Days before the 2025-26 regular season, Russell Westbrook finally joined an NBA team. He’s entered his 18th season with the Sacramento Kings. That meant he’d visit the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first week.
The Thunder outlasted their opponent in another clutch situation. They survived a 107-101 win over the Kings to improve to a perfect 5-0 record on Tuesday. Against the opponent, several familiar faces received love from the home crowd.
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The Kings started Westbrook, Dennis Schroder and Domantas Sabonis. All received cheers, with Westbrook as the loudest. Also on Sacramento’s roster are Doug McDermott and Dario Saric. Both veteran journeymen had a cup of coffee in OKC.
It was quite the fast start for Westbrook. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists. He shot 4-of-8 from 3, which included a pair of corner makes in the opening minutes.
The Thunder and Kings face off a couple of more times this season. The final matchup will be in OKC on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Nothing is known yet, but perhaps that could be the 36-year-old’s last time playing at Paycom Center.
Westbrook struggled to find a new team this past offseason. He only signed a one-year deal with the Kings. If he can’t stay there or find a new NBA home, he could be staring at retirement sooner rather than later.
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When that day arrives, Westbrook should get his No. 0 retired by the Thunder soon afterward. He spent his best years in OKC and was one of the best players at his peak during the 2010s. The one-time MVP winner anchored several title contenders before his 2019 departure.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: In penultimate visit to OKC, Russell Westbrook shown love from crowd