With the 2025–2026 NBA season less than one week away, as opening night is on Tuesday, there was a huge, Hall of Fame name still unsigned, with many wondering if we’d seen the last of him on the hardwood. That player was Russell Westbrook, but that notion is no more. That’s because, on Thursday, Westbrook signed with the Sacramento Kings as he’ll suit up for his 18th NBA season and with his seventh franchise.
The Kings didn’t announce the terms of the deal, but it is widely expected to be a one-year contract for Westbrook, who turns 37 in November. The team’s general manager, Scott Perry, highlighted Westbrook’s intangibles in announcing the transaction to bring him into the fold.
Westbrook’s resume certainly speaks for itself. He was the 2016–2017 NBA MVP, is the all-time leader in triple-doubles, and is a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. Additionally, Westbrook is a nine-time All-Star, a nine-time All-NBA selection, a two-time scoring champion, and a three-time leader in assists.
His best days came with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Perry spent time with their predecessor, the Seattle SuperSonics, as an assistant GM. That includes being part of the front office that drafted Kevin Durant in 2007.
Last season, Westbrook played in 75 games with the Denver Nuggets, mostly in a reserve role. He averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals as he finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting for the second season in a row. The 2024–2025 season was the first of a two-year deal that Westbrook had with Denver, with the second year of that contract being a player option.
Shortly after the season ended, Westbrook declined the player option with Denver for this upcoming season, making him a free agent. He patiently waited for four months to sign with a team, finally linking up with Sacramento six days before its regular season begins on Oct. 22. The Kings do have one final preseason game on Oct. 17, though it’s unknown if Westbrook will suit up for that contest against one of his many former teams in the Los Angeles Lakers.
Outside of the Nuggets, Thunder, and Lakers, Westbrook also played for the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Westbrook is nicknamed “Mr. Triple Double” for not only being the all-time record holder in the statistic but also being the only player to average a triple-double in more than one season. He’s done it four times in his career and has become the face of the achievement, replacing Oscar Robertson in that regard. Thus, it’s a bit fitting that Westbrook, in what’s likely his final NBA season, is joining the franchise where Robertson made the triple-double famous. Robertson spent the first decade of his career with the Cincinnati Royals, who would eventually relocate to California and become the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings are coming off a 40–42 season in which they missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. Last year was one of transition for Sacramento, as it traded away star point guard De’Aaron Fox and fired head coach Mike Brown, both in-season. Westbrook joins a team that still has some star power, though, as Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine are all multi-time All-Stars.
Even with a void at point guard following Fox’s departure, there’s no guarantee that Westbrook will start, as he’s come off the bench in each of his last three seasons with three different teams. Sacramento brought in another veteran guard this offseason in Dennis Schroder, while the team also has Malik Monk, who averaged a career-high of 17.2 points last year, on the roster.
