Is Russell Westbrook Signing With 76ers? Fact Checking Viral Claim

By this stage of the NBA offseason, most of the marquee free agents have already found new homes. Yet one of the league's biggest names, 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook, remains unsigned.

Unlike LeBron James, who reportedly had no shortage of suitors, Westbrook has faced the opposite reality. Nearly a month into free agency, the NBA's all-time triple-double leader has generated little reported interest, leaving his future uncertain.

That's why a recent report claiming Westbrook had signed with the Philadelphia 76ers caught many fans off guard. The post originated on X from an account designed to resemble ESPN insider Shams Charania's profile. However, despite the similar appearance, the account has no affiliation with Charania and the claim is false.

The page that posted it displayed Charania's name and photo, but the handle is actually "@shamscharrniaa." Additionally, the page's bio clearly states that it is a parody page, making it clear for those who take a second to look longer that this news is untrue.

Currently, Westbrook is still a free agent. There appears to be very little interest from teams at this stage in the two-time NBA scoring champion.

However, as training camp approaches and rosters take their final shape, there could be some teams that'll be interested in adding a veteran leader with plenty of playoff experience.

Per reports, he has also generated interest from teams outside the NBA.

Specifically, Panathinaikos, based in Greece, and Hapoel Tel Aviv, based in Israel, are interested in the former NBA MVP.

Whether he ends up playing abroad or remains in the NBA remains to be seen, though, as he has not commented on whether he'll take his talents outside of the United States.

Russell Westbrook Has Moved Around A Lot Since Leaving the OKC Thunder

In 2019, Russell Westbrook's time with the OKC Thunder came to an end when he was traded to the Houston Rockets. Since then, the longest he's ever spent with a franchise was about a season-and-a-half.

Westbrook would spend the entire 2019-20 season in Houston, but that would be his only year with the franchise. That would also be the last time he made an All-NBA team.

In 2020, he was traded to the Washington Wizards for John Wall. He played 65 games for the Wizards in 2020-21 and averaged a triple-double that year (22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 11.7 assists) for the fourth time in his career.

After that season, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. In his first season wearing the purple and gold, his scoring dipped to under 20 points per game (18.5 ppg) for the first time since his sophomore season.

He would remain a member of the Lakers through the summer of 2022, but midway through the 2022-23 campaign, he was traded to the Utah Jazz, who subsequently waived him.

After clearing waivers, he ended up returning to LA, albeit this time, as a member of the Clippers. He would spend the remainder of 2022-23 and the entire 2023-24 season there.

In July 2024, he signed with the Denver Nuggets and played 75 games during the 2024-25 season.

Last year, he was on the move again, suiting up in 64 games for the Sacramento Kings, where he averaged 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists.