Veteran guard Russell Westbrook is headed to the Sacramento Kings, who once epically trolled him amidst a cold shooting streak back in 2022. During a game on the road as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers at the time, Westbrook heard “Cold As Ice” after every missed shot. The Foreigner song was also used during Russell's player intro and during the game, as he went 2-for-14 from the floor, including 0-for-5 from deep, in a 125-116 road loss.
After the loss, Westbrook reacted to the Kings' trolling throughout the game, per Lakers reporter Ryan Ward.
“The arena? That’s funny. I hope they played that the last 14 years, too,” Westbrook said. “It’s funny, they were playing that. That’s cute.”
This was hilarious! Westbrook talking about his shooting slump and the in-arena DJ in Sactown playing "cold as ice": "I hope they played that the last 14 years, too. It's funny they play it now. It's cute [laughs]." pic.twitter.com/pBpIKUNLh0
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 13, 2022
After Westbrook's cold shooting during the Kings' regular-season loss, the Kings were banned from trolling others. Now, he joins the team that did it to him almost four years ago, and not much has changed for Sacramento regarding postseason runs.
The Kings last reached the playoffs in 2023, when they lost 4-3 to the defending champion Golden State Warriors, and that was their last postseason appearance in 19 years.
How Kings fans feel about Russell Westbrook signing
Veteran guard Russell Westbrook joins the Kings one week before the start of the 2025-26 regular season, as fans reacted to the news on social media. The majority of the fans' response has been positive, as the Kings could use another veteran to help guide their younger players in the backcourt.
For most Kings fans, signing Westbrook makes a ton of sense for the upcoming season.
“In the wake of the Keegan Murray injury, when Keegan is the team’s only real wing, adding an 8th guard makes a ton of sense,” wrote one fan on Bluesky.
Indeed, the Kings have a handful of guards on their roster, including veterans like DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk, and Zach LaVine. However, most of them fall into the shooting guard category, which separates Westbrook from the rest of the pack.
And coming off a season with the Nuggets, who took the champion Thunder to Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals, Russ averaged 6.1 assists per game — which would have led the Kings in assists per game last season.
