Russell Westbrook Calls Out Reporters for 'False Comments' After Kings' 50th Loss of NBA Season

Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook used his postgame press conference on Thursday night to call out the media for what he feels is unfair coverage of the team.

Speaking to reporters after the Kings' 133-123 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, Westbrook went at the media for what he deemed "false comments" about the team.

Westbrook's comment about the "false" narratives came amid questioning about the Kings having the worst record in the NBA this season and what they can accomplish over their final 19 games as they look ahead to the offseason.

The former NBA MVP added that he felt it was important to "speak up for the guys in the locker room" as one of the leaders on the team.

One of the reporters Westbrook was directly addressing was Matt George of Sactown Sports 1140.

In a follow-up video on his YouTube channel (starts at 4:45 mark), George explained he was unsure exactly what he said in the past that warranted the reaction it got from Westbrook before attempting to unpack it.

George noted that he considers this Kings team to be the worst in franchise history, and continuing to give Westbrook so much control of the offense is not beneficial to the long-term health of the organization:

"I think, at this point in the season, there is absolutely no value, outside of Russell Westbrook being a leader and Russell Westbrook showing the young guys on this roster—the rookies on this roster—how to play hard on a nightly basis, because that's what Russ does, I don't think there is any value whatsoever to Russell Westbrook leading the Sacramento Kings in minutes, leading the Sacramento Kings in shot attempts, taking a high volume of threes, forcing the issue at the rim. I don't see any benefit whatsoever to the Sacramento Kings organization or to those young guys for Russell Westbrook to get out there and chase milestones."

It's not a stretch to say this has been a disastrous season for the Kings in what has been a brutal three years since their feel-good 48-win season and playoff appearance in 2022-23.

Since that first-round postseason loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Kings win total has decreased every year since. They are on pace for their worst record since the 2008-09 season (17-65).

Five of their top six scorers this season are all at least 29 years old, led by Zach LaVine (30) and DeMar DeRozan (36). Westbrook's 13.2 field-goal attempts per game ranks second to LaVine on the team.

Even though there's not an obvious future star currently on the roster, the Kings do have young talent that they should be looking to put at the center of things for this final stretch of the season.

Maxime Raynaud has shown promise as a rookie with 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He's a center, but it wouldn't hurt to get him more than 8.1 shot attempts per game that he's currently averaging.

Another part of the problem is injuries have forced head coach Doug Christie to rely on more of the older veterans than perhaps he would want to. LaVine and Sabonis both underwent season-ending surgeries in February. Keegan Murray has only played in 23 games due to injuries.

It does hit a point where you just need bodies to get you through the season. Westbrook, for all his flaws at this point in his career, is reliable as someone who will be in the lineup each night.

That's not a great endorsement for Westbrook to be as much a focal point for the Kings as he has been, but their options are also limited at this point.