Russell Westbrook States Kings Have Become ‘family' Entering Uncertain Offseason

Russell Westbrook states Kings have become ‘family' entering uncertain offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Russell Westbrook isn’t from Sacramento, but it became the closest thing to home in his 18th NBA season.

And although his family was 380 miles south of him in Los Angeles, he formed a new one in California’s capital.

“Brodie here, back with another send. As we know, the NBA season has now come to a close, and I’m so grateful to the city of Sacramento for embracing me. The Kings organization has truly become a family to me,” Westbrook wrote via his Word of Westbrook newsletter. “I’m honored that this past season, I had my 208th career triple‑double, achieved 8,734 career rebounds, 10,000 career assists, and reached 2,000 career steals, and moved into 15th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list here. And just last month, I took fifth place on the NBA’s all-time assists list!

“I could not have done it without the support of Coach Christie and the rest of the team.”

Just days before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, Westbrook, a nine-time NBA All-Star and likely future Hall of Famer, was unemployed until he eventually signed a one-year contract with the Kings.

He was meant to back up then-starting point guard Dennis Schroder, who the Kings had just signed to a three-year deal, but Westbrook’s leadership and success with the starting unit permanently earned him the starting gig.

Westbrook, in his age-37 season, averaged 15.2 points, a team-leading 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds in 58 games while breaking records and making history along the way.

Aside from his impressive success on the court, he thrived even more off of it.

The Kings, who finished the season tied for last in the Western Conference with a 22-60 record, didn’t have much to play for. The attention turned to developing Sacramento’s youth — particularly the rookie class — and Westbrook played a huge role in that.

It seemed like after every game, a different young guy was shouting out Westbrook for his guidance in their early careers.

Despite such a down season, Westbrook told the media at his end-of-season exit interview that he would love to return to Sacramento next season if the team would allow him to.

“If I’m welcomed back, I’ll be back,” Westbrook said Monday. “But that’s not up to me. It’s kind of how it’s been for me for the last couple of summers and seasons.”

Kings general manager Scott Perry’s response was pretty straightforward.

“Russell’s always welcome with me,” Perry said Wednesday. “I loved working with Russell Westbrook this year. I mean, he was phenomenal. I can’t say enough. Obviously, I talked about Doug [Christie]’s leadership and his ability to help the young people, but a lot of that development doesn’t happen without guys like Russell and [DeMar DeRozan] and Doug McDermott and all of these veteran guys who poured into our young people. 

“And Russ was at the head of that class for that. Extremely competitive. I wish I had an opportunity to work with Russell earlier in my career as well, because I really like what he stands for. And again, we will keep the lines of communication open and we will see what happens and what’s available for us this offseason.”

With an uncertain offseason looming for Westbrook and the Kings, one thing is for sure: the former NBA MVP forever is grateful for Sacramento.

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