 season, but he struggled to stick with a team for long. While he remained productive, he bounced from Houston to Washington to Los Angeles (both the Lakers and Clippers) to Denver to Sacramento before calling it a career, never lasting two full seasons in the same place. 

After a rash of injuries in Oklahoma City and with Westbrook's retirement still fresh, some wondered if the Thunder might consider calling in Westbrook for reinforcements on the roster. When asked about that possibility following Jalen Williams' season-ending injury and Cason Wallace's shoulder surgery, Presti insisted he hadn't considered any roster moves at that time. 

"I haven't thought about anything relative to the roster spot," Presti said during a press conference last week. "I understand the question, but all I'm really focused on right now is players, getting them the right support, and then helping everybody with our group realize that, you know, we have a tremendous challenge in front of us."

From a basketball perspective, the fit between Westbrook and this current Thunder roster would've perhaps been a bit clunky, but many wondered if OKC still might pursue it as a fitting, emotional send-off for the franchise's favorite son. With the announcement of his jersey retirement, that puts to rest any speculation he'll end his retirement to return to play for the Thunder. Still, he'll get to return to the only team he ever called home long-term -- and the only fan base that ever truly embraced him. 

"Let Westbrook be Westbrook" was a favorite saying during his prime years in Oklahoma City, and it's the only place he ever was able to do just that. After Kevin Durant left for the Warriors, Westbrook became the avatar of loyalty in OKC, and the Thunder faithful latched onto their star guard even more after feeling betrayed by Durant. 

While it didn't yield the championship Westbrook and Thunder fans hoped for during his tenure, he is the most beloved figure in franchise history for what he did to establish NBA basketball in Oklahoma City and give back to the community. On Feb. 7, he'll get a chance to receive a long-awaited warm welcome back to his adopted home and see the No. 0 get raised to the rafters.