Russell Westbrook called it a career this past week, announcing his retirement on social media after 18 seasons. 

Westbrook finishes his career as a two-time scoring champion, three-time assists leader, the league leader in career triple doubles, a nine-time All-Star, a two-time All-Star game MVP, and the MVP in 2017. 

He's a sure-fire Hall of Famer who put together one of the most impressive highlight reels of anyone in history with his elite athleticism and blazing speed that led to thunderous dunks over some of the game's best shot blockers. 

After announcing his retirement, Westbrook received an outpouring of love from fans and peers, even the ones who spent years tearing him down. 

Speaking on the Draymond Green Show, Draymond Green spoke on how people switched up on Westbrook now that he's retired. 

“Basketball fans suck. And by the way, I am a basketball fan, so you can throw me in that category, too. But basketball fans suck. Because for the last 8 to 10 years, all this guy has heard is how bad he sucks, how he don’t shoot it well, how he stat pad, and how he mess up teams. And when you’re in this game and that’s all you see, that’s all you hear, you power through it. You fight through it because that’s who we are. That’s what we do. But man, that sh*t is irritating and it bothers you. Make no mistake about it. West brick and all the things y’all said about him. And the moment he step aside, oh man, y’all did Russ wrong. Can’t tell me he couldn’t be on the team. What? How, wow how he played the game. Gonna miss him and not in the NBA. All these great beautiful things. Why can’t we feel that when you going?”

Westbrook publicly explained why he had an issue with the name "Westbrick," saying that it is his family name that carries weight to other members of his family and goes beyond the criticism of what is happening on the court. 

He's 100% correct. Westbrook was scrutinized for the majority of his career for not playing the game "the right way."

He was criticized for not giving the ball enough to Kevin Durant, he was criticized for stat padding with triple doubles, he was criticized for being a bad teammate and ruining teams; he was criticized for how he handled the media; and he was criticized for never winning a championship. 

Now that he's retired, everyone is praising his highlight dunks, his clutch moments, the entertainment he brought on and off the court, and for always giving 100%. His weaknesses are no longer under a microscope because he is no longer affecting winning and losing on a night-to-night basis. 

Fans can now just sit back and remember the highs without thinking of the lows, even though the lows only impacted one fanbase a year.