Recently, so-called reports have been circulating online suggesting that former OKC Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook is on the verge of departing from the NBA and that he's "in advanced talks to join Israel's Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball team."
Marc Stein's sources are confident that such rumblings are wildly innacurate.
In a recent piece, the in-the-know correspondent revealed that he's been told these reports are "laughably false" and that, at this point in time, Westbrook "has not considered leaving the NBA."
These claims of advanced talks come from The Jerusalem Post, via an online article that, interestingly enough, appears to have already been removed by the publisher.
Thunder legend still hopes to extend his playing career
These unreliable claims surfaced soon after Westbrook himself went on record stating that he hopes to extend his playing career into the 2026-27 season.
During a recent sit-down with CNN, the Thunder legend said that it's "my plan" to play out his 19 pro season, presumably in the association, citing the fact that "I love playing basketball," as his main drive to play.
Westbrook is already a sure-fire future Hall of Famer and widely recognized as a top-75 player in league history. Throughout his 18 seasons, the point guard has compiled a stellar resume consisting of nine All-Star nods, an MVP award, the all-time record for most triple-doubles in league history, and career averages of 20.9 points, 8.0 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.
While he may be at an advanced stage of his professional tenure at 37 and, in turn, well removed from his prime, All-NBA days, Westbrook has still proven himself to be a highly productive contributor when given the opportunity.
Last season, he was found suiting up for the Sacramento Kings, starting 58 of 64 total games and averaging 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals along the way.
His production was encouraging enough for several teams to actively keep tabs on him during this year's free agency period, with the Miami Heat among those linked as a possible destination for his services for some time now.
Though it may be a bit discouraging to see Westbrook still unsigned, it must be remembered that, just last season, he was picked up by the Kings less than a week before their regular-season opener.
There's still plenty of offseason left for him to put pen to paper on a new deal.
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