Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook has done hundreds of press conferences over the course of his Hall of Fame career, but this time he was the one asking the questions.
Westbrook called out members of the Sacramento media after the Kings suffered their 50th loss of the season Thursday, falling 133-123 to the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center.
Westbrook turned the tables on reporters after being asked what the Kings can accomplish with 19 games remaining in a season filled with frustration, including numerous injuries and a franchise-record 16-game losing streak.
“What y’all think, though, because y’all have a lot of answers and y’all always be talking,” Westbrook said after posting 19 points and 10 assists against the Pelicans. “You guys have a lot of opinions about how we do what we doing.”
Westbrook then pointed to Sactown Sports 1140 radio host Matt George.
“What you got?” Westbrook asked. “No, you Yeah, you. You make a lot of statements and broad statements. Are you in practice? Are you at our film session? Are you anywhere around the building? I haven’t seen you at practice, so the false context, and actually, do you know me? No, you don’t know me. You don’t know me, but you make a lot of comments as though you do know me.”
The Kings (14-50) have fallen well short of modest expectations despite having four former All-Stars, at least two future Hall of Famers and the eighth-highest payroll in the NBA. Some projected their win total in the mid-30s while others thought they would contend for a spot in the play-in tournament. Instead, they have amassed the worst record in the NBA with losing streaks of five, seven, eight and 16 games.
The Kings have been criticized for poor roster construction and poor play. Westbrook accused the media of making “false context” and “false comments,” but he wouldn’t elaborate when asked for specific examples.
“As the leader of this team, it’s my job to speak up for the guys in the locker room,” Westbrook said. “We talk about it. They see it. I hear it. Because of the comments you guys make, you’ve got guys thinking about a whole bunch of random things that have nothing to do with the game. You guys are making false comments about our team and what we’re doing here, and I don’t appreciate that.”
Kings coach Doug Christie said he had not heard Westbrook’s remarks when he spoke to the media after the game. Christie, a former NBA player who later worked in the media as a TV and radio broadcaster, stood by Westbrook while telling the media “I respect how you guys go about your business.”
“I thought (Westbrook) played hard and competed at a really high level tonight,” Christie said. “That’s who he is and that’s what he brings to the game, and that’s what I love about Russ. So, no, I didn’t hear it, but I respect his ccmment. He owns his, so that’s OK.. … If he’s frustrated, I’m OK with that because that just shows that he cares about what he’s doing, and that’s a good thing.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 9:06 AM.
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Jason Anderson is The Sacramento Bee’s Kings beat writer. He is a Sacramento native and a graduate of Fresno State, where he studied journalism and college basketball under the late Jerry Tarkanian.