For a few weeks last summer, Russell Westbrook briefly feared for his future. He was stuck in limbo, eager to keep his career alive, but the standoff between Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors had frozen the market – especially for the 2017 MVP. Sacramento was one of the few teams seriously considering him, though the Kings were also pursuing the Congolese forward. Whispers swirled: maybe China, maybe Europe. Through it all, Westbrook kept declaring his faith in himself. Eventually, the contract came – one year, $3.6 million – far from the days of max deals. He’s accepted that drop in value. That humility is part of his greatness. A leader in the locker room, Westbrook has found in the Kings a place where, as he puts it, he “plays his way.”
From Denver to Sacramento: unfinished business
Early in the season, he faced the Nuggets – his former team. Why had that relationship ended when Nikola Jokic himself had pushed for his signing? Westbrook’s answer to reporters was blunt and unmistakably him. “They told me not to take the player option. And I don’t go where I’m not wanted. That’s the truth – they didn’t want me back for another season. It wasn’t my call. They didn’t want me, and that’s fine. God always has a plan. Someone did want me.”
At 36, he was still performing solidly – averaging 13.3 points per game as a reliable rotational guard. His minutes aren’t guaranteed, but he earns every one of them.
Part of what cost him a future in Denver was front-office upheaval. The franchise dismissed head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth despite strong results in a brutal Western Conference. Their replacements, led by David Adelman, never gave his work the same value. Sacramento’s Doug Christie, in contrast, has clicked with Westbrook from the start. The chemistry has revitalized him.
A renaissance among veterans
He’s sharing the floor with heavyweights he knows well – Domantas Sabonis, Dennis Schröder, and DeMar DeRozan – and thriving. Against his beloved former team, Oklahoma City, Westbrook led Sacramento with 24 points, nine assists, and five of nine from three – a lifelong weakness turned strength. The previous game? A 23-point, 16-assist, 10-rebound triple-double against the Warriors. His shooting efficiency has stunned critics: 45% from beyond the arc and 48% on two-pointers.
Joining the Kings – a franchise long lost in search of itself – was a personal bet. And Westbrook has taken it personally. For those who criticized his stints with the Clippers, Lakers, or even the Nuggets (and many did), his Sacramento resurgence is a sharp rebuttal. Rotating among four top-tier guards in Christie’s flexible lineups, he doesn’t just hold his own – he elevates the team. Having absorbed the lessons of time, he’s now squeezing every ounce of his talent.
Still rewriting the record books
In ten games (with Sacramento’s record sitting at 3–7), Westbrook is averaging 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists. He turns 37 on November 12. Of his 2008 draft class, only the Lopez twins, DeAndre Jordan, Kevin Love, and Eric Gordon remain in the league – a testament to his durability. True to form, he celebrated his latest milestone with swagger: surpassing Jason Kidd as the guard with the most rebounds in NBA regular-season history (8,725 and counting). “Humbly speaking, I’m the best rebounding guard ever,” he said. “So if the ball come across the rim, I’m going to get it.”
Whether that’s true or not is up for debate – but Westbrook keeps making his case, with numbers, not noise. As ever. As always. Nothing escapes his will.
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