Russell Westbrook to make Oklahoma City return on January 9

Russell Westbrook will make his first return to Oklahoma City as a member of the Rockets on January 9, 2020, according to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania.

Westbrook played 11 seasons with the Thunder, earning eight All-Star selections, two scoring championships, and the 2017 league MVP award. He was traded to Houston last month in a deal involving Chris Paul and future draft considerations.

Sources: Notable superstar return games on 2019-20 NBA schedule:

Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard at Toronto: Dec. 11
Lakers‘ Anthony Davis at New Orleans: Nov. 27
Nets‘ Kyrie Irving at Boston: Nov. 27
Rockets’ Russell Westbrook at Oklahoma City: Jan. 9.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 2, 2019

January 9 is a Thursday, so it certainly seems likely that Westbrook’s return game is picked up for national coverage by TNT.

News also leaked Friday that the Rockets will visit Golden State on Christmas Day for a playoff rematch against the five-time defending Western Conference champion Warriors.

The complete 2019-20 NBA season schedule will be released later in August.