Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook confronted reporters during his postgame press conference following a 133-123 home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on March 5, 2026, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. The defeat marked the Kings' 50th of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, leaving them with a 14-50 record, the worst in the league.[1][2]

Westbrook recorded 19 points and 10 assists in 34 minutes for Sacramento, which suffered its ninth consecutive home defeat. The Kings, who entered the game last in the Western Conference standings, have lost 15 of their past 16 contests overall.[1][3]

A 37-year-old American point guard and 2017 NBA MVP, Westbrook joined the Kings ahead of the 2024-25 season after stints with multiple teams including the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Utah Jazz, and Denver Nuggets.[4][1]

In the press conference, Westbrook questioned reporters' context and accuracy, stating, "You make a lot of statements, and broad statements that you have no context – so, where do you get your context from? Are you in practice? Are you at our film session?" He added, "Your guys’ job is to talk about the game... not stir up a bunch of stuff that’s not accurate."[2][3]

Reporters defended their coverage as fair, with one describing it as the worst Kings season witnessed. Westbrook responded, "No, you don’t know me," emphasizing respect between players and media. As a team leader, he said, "it's my job to speak up for the guys in the locker room."[2][3]

The Kings, eliminated from playoff contention, host the Chicago Bulls on March 8, 2026, in their next game, one of 18 remaining in the regular season.[1][3]

Sources

1. NBA.com. "Pelicans vs. Kings Final Score - March 05, 2026". March 6, 2026. https://www.nba.com/game/nop-vs-sac-0022400512
2. ESPN. "Pelicans beat Kings 133-123; Westbrook unloads on media in presser". March 6, 2026. https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401676512
3. Sacramento Kings (official). "Game Recap: Pelicans 133, Kings 123". March 6, 2026. https://www.nba.com/kings/game-recap/2026/0305/nop-sac
4. Wikipedia. "Russell Westbrook". Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Westbrook