Sacramento Kings Guard Pays Touching Tribute to Russell Westbrook After Retirement Announcement

Russell Westbrook caught everyone by surprise when he announced his retirement from the NBA after suiting up for the Sacramento Kings , who finished 22-60 last season.

During a recent New Balance event in Boston , Zach LaVine paid tribute to Westbrook in an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints' Tomer Azarly. There, he reflected on having the one-time league MVP as a teammate with the Sacramento Kings .

"I mean, Russ is one of the best humans I've met. 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," LaVine stated.

"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 walked away on his own terms because not everybody gets to do that," he ended.

Sacramento Kings News: Zach LaVine looks ahead to the 2026-27 NBA season

In the same interview, Zach LaVine said he'll be playing with a chip on his shoulder this upcoming season. He vowed to make the most of his time with the Sacramento Kings, even if it means eventually taking a back seat to make way for the young guys.

"I had a little hand injury, but every year for me, I go into the offseason, I see what I can do better. I see how I can try to help the team and what role or what area I'm gonna be fitting in," LaVine explained . "Obviously, they're going to put you in a role that's best case for you. But I'm super excited."

"It's unfortunate that I had the injury last year, even in the season we had, we started off very well. I started off well. But for standards for myself, I have them extremely high, so I'm looking forward to this year," he continued.