Just before the opening tip-off of the NBA season, it seemed like it would be the first time in 18 years that Sacramento Kings point guard Russell Westbrook wouldn’t be suiting up to play.
Not even a month later, he’s proven himself once again.
The last five years have been a rollercoaster for Westbrook, who’s bounced around from team to team, transitioning from the role of superstar to a contributor off the bench.
The lowest point in Westbrook’s career came when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021. The team was never a fit for him. The Brodie didn’t play well during his two years in Showtime L.A., and fans let him know it.
During games and on social media, they would taunt him by calling him “Westbrick,” something that Westbrook or his family didn’t take lightly. It got so bad that he stopped bringing his kids to games.
“I don’t even want to bring my kids to the game,” Westbrook said via SportsCenter. “Because I don’t want them to hear people call their dad nicknames for no reason.”
The constant heckling alongside his decreased production marked rock bottom for Westbrook.
But as Russ always does, he took it in stride, playing with the same heart and motor that won over so many fans in Oklahoma City during his days as an MVP candidate.
Last season, when Westbrook was a member of the Denver Nuggets, he averaged 13 points, five rebounds and six assists off the bench as a key contributor for Denver’s offense.
It wasn’t always perfect, but Westbrook silenced criticism about his style of basketball and made some key plays during Denver’s first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
After bowing out in seven games the next series against the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook surprised many by declining his player option, becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Westbrook remained unsigned throughout the entire summer, until Oct. 16, when the nine-time All-Star signed a one-year deal with the Kings.
It was a strange scenario, as the Nuggets are yearly title contenders while the Kings have been struggling to make it past mediocrity for the last three years. Why decline that player option?
When the Kings faced off against the Nuggets on Nov. 3, Westbrook answered that question himself when speaking to local media.
“They didn’t want me back,” Westbrook said. “They told me not to pick up the player option. I don’t play anywhere I’m not wanted. I don’t need to.”
Right now, Westbrook has a place to call home, somewhere he is wanted. He’s found a new light in Sacramento, where he’s thriving both as a starter and off the bench.
As a starter, Westbrook is averaging 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists a game on outstanding efficiency. And to start his time in Sacramento off with a bang, Russ turned back the clock against the Warriors of Nov. 5 with a 23 point, 14 rebound and 10 assist game, earning him his 204th career triple double.
Westbrook set a new record during that game as well. Those 14 rebounds were enough to make him the NBA’s all-time leader in rebounds for a guard, surpassing Hall of Famer Jason Kidd.
As Russ embarks on his 18th season in the league, it’s important not to take his presence on the court for granted. One day, he will retire and the league is a better place with Westbrook in it.
