Russell Westbrook is not eager about revisiting his Los Angeles Lakers days — a minimum of not with a Sharpie in hand.
On the Kings’ preseason matchup in opposition to the Lakers, Westbrook greeted a line of younger followers holding jerseys from all of the groups he performed with throughout his NBA profession. He signed two Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder jerseys, left out two Lakers ones, after which autographed a Houston Rockets jersey.
“I don’t learn about signing that jersey,” Westbrook mentioned. “I will signal one thing else for you, although.”
The clip surfaced shortly after Westbrook agreed to a one-year, $3.6 million free-agent take care of the Kings.
Westbrook’s journey to Sacramento has been an extended and winding one. When he joined the Lakers in 2021, expectations have been sky-high, however the match rapidly soured. Westbrook’s ball-dominant model clashed with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and his capturing inconsistencies grew to become a lightning rod for criticism all through the 2021-22 NBA season.
By February 2023, the Lakers dealt Westbrook to the Utah Jazz in a three-team commerce — ending his turbulent stint in purple and gold. Utah purchased out his contract inside days, clearing the way in which for him to signal with the Los Angeles Clippers.
In the summertime of 2024, the Clippers traded Westbrook to Utah as soon as once more in a sign-and-trade, and he promptly was waived. He then signed with the Denver Nuggets, the place he continued so as to add to his historic résumé — turning into the primary participant in NBA historical past to report 200 profession triple-doubles and later surpassing 26,000 profession factors.
Now 36, Westbrook joins Sacramento as one of many NBA’s most skilled and achieved guards — and, judging by his response to these Lakers jerseys, a person prepared to completely embrace his subsequent chapter.
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