Denver Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook is having surgery on his right hand to repair two fractures that happened during the season, he said Tuesday.
"I'm grateful for everyone's support all year and I can't wait to be back out there at 100% soon," Westbrook said in his Word of Westbrook personal newsletter. "The comeback is already in motion #WhyNot."
The 36-year-old Westbrook averaged 13.3 points on 44.9% shooting, 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 27.9 minutes over 75 games for the Nuggets this season. He started 36 games in his first campaign for Denver, the most for the veteran since 2021-22.
His fingers were heavily taped during Denver's playoff run, which ended on May 18 with a six-game series loss to Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals.
The nine-time All-Star and 2016-17 MVP has until June 29 to opt in to his $3.3 million player option for next season.
The two-time NBA scoring champion boasts career averages of 21.2 points, 8.0 assists and 7.0 rebounds in 1,237 games (1,075 starts) with the Thunder, Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers and Nuggets.
Westbrook has a player option for 2025-26 that carries a $3.47 million cap hit. He is the all-time leader in triple-doubles (203) and ranks eighth in NBA history in assists (9,925) and 23rd in points (26,205) but is still seeking his first championship.
Field Level Media contributed to this report.
