Russell Westbrook's relentlessness won't let him quit the NBA

It's rare to see a future Hall of Famer willingly take a backup role at the end of his career. That's not the case with Russell Westbrook, who signed with the Sacramento Kings Wednesday for his 18th NBA season.

Westbrook is far removed from his prime with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where the point guard made eight All-Star teams, reached the NBA Finals in 2012 and won MVP in 2017 after averaging a triple-double for the season. Still, the relentlessness that defined Westbrook's game when he was a superstar may be what's keeping him playing in the NBA, even as his star has faded.

Since the Thunder traded him six years ago, Westbrook has played for five different teams, with the Kings being his sixth, going from 27.2 PPG scorer with the Houston Rockets to a constant presence in Sixth Man of the Year voting. He's changed from a ball-dominant rim-attacker to a dependable defender and microwave bench scorer — even if his efficiency is lacking.

Russell Westbrook adapted his game to his new role

During his second season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Westbrook began coming off the bench for the first time since early in his rookie year. While initially reluctant, Westbrook ended up increasing his assists, reducing his turnovers and scoring more on a per-minute basis as a reserve.

He landed with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he took over as the starting point guard. With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both out, Westbrook averaged 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists in the playoffs, along with 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks. After old teammate James Harden arrived the following season, Westbrook remade himself as a point-of-attack defender, transferring some of his relentless energy to defense and rebounding for a team that had a trio of All-Star scorers already.

With the Denver Nuggets, Westbrook also took a bench role, though he ended up starting 36 games. He increased his three-point shooting to a less-terrible 32.3 percent, continued to pass the ball and made a huge assist for a game-winner to Aaron Gordon in the playoffs.