Russell Westbrook has another place in the NBA record books.
The former MVP reached 26,711 career points Friday, passing Oscar Robertson to become the NBA’s all-time scoring leader among point guards. Robertson was previously the top scorer at the position with 26,710 points.
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Westbrook finished the game with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 turnovers in the Sacramento Kings’ 129-102 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Westbrook was already the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles and in rebounds among guards. He is seventh on the all-time assists leaderboard and is on pace to pass Mark Jackson and Steve Nash for fifth by the end of the season.
Of course, with the scoring record, the point guard distinction is an unofficial one. There are now 14 players ahead of Westbrook on the NBA’s all-time leading scorer list and only three of them are guards: Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and James Harden. Jordan and Bryant are both quintessential shooting guards, while Harden has spent his career in more of a combo role.
Russell Westbrook has a unique place in NBA lore. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Thearon W. Henderson via Getty Images)
Westbrook has spent his post-Oklahoma City Thunder career as something of a journeyman, joining the Kings this season on a one-year, $3.6 million contract (aka the veteran minimum). He has still averaged double-digit points in every season of his career and currently ranks fourth on the Kings with 14.4 points per game, his highest output since the 2022-23 season.
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He also entered Friday shooting 42.3% from the field, his worst mark since 2010, but that’s partially offset by a career high 35.3% clip from 3-point range.
It was a tough night if you hate seeing less-heralded Oscar Robertson records go down, as Giannis Antetokounmpo surpassed him to become the all-time leader in 30-10-5 games. What a time to be alive.
