On Monday night, the Sacramento Kings made the trip to Ball Arena to face the Denver Nuggets. This marked Russell Westbrook's first visit in Ball Arena as a Kings player, and it's clear that he remains beloved among Nuggets fans even though he only spent one year with the team. Westbrook came back to Denver and received a hero's welcome, getting a standing ovation from fans in attendance after the Nuggets gave him a tribute video prior to their 130-124 win over the Kings.
Ball Arena with the tribute to Russell Westbrook in his welcome back to Denver 🙌 pic.twitter.com/UqDLNzYYs4
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) November 4, 2025
The Nuggets may not have brought back Westbrook for the 2025-26 season, but he was incredibly important for the 2024-25 squad. That Denver team was very depleted in terms of depth, and they needed Westbrook to fill multiple roles to try and make up for their lack of viable rotation players.
After fizzling out with the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2024 NBA playoffs, Westbrook's stock was at an all-time low. But Nikola Jokic, according to reports, wanted Westbrook on the roster, and any team lacking depth can use plenty of Westbrook minutes, as he guarantees a fast pace of play, as well as tons of effort on the defensive end and on the glass.
Sure, the volatility in Westbrook's production can be very nerve-wracking for fans to witness. But Nuggets fans will recognize how he was always ready to contribute, whether as a sixth man or as a spot starter, and he also had plenty of memorable moments with the team — including his defensive stop on James Harden in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA playoffs against the Clippers.
The Nuggets may have decided to go another direction with regards to building the best possible roster around Jokic. But the league is always better whenever Westbrook is on a team, and the Kings deserve credit for bringing him along even though he isn't exactly the best fit on that mishmash of a roster.
Russell Westbrook no longer fit the Nuggets roster
With the Nuggets overhauling the squad this past offseason, they no longer had any need for Westbrook's do-it-all yet volatile ways. Bruce Brown was brought back to be a safer and better fit in a Jokic-centric offense, and he's a lower-usage player who opens up opportunities for others to create for Denver.
Nonetheless, Westbrook still has it, no one should have any doubts about that. He put up 26 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in a losing effort for the Kings, and this just goes to show that something has to change for Sacramento moving forward if they're losing despite that kind of performance from the former MVP.
