The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Wednesday that All-Star guard Russell Westbrook underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure on his right knee. The statement stated that Westbrook experienced some inflammation in his knee over the weekend and Westbrook, his advisers, and the team decided it would be best to have the “proactive” procedure. The surgery was performed by Dr. Neal El’Attrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, Ca.

Last year, Westbrook missed part of training camp after electing to have a PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injection in his left knee after experiencing some discomfort in that knee. Five years ago, Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus on his right knee in Game 1 of their playoff series against the Houston Rockets when Patrick Beverly ran into Westbrook’s knee going for a steal attempt as Westbrook slowed down to call a timeout.

Complications while recovering from the initial meniscus surgery necessitated a second surgery at the beginning of the 2013-14 season. Westbrook had to go under the knife for a third time in December of that year due to increased swelling in his knee. In total, Westbrook had three surgeries on his right knee over an 8 month period in 2013. He’s been relatively healthy since then, missing only 20 games total since the end of the 2013-14 season.

Since then, Westbrook has had two triple-double seasons, has led the league in scoring twice, and won the 2017 NBA MVP. According to the Thunder, Westbrook will be re-evaluated in 4 weeks. The addition of Dennis Schroder means the Thunder will at least head into the preseason with a viable replacement for Westbrook. Something the team hasn’t had in a while. The Thunder’s first regular season game is October 16th, against the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, Ca.

The long-standing national nightmare is finally over. On of all days to sign his extension, Russell Westbrook chose to sign his 5-year Designated Veteran Player Extension (DPE) on Kevin Durant’s birthday. Some may call that petty. I call it military grade psy-ops genius. Including this season’s salary, Westbrook essentially signed a 6-year, $233 million deal. This deal goes through the 2022-23 season.

Westbrook was eligible to sign the deal on July 1st, but instead chose to wait because of scheduling conflicts. Westbrook has been on a bit of a world tour this summer, going from MVP recipient to fashion icon. During media day, Westbrook was asked why he hadn’t signed the deal up to that point. “Man, it’s been a long, long summer. Had a baby, so I’ve been working on a little fatherhood. But like I said before, man. This is the place I want to be.”

As the summer progressed, there were questions whether Westbrook was going to sign the extension. Even with the acquisition of Paul George, many thought George’s cloudy future could have been giving Westbrook pause in signing such a long extension. But the mood during media day felt like this union, to include Carmelo Anthony, could be something that goes on longer than a year. With Westbrook’s extension in hand, that reality is that much closer to coming to fruition.