Russell Westbrook Posts Three-Word Message After Joining Kings

The future Hall of Fame guard is headed to team number seven.

Russell Westbrook will soon play for a third different team in his home state. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Like all the NBA's 2000s holdovers, guard Russell Westbrook is in the twilight of his career. Seven seasons have now passed since the 2008 SuperSonics draftee left the Thunder, the team with which he is still most closely associated. The end is nigh.

However, Westbrook appears to still have plenty of gas left in the tank entering Year 18. Upon formally joining the Kings Thursday, he posted an enthusiastic three-word message to social media.

"LIGHT THE BEAM," Westbrook wrote in all caps in a nod to a team symbol—along with the hashtag #WhyNot.

LIGHT THE BEAM #whynot https://t.co/lzGWx7sp6G

— Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) October 16, 2025

Sacramento will be the third California-based team to employ Westbrook, a Long Beach native who played collegiately for UCLA. The nine-time All-Star, three-time league assists champion, and two-time league scoring champion spent all of 2022 and part of 2023 with the Lakers, and spent part of '23 and all of 2024 with the Clippers.

Most recently, Westbrook played for the Nuggets, averaging 13.3 points per game for Denver in 2025. He's also spent single pandemic-era years with the Rockets (2020 and Wizards (2021).

The Kings—without a playoff trip since their Beam-fueled 2023 breakthrough—are scheduled to open the 2026 season on Wednesday against the Suns in Phoenix.

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