Retirement, Respect, and PGA Playoffs
Russell Westbrook’s NBA career comes to a close, Anže Kopitar gets his praise, and the 2026 PGA season is wrapping up.
Whiskey’s Garage
Sports Talk
Volume 12
12/08/2026
Retirement, Respect, and PGA Playoffs
NBA
The legendary point guard, Russell Westbrook, has announced his retirement from the NBA after 18 seasons. Russell Westbrook was drafted 4th overall in the 2008 draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, which shortly relocated and rebranded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. There he spent his first 11 NBA seasons, where he made his name and presence known around the league. He led the Thunder to the NBA Finals in 2012 and won the NBA MVP Trophy in 2017. Westbrook also had short stints with the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, and the Sacramento Kings. Known as “Mr. Triple-Double,” Russell Westbrook holds the NBA record for most career triple-doubles at 209 (10+ points, assists, and rebounds in a single game), the record for most triple-doubles in a season at 42, the record for most rebounds as a guard at 9,025, and became the only player ever to average a triple-double for multiple different seasons, which he did 4 times. During his 2017 MVP season, he became the first player in 55 years (Oscar Robertson) to average a triple-double. Westbrook is currently 14th all-time in scoring, 5th all-time in assists, and 14th in steals. Although he never won a Championship, Westbrook’s career was nothing short of legendary, setting multiple records and winning an MVP award.
Enjoy retirement, Russell Westbrook!
In other news, one of the most famous franchises in all of sports has been sold yet again. The Los Angeles Lakers have sold for a record-setting $12.5 billion. The franchise was last sold in October 2025, just 10 months ago, for around $10 billion, which makes this an unusually quick sale. Venture Capitalist Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger are behind this monumental $12.5 billion purchase. “As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored by the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world. We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss. Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles.” Kushner and Iger stated earlier today.
PGA
The end of the PGA season is approaching us, with the FedEx Cup playoffs beginning tomorrow, Thursday, August 13th. The FedEx St. Jude Championship is first up, featuring the top 70 players, followed by the top 50 players advancing to the BMW Championship, and finally, the top 30 advance and will face off in the final event of the season, the Tour Championship. The combined purse for the last 3 events is $80 million ($20 million, $20 million, $40 million). The Wyndham Championship was the final event of the season, where Michael Brennan claimed victory. Needing a top-2 finish to claim a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs, Brennan came out on top, winning his second Tour event. Rookie star Jackson Koivun was the 70th and last player to make the field, besting Steven Fisk by 8 points in the standings. Some notable names that won’t be joining us in the Playoffs this season are Keegan Bradley, Jason Day(first time in his career - 18 consecutive years), Tony Finau,and Brooks Koepka.World Number One, Scottie Scheffler, enters the playoffs in first place, followed by Matt Fitzpatrick in 2nd, Cameron Young in 3rd, Wyndham Clark in 4th, and Chris Gotterup in 5th. The FedEx St. Jude Championship begins tomorrow, Thursday, August 13th, taking place in Memphis, Tennessee, at TPC Southwind. The BMW Championship begins Thursday, August 20th, in Country, Missouri, at Bellerive Golf Course. The Tour Championship closes things out, beginning Thursday, August 27th, in Atlanta, Georgia, at East Lake Golf Club.
Odds: To Win FedEx Cup Playoffs (Tour Championship)
Scottie Scheffler + 330 - (Favourite)
Rory McIlroy + 810
Cameron Young +1350 - (My Pick)
Matt Fitzpatrick + 1950
Xander Schauffele + 1600
NHL
The Los Angeles Kings have announced they are retiring the number of their longtime captain, Anže Kopitar (#11). Kopitar spent his entire 20-season NHL career in Los Angeles, where he captained the Kings for 10 seasons and was an assistant captain for 8. In the 2005 draft, he was selected 11th overall by the Kings, projected as a highly-skilled offensive talent with elite size and hockey IQ. His career spanned 1,521 games, amassing 1,316 career points, 107 Playoff games, and 2 Stanley Cups. Kopitar is a 2x Selke Trophy winner (best defensive forward), a 3x Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner (Combining sportsmanship & high-level performance), and a Mark Messier Leadership Award winner (exceptional leadership qualities on and off the ice). During the 2012 Stanley Cup run, Kopitar tied teammate Dustin Brown for the most points at 20, and during the 2014 Stanley Cup run, Kopitar led the Kings in points at 26. However, he never won a Conn Smythe Trophy (MVP of the Playoffs). Kopitar was also the lone NHL player on the Slovenian Olympic team in 2014. As the first Slovenian player in NHL history, Anže Kopitar inspired a surge of young hockey players in his home country, showing all what is possible, and is now loved as a national hero and a great pride of Slovenia.
Enjoy retirement, Anže Kopitar!
NFL
The Minnesota Vikings have named Kyler Murray the starter for the season, prior to their first preseason matchup against the New York Giants. Murray was picked up by Minnesota after being released by the Arizona Cardinals this off-season. He was drafted 1st overall in the 2019 draft by the Cardinals, where he spent his first 7 seasons. The Vikings' backup QB will be former starter, 23-year-old J.J. McCarthy, who has been quite vocal about not receiving the starting job. McCarthy was drafted 10th overall by the Vikings in 2024, where he missed his entire rookie season due to a torn meniscus. Last season, he was also forced to miss time due to a concussion and a hairline fracture in his throwing hand. Although he won’t be starting this season, when asked about the Vikings organization, McCarthy stated that “this is the place I want to be, and I love every single person in this building. I love the state. I love the fanbase. And I'm going to continue to just do whatever I can for this team and this organization."
Tua Tagovailoa has been named starter for the Atlanta Falcons, at least for preseason. Coach Stefanski has not named the regular season starter as of yet, but all things point to Tagovailoa, with Michael Penix Jr. still recovering from his partial ACL tear he sustained last season. Although the door remains open for the starting job between new recruit Tua Tagovailoa and 3rd-year Michael Penix Jr. The Falcons picked up Tua Tagovailoa after the Miami Dolphins released him this offseason. The Dolphins drafted him 5th overall in the 2020 draft, but he has since been riddled with concussions and injuries over the 6 seasons he spent there.
Chicago Bears Safety, Coby Bryant will be out for 4-6 months after undergoing knee surgery. During one-on-one practice, Bryant hyper-extended his knee, sustaining a bone bruise and a small fracture. He’s hopeful of returning towards the end of the season.
