After the Sacramento Kings lost their 50th game of the season, Russell Westbrook hit the post-game press conference. He used that time to express his frustrations with local sports media and the way they're covering the Kings, something he's both right and wrong about at the same time.
When no other team was willing to make room for the legendary point guard in the offseason, the Kings brought him on board. A lot of people questioned the move at the time, unsure what a player going into his 18th season was going to bring to the table in Sacramento.
Westbrook has proceeded to silence all of his critics. He made the leap from the bench to starting point guard and hasn't looked back. Brodie has continued to collect more triple-doubles, stack historic moments, and play some truly great basketball. Most of the time, at least.
Like anyone this deep in their career, Westbrook isn't playing with the same spark or consistency he used to. His shooting percentages aren't exactly great, something he's all too aware of. That's probably why he took issue with the way the media is covering him and the Kings.
Westbrook has never shied away from hard conversations
During his media time after the Kings' most recent loss, Westbrook went straight at local media. His concerns ranged from reporting inaccuracies to unfair narratives surrounding young players to reporting from a place with zero context. To be fair, he's likely right about some of that.
Russell Westbrook decided to go at the media tonight in postgame. pic.twitter.com/UOgmGhV5OH
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) March 6, 2026
Sure, the Kings are having a terrible season, but the players didn't put this team together. That's a problem that belongs to Vivek Ranadive and the previous front office. The current front office is trying to unravel it with the goal of trying to build towards something better.
At the same time, the media is going to talk about what's going on with the team. There needs to be a sense of objectivity and fairness in the reporting, of course. But a lot of these people are also fans of the Kings, and they feel a certain way about the direction of the franchise.
Russell has been with the Kings for less than a season while some people covering Sacramento athletics have been doing so for most, if not all, of their careers. Westbrook made good points but he should also keep in mind that local media has as much invested in the Kings' success as anyone.