Headline: Lakers Fans Can’t Help but Laugh at Russell Westbrook’s Nightmare Kings Debut
It was supposed to be a new chapter — a redemption arc for Russell Westbrook. New team, new energy, new beginning. Instead, the script flipped into a basketball horror movie that had Lakers fans laughing from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
When Westbrook made his debut for the Sacramento Kings, the anticipation was electric. Sacramento fans cheered as the former MVP checked in, hoping to see flashes of the explosive triple-double machine he once was. But as the night wore on, those cheers turned into nervous murmurs — and, for Lakers fans watching from afar, gleeful laughter.
From the start, things looked off. Westbrook’s first shot — a wide-open corner three — clanked so hard it nearly dented the rim. His next two attempts weren’t any prettier: one airball, one bank shot that missed the square by a mile. The Kings’ bench tried to stay composed, but even the rookie ball boys were caught on camera stifling grins.
By halftime, Westbrook had managed just 3 points on 1-of-9 shooting, with more turnovers (5) than assists (2). Meanwhile, social media lit up like a bonfire. Lakers fans, long removed from the “Westbrick Era,” couldn’t resist. Memes flooded Twitter: photos of construction workers with captions like “Russ back at work” and a Photoshopped image of Westbrook in a Kings jersey holding a Home Depot hammer.
One Lakers fan posted:“We told them! You can’t just give him a new jersey and expect him to hit the rim!”
Even LeBron James, sitting courtside for the Lakers’ own preseason game, was caught smirking at the scoreboard highlight reel showing Westbrook’s missed layups. “Tough night,” he reportedly muttered under his breath.
The nightmare only worsened in the second half. Westbrook tried to take control, forcing drives into a crowded paint and tossing passes into the stands. By the fourth quarter, the Kings trailed by 22, and the crowd began sarcastically cheering every time he hit the rim. When he finally made a jumper late in the game, even Lakers Twitter celebrated — not for him, but because it meant the meme drought was over.
After the game, Westbrook faced the cameras with a tense smile. “Just getting used to the system,” he said, sweat still dripping. “Shots will fall eventually.”
But the damage was done. Lakers fans, once frustrated by his time in L.A., now found poetic closure. They flooded comment sections with “😂” emojis and clips of his turnovers set to circus music. One viral post summed it up perfectly
Whether Westbrook bounces back or not remains to be seen, but for now, his Kings debut has earned a place in NBA comedy history. It was messy, chaotic, and utterly Westbrook — and for Lakers fans, that was the sweetest entertainment they could ask
