Watching Russell Westbrook play incredible basketball has been one of the best parts of this Sacramento Kings' season. In their win over the Mavericks, he moved up one more place in the all-time assists list and hit a major steals benchmark. The legend of Russell Westbrook keeps growing.
It's crazy to think that, as the beginning of the 2025-2026 season was closing in, Westbrook didn't have a team to play on. The Nuggets asked him not take his player option and leave the team after last season, a decision that remains incredibly confusing for everyone in the league.
What was even more odd was that no other team showed any interest in Westbrook's services. The man is an All-Star, a former MVP, and the all-time leader in triple-doubles. Well, for now. At the rate Nikola Jokic is racking up triple-doubles, he'll take that title sooner rather than later.
Ultimately, the Kings offered him a spot, and they are probably glad they did. He joined the team as a backup point guard, but became the starter thanks to his great play this season. He's become the team leader and is seemingly making history with almost every game he plays.
Westbrook takes two more steps towards history
During the course of the Kings' win over the Mavericks, Westbrook collected the assist that got him to seventh on the All-Time Assists Leaders list. The previous number seven was Magic Johnson, so moving up one spot is no small feat when you're talking about one of the greatest passers ever.
If that's not enough, Westbrook also collected the steal he needed to reach 2,000 career steals. He is the 14th player in the history of the league to reach that benchmark, which is no small feat. He's also 14th on the All-Time Steals Leaders list between Mookie Blaylock and Allen Iverson.
Westbrook is now top 20 in points, top ten in assists, top 20 in steals, and top 25 in made free throws. Even better is the fact that he shows no signs of slowing down. The man is still collecting triple-doubles, meaning he's going to keep moving up those lists.
While someone like Russell Westbrook should be in the conversation for the greatest of all time, it won't happen because he doesn't have a ring. Despite that, he remains one of the best players the game has even seen, and one of the most complete athletes to touch the court.