An epic facial expression, a bit of trolling with a reporter in a back-and-forth exchange and laughter filled the Kings’ practice facility on Sunday morning.
Russell Westbrook has arrived.
“It feels great, truly,” Westbrook said when asked how it feels to be a member of the Kings. “I’m blessed to be able to have an opportunity to play and enjoy a place that wanted me to come here. So I’m grateful for that.”
Westbrook signed a one-year contract with Sacramento after a lengthy unrestricted free agency kept him teamless for roughly four months.
But alas, he found his new home.
“I don’t know how it all came together so quickly, but obviously I have a lot of friends and guys I’ve played with on this team before,” Westbrook said. “Not just that, but also an organization that [my agent] had been in contact with, trying to figure out ways to make it happen. With salary cap and all these different rules that I’ve come to learn, things you can and can’t do, and things just kind of meshed together that way. And I’m here now.”
Westbrook, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, widely is regarded as one of the most fiery players and personalities in the league.
You love him … or you don’t. Regardless, Westbrook won’t ever change who he is.
Now entering Year 18, symbolized by the No. 18 he’ll wear with the Kings, Westbrook is used to the criticism.
“To be honest, it’s really been like this my whole career,” he said. “It’s nothing new, unfortunately. I’m grateful and blessed for the doubt, the ‘if I can and will play.’ I know what I’m capable of when given the opportunity. So when the season starts, I’m going to do what I’ve always done and compete. There’s going to be people who love it. There’s going to be people who hate it. That’s life for me. I didn’t make it 18 years on accident.
“I’m grateful. The chip has always been on my shoulder, and it won’t go nowhere until I’m done playing.”
But Westbrook isn’t just motivated by the chip on his shoulder, as the external doubt and criticism of the Kings’ roster as a whole also lights a fire under him.
“The doubt that everybody has against us,” Westbrook said when asked what intrigues him about the team.
The triple-double king spent the last season with the Denver Nuggets, where in 75 games (36 starts), he averaged 13.3 points on 44.9 percent shooting from the field, with 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists 1.4 steals in 27.9 minutes.
He remains in great shape among point guards across the league, while doing the things coach Doug Christie is looking for, such as rebounding, play-making, providing high energy and getting after it defensively.
His high momentum and contagious energy are fitting for the arena he’ll now call home.
Westbrook can’t wait to finally be on the home side of the “loud” Golden 1 Center crowd after fans have “talked a lot of mess to me when I was here” as an opponent over the course of his career.
“Very excited. I think fans are one of the reasons why I love to play the game,” he said. “It’s one of the reasons why I continue to go out and give everything I have. Being on the road side, I know how great this fanbase can be. I’m grateful and excited to be able to get out there and have them on my side and feed off their energy.
“And yes, ultimately light the beam.”
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Westbrook is a nine-time NBA All-Star, nine-time All-NBA member, former league MVP, two-time scoring champion and likely a future Hall of Famer.
Nearly two decades into this, accolades have become less and less important to him as much as being healthy and able to even step foot onto the hardwood. While he acknowledged winning a championship would be a great addition to his already illustrious NBA resume, he’s more focused on having a lasting impact on the things he does and the people he comes across.
That includes on and off the basketball court.
“I think since I’ve been in this league, leadership is not just something that you guys see on the floor,” he said. “My job, and I think one of my traits as a leader, is to be able to learn about guys’ journeys off the floor, how they got to this point, what inspires them, what pushes them. Being able to do that allows me to be a better teammate [and] a better brother to my teammates.
“To me, that’s what I look forward to most. Being able to impact and inspire someone daily is always my goal to run into somebody and maybe I can inspire them to do something they didn’t think they could do.”
It appears Christie and Westbrook already are on the same page when it comes to what the Kings are expecting out of the star point guard in his first season with the team.
“I want Russ to be Russ,” Christie said last week.
It sounds cliche. It sounds like propaganda. Even a great public relations answer. But Russell Westbrook might literally be incapable of being anyone other than himself.
And he hopes Kings fans can enjoy that player, and more importantly, the person in Sacramento.
