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You got to play with Russell Westbrook last year. He called it a career right now. What was it like playing with him? And what did you think of his career as a whole, someone who appears universally loved in the basketball world? Zach LaVine: Russ is one of the best humans I've met. On the court, off the court. The dude has an energy like you've never seen before and I played against him. I came to the league in 2014, a couple years later, I think he won MVP. It was hell trying to guard him when I was younger, especially when I was 19, 20 years old and he's going straight downhill at you. We've had plenty of conversations and we've worked out together and played. But Russ is one of my good friends. My hat's off to him for a hell of a career. He had a lot more to give to basketball too. He could have kept playing, but I'm glad that he that he walked away on his own terms because not everybody gets to do that.
Patrick Beverley: "Montrezl Harrell gets into a verbal argument with Paul George. That dynamic doesn't look good. They let Montrezl Harrell walk. Lou Kennard comes in, he signs a four-year $60 million deal. They got Lou Williams, the most six-man in NBA history, they got him on an $8 million deal. Lou Williams pissed. I come in, I ask for an extension, they try to lowball me. So they're doing all of this to keep superstars happy. And then you get rid of Paul George, and you get James Harden, and you get Russell Westbrook. You get rid of them, and you cut Chris Paul. Only person that you keep is Kawhi Leonard. Phenomenal basketball player. Don't get it twisted. Kawhi Leonard, when healthy, is a phenomenal basketball player. It's not even close actually. He has Michael Jordan numbers when he's healthy."
Patrick Beverley: "I signed a three-year $40 million contract with the Clippers. I turned down a three-year $50 million with Sacramento just to stay with the Clippers. For me to be there, all the great guards they've had, I was part of that starting five that helped the Clippers go to the first time ever Western Conference Finals. They've had great guards. They've had James Harden, they had Russell Westbrook, they have Chris Paul, they've had Rajon Rondo. They had a plethora of point guards that just can never help them get over the hump, but I was part of that starting five that helped them finally, first time ever, and they haven't been back since, get to the Western Conference Finals."
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The Kings, who took Acuff at No. 7 out of Arkansas in the June draft, were reportedly interested in veterans such as Russell Westbrook (who opted to retire) and Victor Oladipo before opting for Simmons. And so the latest Simmons experiment begins — again. The Kings weren’t the only team considering Simmons, as league sources say the Knicks and Warriors were also in the mix.
Oh No He Didn't: Danny Green on where Russell Westbrook ranks all time among point guards: "Even if you don't respect his body of work, he's got to be in your top 10, even if you don't like him. Just because of what he's done. We never thought we see anybody else average a triple double again. He made it look easy"
Russell Westbook, the recently retired NBA star, has joined Project B as a co-founder and its new chief strategy officer. The nine-time NBA All-Star and 2016-17 MVP retired this summer after an 18-year career. He is now joining an upstart basketball league at the executive level, giving Project B its highest-profile addition yet. He will take an equity stake in the new league and serve on its board of directors. There is no indication yet that he will play in the league, which is set to launch in early 2027.
Westbrook is the splashiest name to join the league in any capacity. Project B has been working with Maverick Carter, the longtime friend and business associate of LeBron James, and has added several high-profile players for its women’s division. Former WNBA champion and All-Star Alana Beard is its chief basketball officer, and former NBA player and executive Landry Fields joined this summer to run the men’s division. “At every step of my career, what was most valuable to me was making sure everyone had a seat at the table,” Westbrook said in a statement. “With Project B, we’re challenging the norm and bringing a new vision to the intersection of premium sport, culture, and entertainment. We’re reimagining the experience with players not only as key value drivers, but also as shareholders and decision makers.”
Mike Vorkunov: Russell Westbrook is joining Project B as a co-founder and as its Chief Strategy Officer. He will take an equity stake and be on its board of directors. But there is no confirmation yet that he will play in the league, which is set to launch next year.
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The retirement of Russell Westbrook has led to more former players discussing his legendary career. Westbrook is a former MVP who peaked during his outstanding tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder. NBA fans still viewed Westbrook as an All-Star with the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards, but his career fell apart during his short stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. Fellow retired player JR Smith recently spoke about Westbrook and said the Lakers did things to hurt his career: "I understand what [Westbrook] was going through. Seeing people around who are supposed to be 'the closest to you,' your teammates and organization kind of flip on you, and then the fanbase… it's really tough."
Russell Westbrook formally announced that he is walking away from the game for good. However, Ice Cube would like to give him another shot to play in Big3. Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, the renowned American hip-hop artist made a strong pitch to recruit the former NBA superstar to his 3-on-3 basketball league. "We'll give him a week," Ice Cube said. "People want to see him play, regardless. If he plays in the NBA or not, people want to see him play. He still has millions of fans who would love to see him come out and play in the BIG3.”
Durant admits being affected by former teammate Russell Westbrook‘s retirement announcement this summer, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to consider ending his time in the league. Durant holds a $46MM player option for 2027/28 and still performs at a high level, averaging 26 points per game last season while earning second-team All-NBA honors. “It’s a young man’s game,” Durant said. “Even though I feel like I can play, you are always hear, ‘You’re 38, you’re 39. You’re getting up there.’ So, yeah, I get that, but I put everything into the game and I’m cool with whatever happens as I move forward. I’m going to continue to put everything into the game until I can’t no more.”
