Russell Westbrook’s Retirement Plans: Catching Lobs From Chris Paul On a Yacht

Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook are enjoying some time in Italy following the end of their NBA careers.

Russell Westbrook’s Retirement Plans: Catching Lobs From Chris Paul On a Yacht

Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook (Image credits - The New York Times)

The 2025-26 campaign saw the careers of two legendary players come to an end – Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. However, the two future Hall of Famers have not stopped throwing alley-oops just because their NBA careers came to an end.

Paul entered the league in 2005 after he was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets as the fourth pick. During his career, he played for a number of teams – New Orleans, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. Unfortunately, his 21st season came to an abrupt end last year.

Meanwhile, Westbrook was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics/Thunder as the fourth pick in 2008. He went on to play for the Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings. His career spanned for 18 seasons in the NBA.

As they enjoy their retirements, they shared an Instagram video showing the two of them playing basketball aboard a yacht. The two retired point guards took turns throwing lobs to one another before finishing at the rim.

Chris Paul made just 16 appearances off the bench last season. He returned to the Clippers for his farewell season after eight years. The “point god” had some of the best years of his career during his time with the Clippers but saw an unceremonious ending to his time there after the franchise waived him away. He announced his retirement after being left unsigned by any NBA team.

Westbrook did not suffer the same fate as Paul but announced his retirement after his 2025-26 campaign with the Kings came to an end. It was an unfortunate ending for Westbrook as well as most teams stayed away from signing him in the summer.

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Fans react to Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul throwing lobs to each other on a yacht

While their NBA careers have come to an end, it looks like the two of them are still yet to let go of the sport they love and have played their entire lives. They have never played together as teammates and were famously traded for each other when the Rockets traded Paul to the Thunder for Westbrook in 2019.

The video clip shared went viral and quickly drew attention around the NBA world as fans reacted to it across social media.

Fans were delighted to see the two all-time great point guards throwing lobs to each other. The yacht video comes less than three weeks after Westbrook’s retirement and months after Paul’s.

Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook are future Hall of Famers

There is no doubt that Paul and Russell Westbrook are two of the greatest point guards to have ever played the game. They ended their careers with no championships to their name but they definitely have had Hall of Fame worthy careers.

Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul
Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul (Image credits – Yahoo Sports)

The two former point guards have very different styles of play. Paul is seen as more of a traditional point guard and as a floor general, while Westbrook is arguably the most athletic point guard of all time.

Paul ended his career with 12 All-Star appearances, seven All-Defensive selections, five-time assists leader and six-time steal leader just to name a few. He also led the Suns to the NBA Final in 2021 but were beaten by the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.

Meanwhile, Westbrook was a triple-double machine and averaged a triple-double four times in his career. He was named as the MVP in 2017 and had nine All-Star selections to his name. He was also a two-time scoring champion and a three-time assists leader. Just like Paul, he led the Thunder to the NBA Final in 2011 before was beaten by the Miami Heat in five games.

While some may argue against them being in the Hall of Fame, the numbers and individual accolades show that they were two of the best to ever do it. The two icons were rivals on the court for nearly two decades but are now enjoying their retirement.

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