Russell Westbrook Makes History with NBA Scoring Milestone

Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook made history on Friday during a game against the Phoenix Suns. With his 26,711th career point, the veteran guard moved into 15th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. More impressively, he surpassed Oscar Robertson for the most points in league history by a point guard.

Westbrook has continued to be a productive player in his 18th NBA season, averaging 14.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in 35 games for the Kings. At 37 years old, the former MVP now ranks seventh all-time in assists, 14th in steals, and 15th in points. He also holds the record for the most triple-doubles (207) and rebounds by a guard (8,909).

Westbrook’s latest achievement has drawn attention from across the league. Shortly after passing Robertson on the all-time scoring list, the Kings guard shared a joint Instagram post with his Westbrook Enterprises page. The post received over 340,000 likes and more than 3,300 comments within 24 hours, many of which came from other NBA players.

Among those who reacted was Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, a four-time All-Star. Young posted a simple message on his Instagram story:

“Keep Goin Brodie,” he wrote.

This interaction comes amid growing trade rumors involving Young. There have been speculations that he could potentially join the Sacramento Kings. Young, who has spent his entire career with the Hawks since being selected No. 5 overall in the 2018 NBA draft, was recently linked to the Kings in a Dec. 11 mock trade from ESPN.

While the deal was hypothetical, the noise around a potential trade out of Atlanta has only increased in recent weeks. On Sunday, Marc Stein of The Stein Line revealed that the Hawks are more open to trading Young than ever before. Additionally, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon mentioned on Monday’s episode of The Hoop Collective podcast that the Hawks are indicating they’re looking for an exit ramp with Young.

Young’s message to Westbrook came just days after this news, and only a few weeks after the initial speculation about the Kings pursuing him. Matt George of ABC10 supported the idea of Young joining Sacramento.

“The more I think about this trade from ESPN, the more I like it for Sacramento,” he posted last month. “Best case: Get a playmaking, shooting star in Trae Young in the building and get him under a contract the Kings find reasonable. Worst case: Trae Young walks, but you got off LaVine’s deal.”

If Young were to land in Sacramento, he would have the opportunity to grow under Westbrook — assuming the veteran point guard does not have a new home himself before the Feb. 5 trade deadline. There are already some ties between Young and Westbrook, most notably their shared time in Oklahoma.

Westbrook played for the OKC Thunder from 2008-2019, while Young starred for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2018. Spending just one year in college, Young led the NCAA in scoring (27.4) and assists per game (8.7). A 2018 article from Forbes revealed a message Westbrook had for Young as he began his NBA career.

“Just do it all, man,” Westbrook told him, according to Young’s father. “… Don’t get pigeonholed into doing one thing just because you’re a point guard.”

The recent speculation that Sacramento could trade for Young makes sense, as the Kings faced internal pressure to pursue him during the past NBA offseason. In June, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported on this, but the interest was hindered by Sacramento’s concerns about Young’s game and contract.

“Similarly, there was a push among some power-brokers for Sacramento to go after Atlanta’s Trae Young, but league sources say the Kings didn’t have interest because of his style of play (offense-first) and cost (he’s extension-eligible this summer but is slated to earn $45.9 million next season and has a player option worth $48.9 million in 2026-27),” Amick wrote.

Ironically, the Kings ended up signing Westbrook, who is now the team’s starting point guard. If their philosophy has shifted amid this 8-27 start, Young could be a real option ahead of the upcoming trade deadline.