Being that he's in his 18th NBA season, it should be rather evident that the Sacramento Kings' Russell Westbrook is one of the greatest to ever do it. At the very least, he's one of the greatest point guards in the history of the NBA, and Kevin Durant has taken the time to make sure everyone knows it.
KD on playing with Russell Westbrook:
— Beastbrook (@Beastbr00k0) February 3, 2026
“I’ve never seen anybody that explosive in anything in my life… I knew he had a physical advantage over every single point guard we played against…”
Best duo of all time 💯 pic.twitter.com/T6diOW4Q0h
When the Nuggets asked Westbrook to leave the team after the 2024-2025 season, he was left unrostered for the first time in his career. No team seemed interested in signing him, likely because he had been in the league for nearly two decades and wasn't exactly playing like the old Russ.
That doesn't mean he still didn't have tread on the tires. Sacramento brought him in to play backup point guard to Dennis Schroder, though it quickly became evident that Dennis wasn't up to the challenge. The Kings eventually put Westbrook in as their starting point guard.
While the team still has a ton of problems, Brodie isn't one of them. He has been one of the best parts of the season and has become an on-court coach for the rookies and sophomores on the team. Hopefully, the Kings keep him on for another season or two after his contract is up.
Kevin Durant shouts out his old running buddy
The Slim Reaper was recently on a podcast, and Russell's name came up, specifically regarding their days together in OKC. Durant spoke about Westbrook's explosivity and the advantage that gave the Thunder over almost every team in the league. It was good to hear Russ get his flowers.
Watching him play now, that explosive gameplay is still there. You never know when he's going to go off, then start raining threes, dunking on everyone, or tearing rebounds down. Again, Westbrook is in his 18th season and still pulling down triple-doubles. That's no joke.
Russell is still making history, too. He recently moved another spot up the list of All-Time Points Leaders in the NBA, taking over the 14th spot from Hakeem Olajuwon. He even crossed the 27,000 lifetime point mark against the Pelicans on February 9th.
Seeing how well Westbrook is playing for the Kings this deep into his career, combined with a legend like Kevin Durant continuing to recognize his game, means a lot. Both Russell and Durant are first ballot Hall of Famers who have changed the business. It's always nice when game recognizes game.