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Veteran guard Russell Westbrook is finally starting a new chapter, agreeing to a deal with the Sacramento Kings for his 18th NBA season. The nine-time All-Star and former league MVP brings his legendary intensity and experience to a Kings team seeking backcourt depth. This move marks the seventh different team of his storied career. So without further delay, let’s dive deeper into the numbers.

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How Much Will Russell Westbrook Earn with the Sacramento Kings?

The specific value and length of Westbrook’s new contract with the Kings have not been officially announced. It is widely expected that he signed for the veteran’s minimum salary. For a player with his level of experience, that minimum contract is worth $3.6 million for the 2025-26 season. This type of deal represents a significant shift from the massive contracts he earned earlier in his career.

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This follows the pattern of his recent teams, where he has provided value beyond his salary. Last season, he was with the Denver Nuggets on a two-year, $6.8 million contract (with a $3.4 million salary for the first year and a declined option for the second), which is in line with the veteran minimum deals he’s signed in recent years.

His decision to join Sacramento ends a long period of patience in free agency where the two sides maintained steady communication.

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What Was Russell Westbrook’s Contract and Salary History?

Russell Westbrook’s career earnings tell the story of a player who was once among the highest paid athletes in the world. Over his first 17 seasons, he has earned a staggering $348.2 million in salary alone. His financial peak came from a designated veteran extension he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017.

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That specific deal was a five year contract worth nearly $207 million. At the time, it was the largest contract in NBA history. He earned an average of over $41 million per season during that period. Here is a quick table for a better picture of his recent salary history according to Spotrac:

  • 2024–25 Denver Nuggets2 years / $6,700,000$3,303,000
    2023–24 Los Angeles Clippers2 years / $7,863,000$3,931,000
    2022–23 Clippers (rest of season)1 year / $784,000$784,000
    2018–22 Oklahoma City Thunder5 years / $206,794,000$41,358,000

Westbrook’s transition from the supermax deal (peaking at $44.2 million in 2021–22) to a veteran minimum contract ($784,000 with the Clippers in 2022–23) represents a massive single-year pay cut, dropping over $43 million.

This is widely regarded as the largest single-season salary reduction in NBA history, as no other player has gone from a supermax-level salary to a veteran minimum in one year.

What Is Russell Westbrook’s Net Worth in 2025?

For Russell Westbrook, that figure is estimated to be around $300 million as of 2025. This immense wealth is not solely from his NBA game checks. His career salary earnings of over $348 million form the foundation of his net worth.

He has massively boosted his income through endorsements and business ventures. A major source is his long term partnership with Jordan Brand, a deal reported to be worth between $150 and $200 million. He also runs his own fashion label called Honor The Gift.

Westbrook has additional income streams from endorsements with companies like PepsiCo, Samsung, and True Religion, as well as investments in real estate and tech startups. He’s also involved in philanthropy and media projects, though these may not directly contribute to his net worth as much as his business ventures.

These off court investments have solidified his financial status far beyond his current playing salary.

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Aayaan Sayadee

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Aayaan Sayadee is an NBA Writer at EssentiallySports, combining his lifelong passion for basketball. As a tech graduate, he brings a unique understanding of statistics, in-game mechanics, and the nuances of basketball analytics to his breakdowns of pivotal plays. Having played basketball from a young age, he draws inspiration from the precision and strategy behind the game, which he skillfully unpacks in his detailed analyses of plays involving stars like LeBron James, Know more

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Tanay Sahai

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