At age 36, future NBA Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook of Long Beach, California is coming back to the National Basketball Association for an 18th season. On Wednesday, Westbrook agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth $3.6 million according to Chris Haynes of Amazon Prime.
The Kings will be the seventh NBA franchise that Westbrook has played for in his NBA career. He was previously with the Oklahoma City Thunder for 11 seasons from 2008 to 2019. He was then with the Houston Rockets for one season in 2019-20, the Washington Wizards for one season in 2020-21, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers for two seasons each, and last season with the Denver Nuggets. At one time, Westbrook was traded to the Utah Jazz, but never played for them.
This past season, Westbrook averaged 13.3 points per game, 6.1 assists per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 1.4 steals per game. He had a field goal percentage of .449, three point percentage of .323 and free throw percentage of .661. Shooting from the free throw line has actually been a struggle for Westbrook in recent years. He missed 79 free throws last season.
What Westbrook is known for is his triple doubles, where he is the NBA all-time leader with 203. Last season with the Nuggets, Westbrook had a unique triple double. In a Nuggets win over Utah, he had a triple double without committing a turnover, and being perfect when shooting field goals and from the free throw line. In Sacramento, expect Westbrook to backup the equally experienced point guard Dennis Schroder.
