Russell Westbrook Thanks Clippers After Trade; PG Says Fans ‘Keep Me Motivated’

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVJuly 22, 2024

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Russell Westbrook is on the move, but that doesn’t mean he will forget about his fans.

After the Los Angeles Clippers traded him to the Utah Jazz, who subsequently announced they waived him, Westbrook took to his Instagram page on Sunday to thank the Clippers and his teammates for embracing him.

He also thanked his supporters and said, “To ALL of MY fans! You guys don’t know how much your support means to me. Y’all keep me motivated and energized. I’ve got the most loyal and amazing fans in sports.”

This is yet another move for someone who played for just the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first 11 seasons of his career.

However, he has since suited up for the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers. It seems like his next team will be the Denver Nuggets, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported after the trade that the expectation was the future Hall of Famer would join Nikola Jokić and Co. following his buyout from the Jazz.

Westbrook joined the Clippers after he was traded from the Lakers in February 2023 and helped guide them to the playoffs in each of his two seasons.

While he is no longer the same explosive playmaker who captured the 2016-17 MVP, he still provided a spark off the bench and averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game behind 45.4 percent shooting from the field this past season.

He is also from Southern California and went to school at UCLA. His comments suggested he cherished the opportunity to play in front of the fans in Los Angeles, and it would be anything but a surprise if he was greeted warmly upon his return as a visiting player in 2024-25.

There was a time when Westbrook switching teams would have been one of the major storylines of the entire offseason.

After all, his resume includes the MVP, two scoring titles, three assist titles, nine All-NBA selections, nine All-Star Game nods and a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. His speed in the open court was almost impossible to stop, and he was a threat to notch a triple-double every time he stepped on the floor.

The 35-year-old won’t be that type of player for Denver, but he can stuff the stat sheet off the bench and anchor the secondary unit with his energy and style of play.

If he continues to do that throughout the 2024-25 campaign, he may even win the first championship of his career.