Source: https://marcstein.substack.com/p/lots-more-late-night-nba-intel?r=nuq3a&utm_medium=ios

One source close to the process told The Stein Line that a recent report suggesting that Russell Westbrook was in talks to sign abroad with Hapoel Tel Aviv was “laughably false.”

Westbrook to this point has not considered leaving the NBA after 18 seasons, winning MVP honors in 2017 and his strong production last season in Sacramento at age 37: 15.2 points and 6.7 assists per game as well as 58 starts.

KingSystem

217 | 5 hours ago

MIT just fell to their knees in a walmart

Carth_Onasi_AMA | Timberwolves

54 | 4 hours ago

I almost (not really) wanted him to go there just so I could watch MIT pull some Olympic level mental gymnastics. Jokes aside I’m relieved he’s not going there though.

mydicksmellsgood | Spurs

32 | 4 hours ago

We could’ve had mrbuckbuck posting weekly highlight reels tho

ShotgunStyles | Kings

1 | 3 hours ago

If Westbrook returns to the Kings, then we’re getting weekly highlight reels anyways due to Sabonis and Emanuel Sharp.

soilentgleem

-12 | 4 hours ago

Why are you relieved? Who fuckin cares that much about his career path this late in his career at this point? It’s not like he still has a bunch to give or is a super productive player.

DylanisWavy | OKC

3 | 4 hours ago

this late in his career at this point

soilentgleem

-1 | 3 hours ago

I’m stoned, grant me some redundancy for the sake of clarity if you please.

HikmetLeGuin

2 | an hour ago

He’s a first ballot hall of famer and a very popular player. Many people want him to have a good end to his career, since he may be one of their favourite players.

Personally, I also don’t want him to engage in sportswashing for the Israeli regime. The Israeli Basketball Association is complicit in violations of international law.

TheOneWhosCensored | Celtics

169 | 5 hours ago

Yet this sub ate it up as a chance to dunk on Russ

YujiDomainExpansion [OP]

67 | 4 hours ago

Anyone who clicked on the source could’ve figured out in 12 seconds that it was fake. The article sourced “Marc Jacobs” a Twitter account with ~5K followers who has gone viral for [incorrectly] ‘reporting’ that the Lakers getting Kuminga, PJ Washington, and Klay Thompson were all “done deals” through various points in the last two weeks.

BigBallsBiggerUterus

4 | an hour ago

“LeBron and Savannah are getting divorced, he’s banging me next. It’s a done deal“

-Source, my ass

I love that ‘sports journalism’ is so dead, I was just happy to hear it’s a real guy who’s a liar scumbag and not just like an ai bot

medyolang_ | Lakers

32 | 4 hours ago

this sub will believe anything the hivemind suggests

SilDaz

-5 | 4 hours ago

Come on, It was hilarious.

TwoTalentedBastidz | Lakers

-26 | 4 hours ago

Brick*

BcuzRacecar

46 | 4 hours ago

wasnt the original article sourcing a twitter parody account

MrBuckBuck | Trail Blazers

8 | 4 hours ago

It was also reported two weeks ago, by a relatively credible journalist I’d assume(Gerard Solé), and he reported that Hapoel Tel-Aviv and other Euroleague teams are interested in Westbrook

The owner of Hapoel Tel-Aviv, Ofer Yanai, also denied any interest in Russell Westbrook last year, in a podcast (in Hebrew), June 23rd, 2025 (I translated from Hebrew to English): “We’ve never talked to the player, and I don’t think he fits European basketball. There was nothing, but the noise surrounding it is nice”

Also, Hapoel Tel-Aviv denied (yesterday) that they are interested in Westbrook, as their point guard position is already full/filled.

It seems reporters recycle this Westbrook to Hapoel thing every year for clicks.

By the way, the parody account also used an AI photo of Westbrook, wearing something similar to the Israeli National Team jersey, with two logos of Maccabi (Hapoel’s rival) on it.

duplicatesnowflake | Clippers

35 | 5 hours ago

Who would want to play in a country committing ongoing genocide / ethnic cleansing.

FrostyParsley3530 | Raptors

12 | 4 hours ago

Pat Bev

BIPOC_Ally

15 | 4 hours ago

Lebron said he heard nothing but great things about Israel

lincoln3 | 76ers

19 | 4 hours ago

And fuck him for that

adammoon111 | San Diego Rockets

3 | an hour ago

Steph Curry’s drones are used in Gaza

Lebigmacca | Spurs

8 | 4 hours ago

Kevin Durant

Enooti

2 | 4 hours ago

Steph curry

__Viper__ | Nets

-3 | 4 hours ago

Lebron is a donkey outside of basketball, always been a sellout

Potential_Meat_5103

6 | 4 hours ago

If you actually think that dude would play professional ball outside of the U.S. you are smoking crack lmao. In his 40s at that what 🤣

Life_Ad_2218

1 | 4 hours ago

Either trying to joke or they genuinely did not read what was said in op. Never know with the internet though.

DukeOfStuff_ | Timberwolves

31 | 5 hours ago

My goat would never

SCSA4life24 | Lakers

18 | 5 hours ago

With the war, why would anyone go to Israel to play ball?

Vornado-0 | Warriors

39 | 5 hours ago

If you’re talking about moral reasons, sure. If you’re talking about safety, the threat to people in Israel has almost completely passed.

DyslexicAutronomer | Supersonics

16 | 4 hours ago

Considering Israel constantly attacks yet another neighbor everytime they hear potential peace talks.

I doubt the threat will ever pass, with so many warmongers with political power in Israel that WANT the people to feel threatened so they can justify their continued draconian measures.

They sometimes even empower extremists factions on the other side to justify their actions, that’s why Bibi is facing corruption and traitorous charges in his own country, not just in the international courts.

NBAccount | Warriors

1 | 23 minutes ago

They sometimes even empower extremists factions on the other side to justify their actions,

They empowered and encouraged the October 7th attacks.

Unable-Main4172

-8 | 4 hours ago

The Iron Dome prevented almost any of Hamas’s hu fred of rockets from landing anyway

LurkingElegy

15 | 4 hours ago

I would assume they’re referring to Iranian ballistic missiles

PackageDangerous1954

-7 | 4 hours ago

Lmao what? Israel is incredibly unsafe

TFTisbetterthanLoL | Lakers

12 | 4 hours ago

I’m sure it is, considering they keep starting wars in the middle east

tushuguan | Bulls

1 | an hour ago

yeah if you’re not jewish

Enooti

21 | 4 hours ago

Bcz its not a war, its a genocide. So as long as you are on the side of the bully you’re quite safe.

spqpbo

5 | 5 hours ago

Money

SCSA4life24 | Lakers

7 | 4 hours ago

Ain’t worth it at that point.

Banana_Tux | Pistons

15 | 4 hours ago

You’re telling me Reddit jumped to conclusions and made fun of Westbrook for no reason? I’m shocked /s

HikmetLeGuin

12 | 5 hours ago

Good. Hope he gets signed by an NBA team if that’s what he wants.

loopOutnotIn | Hawks

3 | 5 hours ago

You’re telling me he doesn’t want to play with hawks legend Keaton Wallace??

rohan2chainz | Wizards Bandwagon

3 | 5 hours ago

Was getting ready to call him WestBank

lincoln3 | 76ers

22 | 4 hours ago

You and everyone else in the original thread

MysteriousSeat5245 | Knicks

7 | 5 hours ago

I’m filing a copyright claim 😤

TwoTalentedBastidz | Lakers

5 | 4 hours ago

We all saw this joke in the original thread, clown

rohan2chainz | Wizards Bandwagon

-6 | 3 hours ago

Ok that’s lovely I didn’t, clown

TwoTalentedBastidz | Lakers

4 | 3 hours ago

Sure you didn’t

Mother-Emergency-830

1 | an hour ago

Yes you did that’s where you got it from. Stop lying.

DylanisWavy | OKC

2 | 4 hours ago

Brooooo you’re wild for that one! It’s like his name, but simultaneously a reference to the ongoing conflict!

TheI-Iound

1 | 4 hours ago

I can’t see an overseas tenure going very well for Westbrook. He’s got very thing skin and is hypetreactive to shit people say. I think people know about him and he’ll be targeted lol

whospepesilvia | Rockets

1 | 4 hours ago

Come back

IsaacJacobSquires

1 | 4 hours ago

Thank GAWD. One of my all-time faves but going to Israel for the money at the end of a HOF career is a hard swallow.

CincinnatiBengalss

-2 | 3 hours ago

I’m sure going to Palestine would’ve been better

IsaacJacobSquires

2 | 3 hours ago

Why would you say that? The US and Israel have slaughtered 100s of 1000s of Palestinians in front of the entire planet.

CincinnatiBengalss

0 | 2 hours ago

keep enjoying your propganda.

I’m sure somebody like you thinks propganda and brainwashing is only a one way street though, that’s the funny part. Coo coo

CincinnatiBengalss

0 | 3 hours ago

lol. Reddit is what you get when you successfully brainwash people with bots all over manipulating karma to create hive minds. You must hate Israel. You must be far left. You must hate ice.

More successful of a brainwashing campaign than fox news.

jukushaomoyasu

1 | 3 hours ago

steins just clearing up the russell abroad rumors huh

saylab_the_bigkat

1 | 3 hours ago

Where’s that gif of Westbrook laughing hysterically in a suit at

NoLagPlz | Lakers

0 | 4 hours ago

is russ just retiring then?

HoldEm__FoldEm

3 | 4 hours ago

Nah, he may not get picked up early but someone will grab him by midseason

Once injuries start hitting, his 15ppg last year will look nice

Professor0fLogic

0 | 4 hours ago

The region is definitely in need of extra bricks, I suppose.

Ok-Wash-9386 | Hawks

-1 | 3 hours ago

Thank God

MysteriousSeat5245 | Knicks

-3 | 5 hours ago

Damn so my Westbank comment on that prior post is no longer applicable 😔 /s

HoldEm__FoldEm

5 | 4 hours ago

You and 300 others

MysteriousSeat5245 | Knicks

2 | 4 hours ago

I had the one that got 6k updoots and 15 awards tho… ✊😔

niquelas | Raptors

-4 | 4 hours ago

Westbank

TwoTalentedBastidz | Lakers

1 | 4 hours ago

We all saw this joke in the original thread, clown

niquelas | Raptors

3 | 3 hours ago

My bad reddit police

[Stein] A recent report suggesting that Russell Westbrook was in talks to sign abroad with Hapoel Tel Aviv was “laughably false.”