LOS ANGELES — Russell Westbrook has officially identified his next transition opportunity.
The recently retired NBA star said he wants to be a torchbearer for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, making the request while being honored by the Los Angeles City Council for his basketball career and community work through the Why Not? Foundation.
Westbrook, a Los Angeles-area native who played at UCLA before an 18-year NBA career, said he wants to be part of “the presentation of Los Angeles” when the Olympic torch arrives in 2028.
Officials reportedly loved the idea until somebody asked the obvious follow-up question: “Who gets the torch after Russ?”
At press time, nobody had volunteered to find out.
Westbrook has spent nearly two decades proving that once he has possession, the safest assumption is that he intends to finish the play himself. Olympic organizers are therefore believed to be studying several contingency plans, including assigning him the final leg, moving the cauldron closer, or simply accepting that the torch relay may become a coast-to-coast fast break.
Westbrook’s representatives stressed that he understands the ceremonial nature of the event.
“He knows he’s supposed to pass it,” one fictional source said. “Understanding and doing are two separate statistical categories.”
If the goal is to get the flame to Los Angeles with maximum speed, aggression and absolutely no hesitation, organizers may have already found their guy.
