Russell Westbrook Project B-Just weeks after announcing his retirement from the NBA, the former league MVP has joined Project B as a co-founder and chief strategy officer, giving him an ownership stake and a prominent position in the emerging global basketball venture.
Project B announced Westbrook’s appointment on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
The 37-year-old will also serve on the company’s board of directors and help shape its basketball strategy, long-term vision and business partnerships as Project B prepares to launch competition in early 2027.
The move gives Westbrook an opportunity to influence professional basketball from the ownership and executive side after an 18-season NBA career.
However, his involvement has immediately created another question among basketball fans.
Is Russell Westbrook going to play in Project B?
At the moment, there is no indication that he is returning to the court.
What Is Russell Westbrook’s New Job?
Westbrook is joining Project B in three significant capacities.
He is a co-founder.
He is an equity stakeholder.
And he is the company’s chief strategy officer.
He will also sit on the board of directors.
That makes the move considerably more substantial than a retired athlete simply becoming a spokesperson or ambassador for a new league.
Westbrook is expected to participate in decisions about Project B’s basketball strategy and long-term direction.
His role will also involve partnerships and opportunities connected to the broader growth of the organization.
For someone who spent nearly two decades experiencing the NBA from a player’s perspective, the position gives Westbrook a very different seat at the table.
Is Russell Westbrook Coming Out of Retirement?
There is currently no indication that Westbrook plans to play in Project B.
That distinction is important.
News of a recently retired NBA superstar joining a new basketball organization can easily create speculation about a comeback.
Project B’s announcement concerns Westbrook’s ownership and executive roles.
It does not announce him as a player.
Westbrook retired from the NBA last month after 18 seasons.
Unless he or Project B subsequently announces otherwise, his new position should be viewed as the beginning of his post-playing career rather than the continuation of his professional playing career.
What Is Project B?
Project B is an emerging global basketball organization preparing to launch a new five-on-five competition model in 2027.
The organization has attracted attention because it is approaching professional basketball differently from a conventional domestic league.
Rather than operating exclusively in one country, Project B plans to take games to international markets.
Competition is expected to travel through cities in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
That touring model gives the organization a potentially large international audience from its beginning.
The initial women’s competition is expected to feature six teams with 11-player rosters.
Project B has also indicated plans to develop a men’s basketball component.
Westbrook’s arrival gives that expansion significantly more star power.
Project B Has Already Signed Major WNBA Players
Westbrook is not joining an organization without recognizable basketball talent.
Project B has already attracted several established WNBA stars.
Players associated with the venture include Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham.
Dallas Wings rookie Azzi Fudd has also been linked with the competition.
That collection of talent is one reason Project B has generated attention well before its first game.
Women’s basketball is experiencing significant growth in television audiences, sponsorship interest and overall cultural visibility.
New competitions are attempting to capitalize on that momentum while also giving players additional earning opportunities.
Project B wants to become part of that changing landscape.
Players Expected to Have Ownership Opportunities
One of the more interesting elements of Project B is its emphasis on athletes having a stake in the business.
Westbrook highlighted that idea while discussing his decision to join.
Throughout his career, he has frequently emphasized player empowerment and control over personal business interests.
Project B intends to provide players with opportunities that extend beyond salaries.
Athletes can potentially participate as stakeholders and decision-makers.
That structure attempts to address a longstanding issue in professional sports.
Players generate much of the value.
But historically, ownership of the organizations generating that value has remained separate from the athletes themselves.
Project B is attempting to narrow that divide.
Why Russell Westbrook Is a Significant Addition
Project B could have hired an experienced sports executive and attracted relatively little mainstream attention.
Adding Russell Westbrook changes that immediately.
Westbrook is one of the most recognizable basketball players of his generation.
He has an NBA MVP award.
He made nine All-Star teams.
He won two scoring titles.
And he retired as the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles.
His reputation extends beyond statistics.
Westbrook became famous for an unusually intense playing style built around speed, athleticism and relentless energy.
Fans debated his game throughout his career.
But very few questioned how aggressively he competed.
That identity gives Project B a recognizable basketball personality at the executive level.
Westbrook Retired After 18 NBA Seasons
Westbrook’s Project B announcement comes remarkably quickly after the conclusion of his playing career.
He retired following 18 NBA seasons.
Westbrook entered the league as the fourth overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft after playing college basketball at UCLA.
The Seattle SuperSonics selected him shortly before the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City.
He therefore became one of the foundational players of the Oklahoma City Thunder era.
Alongside Kevin Durant and James Harden, Westbrook helped transform the young Thunder into a championship contender.
Oklahoma City reached the NBA Finals in 2012.
Although the Thunder lost to LeBron James and the Miami Heat, the run established Westbrook as one of basketball’s emerging stars.
2017 MVP Season Defined Westbrook’s Career
Westbrook’s most famous individual season came in 2016-17.
Kevin Durant had left Oklahoma City for the Golden State Warriors.
Westbrook suddenly became the unquestioned center of the Thunder.
His response produced one of the most remarkable statistical seasons in NBA history.
Westbrook averaged a triple-double.
At the time, Oscar Robertson had been the only player to average a triple-double over an entire NBA season.
Westbrook’s achievement earned him the 2017 NBA Most Valuable Player award.
He later repeated the triple-double feat in additional seasons, transforming something previously viewed as nearly impossible into a recurring part of his career.
NBA’s All-Time Triple-Double Leader
Westbrook ultimately became the NBA’s career leader in triple-doubles.
He finished his playing career with 209.
That record captures both the brilliance and the unusual nature of his game.
Traditional point guards were primarily expected to organize an offense and create opportunities for teammates.
Westbrook did that while also rebounding at a level rarely seen from guards.
His ability to grab a defensive rebound and immediately attack in transition became one of his trademarks.
He could turn a possession from defense into offense without waiting for an outlet pass.
That style made him one of the league’s most explosive players at his peak.
Westbrook Played for Seven NBA Teams
Although Westbrook is most strongly associated with Oklahoma City, the later years of his career took him around the NBA.
He played for seven teams during his 18 seasons.
His career included stops with the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings in addition to Oklahoma City.
Those experiences exposed Westbrook to very different organizational structures.
He played for rebuilding teams.
He played for championship contenders.
He played alongside other superstars.
He experienced high-profile trades and changing roles.
That range of experiences could now become useful as he helps shape another basketball organization.
Project B Gives Westbrook a Different Kind of Influence
NBA superstars have influence while they are playing.
But that influence has limits.
Coaches determine rotations.
General managers construct rosters.
Owners control franchises.
League executives determine broader policies.
Westbrook’s new role puts him closer to the decision-making side of professional sports.
Instead of asking how a league’s structure affects players, he can participate in designing that structure.
That may be especially important for Project B because the organization is still being built.
Joining an established league means adapting to systems created years earlier.
Joining a startup means helping create those systems from the beginning.
Women’s Basketball Is Entering a Competitive New Era
The timing of Project B’s development is significant.
Women’s professional basketball has become an increasingly valuable sports business.
The WNBA has experienced major growth.
New stars have brought younger audiences.
College women’s basketball has produced huge television numbers.
Sponsors are paying closer attention.
At the same time, alternative competitions have emerged to provide players with additional opportunities outside the traditional WNBA season.
That creates competition for talent.
Players who once had limited options now have more leverage when deciding where and when they want to compete.
Project B enters that environment with ambitious international plans.
Project B Says Salaries Will Be Competitive
Compensation will be one of the most important elements determining whether Project B succeeds.
The organization has said salaries on its women’s side will exceed current WNBA offerings.
That claim immediately makes the league relevant to established professional players.
Elite athletes have historically traveled overseas during WNBA offseasons partly because international teams could offer significant additional income.
A competition capable of paying high salaries while also offering equity could provide another option.
Whether Project B’s business model can sustain those commitments over the long term will become clearer after competition begins.
For now, the quality of players already associated with the venture suggests the pitch has attracted serious interest.
Global Schedule Could Separate Project B From Competitors
Project B’s international format is another major experiment.
Rather than building teams around permanent home markets immediately, the organization intends to take its product around the world.
Asia, Europe and South America are all expected to host games.
Basketball already has enormous international reach.
The NBA has spent decades expanding its global audience.
European basketball has deep professional traditions.
The sport is also extremely popular across parts of Asia.
Project B appears to be betting that a premium basketball product can attract audiences without depending entirely on traditional city-based franchises.
That strategy creates opportunities but also logistical challenges.
Travel is expensive.
Scheduling becomes complicated.
Building loyal fan bases without permanent home teams can be difficult.
Westbrook’s role will place him close to those strategic decisions.
Men’s Basketball Expansion Is Also Planned
Although much of Project B’s early attention has focused on women’s basketball, the organization has ambitions beyond that competition.
A men’s component is planned.
Former Atlanta Hawks general manager Landry Fields was previously appointed to lead men’s basketball operations.
Westbrook’s arrival adds another prominent NBA figure to that effort.
The combination naturally raises questions about what type of players the men’s side could attract.
Veteran NBA players?
International stars?
Younger prospects?
Recently retired names?
Those details have not been fully established.
But Westbrook’s involvement gives Project B credibility when those conversations begin.
Could Other Retired NBA Stars Follow Westbrook?
This is one of the most interesting possibilities created by Wednesday’s announcement.
Professional athletes increasingly want ownership opportunities after retirement.
Some become minority owners in teams.
Others create investment companies.
Some join media businesses.
Others establish leagues.
Westbrook’s decision represents another path.
Rather than waiting to purchase part of an established NBA franchise, he is taking an ownership position in a basketball organization being built from the ground up.
If Project B gains momentum, other former players could find that model attractive.
The influence of Westbrook’s involvement may therefore extend beyond his individual role.
Russell Westbrook Begins His Second Basketball Career
Retirement can create an identity challenge for professional athletes.
For decades, daily life revolves around competition.
Training.
Travel.
Games.
Recovery.
Then it ends.
Westbrook apparently had little interest in disappearing from basketball.
Only weeks after closing his NBA career, he has moved into another demanding role.
The difference is that wins and losses will no longer be measured by his box score.
His success will depend partly on whether Project B can attract players, audiences, sponsors and partners.
That requires a completely different skill set.
Why Westbrook’s Project B Move Matters
The simplest interpretation of Wednesday’s announcement is that a famous retired player got a new job.
The bigger story is what that job represents.
Westbrook is not becoming a television analyst.
He is not joining an NBA coaching staff.
He is not accepting a ceremonial ambassador position.
He is becoming an owner and strategist in a company attempting to build a new global basketball product.
Project B is betting that professional basketball can be structured differently.
It wants players to have greater financial participation.
It wants games to move through international markets.
It wants elite women’s talent.
It plans to add men’s basketball.
And now it has one of the NBA’s most recognizable former superstars helping make those decisions.
For Russell Westbrook, retirement from the NBA apparently did not mean retirement from basketball.
It simply meant moving from the court to the room where decisions are made.
Disclaimer
This article is based on Project B’s September 2, 2026 announcement and verified reporting available at the time of publication. Russell Westbrook has joined Project B as a co-founder, chief strategy officer, equity stakeholder and member of its board of directors.
There is currently no confirmed announcement that Westbrook will play in Project B. References to the organization’s planned 2027 launch, international competition, player compensation and future men’s basketball expansion reflect information publicly available at the time of publication and may change as the venture develops.
This article may be updated if Westbrook or Project B announces additional information concerning his role, participating players, competition format or launch schedule.