When the Denver Nuggets declined Russell Westbrook’s $3.5 million player option last summer, it felt like the end of an era. Once the league's most explosive guard, 'The Brodie' had become an ageing veteran without a home, a player searching for a role, or maybe a farewell tour.
By June, reports linked him to EuroLeague powerhouse Hapoel Tel Aviv, who reportedly offered “a salary never seen before in European basketball.” It was the kind of rumour that summed up his situation: no longer indispensable, but still impossible to ignore. The same whispers that once placed him in MVP conversations were now placing him on flights to China or Israel, the familiar graveyard of faded NBA stars. (Apologies to Pat Bev.)
Then came Sacramento.
The Kings, desperate for direction after drifting from their “Light the Beam” era just two years ago, needed a steady hand at point guard. With EuroBasket MVP Dennis Schröder pencilled in as the starter and sophomore Devin Carter expected to play backup minutes, Sacramento made a low-risk gamble. On October 15th, 2025, just a week before the season opener, they offered Westbrook a one-year, $3.6 million deal, just above the veteran minimum. His 18th NBA season, and his seventh team.
The 2020s had been turbulent for ‘The Brodie.’ His Lakers stint started with promise, “let Russ be Russ,” and ended with the nickname “Westbrick.” Whilst his Clippers run felt like a 2016 superteam reunion rather than a serious contender. By September 2025, Westbrook was a player evaluated more for nostalgia than necessity, prized for energy and personality rather than pure impact.
Sacramento and Steve Kerr have something in common, and no, it’s not that cursed Kevin Huerter Halloween costume. It’s an aversion to young talent. Sophomore point guard Devin Carter, the Kings’ 2024 lottery pick, saw his minutes slashed, while Westbrook settled into a nightly workload of 28.6 minutes, his heaviest since his first season with the Clippers. But this time, Russ hasn’t wasted a second.
On Wednesday, Russell Westbrook turned back the clock. He poured in 23 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists to help the shorthanded Sacramento Kings edge the Golden State Warriors 121–116. After the game, he made a bold claim:
"Humbly speaking, I'm the best rebounding guard ever. "When the ball comes across the rim, I'm gonna get it."
The statement wasn’t an exaggeration. That night, Westbrook collected his 8,734th career rebound, surpassing Hall of Famer and current Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd for the most rebounds ever by a guard.
"Oh. Honestly, I didn't even know it was tonight," he said after learning he had set the record. "I need to get that game ball. Can somebody get it for me? ... I need that."
The triple-double itself was historic, marking the 204th of his career and extending the all-time record he first set in May 2021. Remarkably, it also gave Westbrook the achievement of recording a triple-double with all seven teams he has played for. The only season he didn’t notch one was his 2008–09, his rookie year. That’s 17 straight seasons with a triple-double.
In terms of career regular-season stats for a guard, Westbrook now ranks 1st in rebounds, 6th in assists, and 2nd in points, trailing Oscar Robertson. Stat-padding accusations have shadowed Westbrook for years, but when he records a triple-double, his teams win 74% of the time.
Call him inefficient, volatile, or a locker room headache if you like, but the wheels haven’t fallen off yet. Sacramento might only have a sixth seed ceiling, but with Westbrook on the roster, every game carries the potential for history, energy, and unpredictability. At EuroStep, we believe one thing: as long as a team offers Russell Westbrook a roster spot, he will never dial down the intensity that made him one of the NBA’s most unforgettable forces.
