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Russell Westbrook scoffed at the notion that the 2025-26 season could be his last in the NBA after signing with the Sacramento Kings in October.
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The Kings have held discussions with Westbrook about a return to Sacramento in what would surely be a reduced role, but he hasn’t been linked to any other teams and remains unsigned more than a month into free agency.
Westbrook still has more than two months to reach an agreement with an NBA team before training camp begins, but there is an unsubstantiated rumor that he is in talks with Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Hapoel Tel Aviv is a professional basketball club based in Tel Aviv, Israel. The club competes in the Israeli Premier League and the EuroLeague. Former NBA player Amir Coffey is listed on the club’s current roster. Patrick Beverley (2024-25), Nate Robinson (2016) and Cedric Ceballos (2002) played for the team in the past.
The rumor generated discussion on social media and sports talk radio, and even made its way to the Jerusalem Post, but at this point it appears to be fake news. The rumor apparently started with a social media post from Marc Jacobs. In his bio on X, Jacobs describes himself as a senior NBA writer and reporter for LakerFilm, which has only 39 followers on X.
Jacobs tweeted: “REPORT: Russell #Westbrook and Hapoel Tel Aviv reportedly have mutual interest, with talks between the two sides continuing to expand. The former MVP is seriously considering a move overseas this season. Per @TheAthletic.”
The Athletic has reported no such thing.
Brett Siegel, an NBA reporter with Clutch Points, is skeptical.
“Amid rumors surrounding Russell Westbrook potentially discussing a deal with Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv, I do not believe that to be true,” Siegel tweeted. “I’ve asked multiple people with different teams around the NBA if they’ve heard such and nobody has heard about this.”
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Westbrook, who will turn 38 in November, is an 18-year NBA veteran, a nine-time All-Star and a nine-time All-NBA selection who was named the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2017. Westbrook spent the 2025-26 season with the Kings after agreeing to a $3.6 million veteran’s minimum contract on Oct. 13, nine days before the season opener.
Westbrook is hoping to return for his 19th season in the NBA, but there doesn’t seem to be much of a market for his services despite the fact that he continues to produce at a high level. If he does find a place to play in the NBA, he would almost certainly have to be willing to accept another minimum contract, and in Sacramento he would have to accept a much smaller role behind rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr.
Westbrook takes great pride in sharing his knowledge of the game with young players, but if playing time proves to be a dealbreaker he could look overseas for a starring role and a much more lucrative contract.
Westbrook came to Sacramento 10 months ago to serve as the backup to Dennis Schroder, but he quickly supplanted Schroder as the team’s starting point guard. Westbrook appeared in 64 games, averaging 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.3 steals.
Westbrook is the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles (209). He ranks fifth in assists (10,351), 14th in points scored (27,176) and 15th in steals (2,038).
Kings general manager Scott Perry and coach Doug Christie spoke highly of Westbrook throughout the season, praising his leadership and intensity. Perry downplayed the idea of re-signing Westbrook earlier this summer, saying he had outplayed his minimum contract, but at this stage a larger deal looks unlikely.
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