Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors
Brandon Rahbar: Steven Adams says he can play a few chords on his guitar to keep him entertained, but he can’t compose music. Also mystery solved on what was in the plastic bags: he brought a couple batches of lasagna.
Brandon Rahbar: Billy Donovan on Andre Roberson: “I think we will have to see. But I’m encouraged by what’s he’s done the first two days.” Dre went through everything both days.
Brandon Rahbar: Donovan says he’s not opposed to starting Lu Dort. But mentioned Ferguson and Roberson were both out when Dort started. He won’t commit to Dort still starting. Which is mostly interesting because Roberson is possibly back…
It’s unclear where Roberson might fit in a potential Thunder rotation, or if he can return to the top-level defensive form he once had, but his size and length make him an available option at a number of different positions. “He’s doing great. I thought he had a great time off, and he was able to work a lot on rehabbing his knee,” Danilo Gallinari said. “He looks great, and I’m very happy to see him back because I know what it means to be out that long with that injury, so to see him back and the joy and energy he brings to the team, it’s great to see.”
Erik Horne: Chris Paul on Andre Roberson being back in practice: “It’s the best thing ever. When I talk about a guy being consummate teammate, for a guy to go through all the things he’s been through, I’m so happy for him. He’s had some of the toughest times people wouldn’t even know.”
Erik Horne: Chris Paul on the team being back together: “Zoom calls are nice, but it’s nothing like seeing each other. We’ve got a special team. We genuinely love to be around each other. To get out on the court and hoop with each other was a breath of fresh air.”
Royce Young: Chris Paul said he thought the Mavs’ balcony dance party was the best social media post he’s seen so far: “To see them outside doing that, having a good time, the more we have those type of interactions and experiences I think the better we’ll make this.”
Brandon Rahbar: Danilo Gallinari says guys brought video games. But the coolest thing was Steven Adams bringing his guitar. He says he plays too so they’re gonna play together sometime. We need a zoom call with the Steven Gallo jam session.
Brandon Rahbar: Billy Donovan on the first Thunder media call in Orlando: “Andre did practice today. Went through everything. He looked really good. We’ll see how he develops.” Sounds promising. But there’s still doubt. Seems like a real 50-50.
Roberts said there also will be social justice messages on jerseys in languages other than English, including Slovenian, Italian, French Creole, Latvian, Maori, Hebrew, Bosnian and Portuguese. Oklahoma City Thunder guard and NBPA executive director Chris Paul plans to have “EQUALITY” on the back of his jersey. “I chose ‘EQUALITY’ because it reminds us that in order to have real impact and change, we need to make a conscious effort to level the playing field and create systems that are not bias based on race, education, economics or gender,” Paul told The Undefeated.
Brandon Rahbar: Visual confirmation Andre Roberson is in Orlando with the Thunder from the best source possible: Dre’s long time girlfriend Rachel DeMita. pic.twitter.com/031Qh3t26s
Joe Mussatto: Thunder forward Isaiah Roby will miss the rest of the season after undergoing a minor procedure on his right plantar fascia, per a team spokesman. Roby will not travel to Orlando. oklahoman.com/article/566633…
Marc J. Spears: Thunder guard and @NBPA president Chris Paul will have “EQUALITY” on the back of his jersey during the NBA re-start in Orlando, a source told @TheUndefeated. pic.twitter.com/gcg7zPkGTx
Nick DePaula: Converse Basketball GM Ron Johnson on adding @ShaiGlAlex: “Shai creates his own style rules. We look forward to tapping into both his creative & athletic insights and ideas for product. Shai will also wear an evolved version of the All Star Pro BB soon…” pic.twitter.com/FrBsTPB0p3
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signs with Converse
The shoes hung over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s shoulders by their laces, blurred out before the big reveal. The Thunder’s future star stood with a serious expression on his face. This was an announcement of a new venture for Gilgeous-Alexander, one the 21-year-old has been able to get comfortable with during the NBA’s long layoff. Gilgeous-Alexander was unveiled as the next Converse Hoops athlete Wednesday morning. He adds his name to Golden State’s Draymond Green, Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud and Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. as athletes representing the iconic shoe brand.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been a Nike-sponsored athlete since coming into the league in 2018, and Converse has been a subsidiary of Nike since 2003. Following a move by Gilgeous-Alexander’s Nike rep — Adrian Stelly — to Converse, his agent, Thad Foucher of Wasserman Media Group, negotiated a deal to bring Gilgeous-Alexander to Converse as well. “Once he (Stelly) sat down and kind of showed me the things, things that could be possible, that could be in my near future, it’s something I took very seriously and something I’m proud to say I’m a part of,” Gilgeous-Alexander told The Athletic on Monday.
The Thunder, with CAA Sports, has created the Thunder Fellows Program, a nonprofit organization designed to unlock opportunities in sports, technology and entertainment for Black students in the Tulsa area, the team announced Tuesday. The program, guided by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, will be comprised of two groups of students: Fellows, Black students from regional colleges and universities, and Young Leaders, Black students in the Tulsa area from grades 8 to 12.
The Thunder Fellows Program will be located in Tulsa’s Greenwood District, the site of the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921 when white mobs killed hundreds of Black people and destroyed homes and businesses in what was known as Black Wall Street. “Our organization is deeply committed to social justice and the actions that are necessary to create better opportunities for the Black community, now and in the future,” Thunder chairman Clay Bennett said in release. “We will work tirelessly to make this a program that will create change for generations to come.”
Joe Mussatto: Big announcement from the Thunder. pic.twitter.com/TtGdnhqiKO
Brian Robb: Chris Paul called Jayson Tatum to ask him to be a part of negotiations with the NBPA heading into restart, according to Tatum.
Patton, the No. 16 pick in 2017, played five games for the Thunder last season, so it’s clear Weaver was and remains intrigued by the 23-year-old center. Sources said the second year of Patton’s contract is non-guaranteed.
Paul gave basketball fans some insight on what that hour was like for him in an interview with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles on the “Knuckleheads” podcast, and he revealed he spoke to Bryant during that small window of time: “I was on the phone with my brother and my agent, and all that. We figuring out a plane to get to New Orleans to get us to LA … let’s just say my agent clicked over, said hold on, clicked over and then he came back on and he was like, stuttering. And we was hot. We was hot. Me and Kobe had talked, you know what I’m saying? We had talked already and all that. And it was a lot. It was a lot.”
She quickly became aware of Paul’s reputation as Paul became aware of hers. Despite living in Los Angeles, Paul knew other D.C. lawyers. “I couldn’t figure it out,” Roberts said. “How does this guy know people in my circle?” Roberts laughs about it now, realizing how extensive Paul’s list of contacts is. “In the last few months we’ve gotten closer,” Roberts said. “I count him as one of my favorite people on the planet. And not because he’s making my life easier, though God knows he is, but because his concern and commitment to this game, to his brothers, is extraordinary.”
Paul regularly dishes the rock in meetings. “If there’s been a presentation, Chris says ‘OK, what do y’all think?’ If there’s a minute of silence, it’s like a lecture in law school when the professor calls on a student,” Roberts said. “So and so, what do you think? That’s how he engages everybody in the decision process, but at the end of the day, that’s why you like having him on your team.”
Some might question if a future hall of famer is working in the best interests of players buried on the end of the bench, but Iguodala said Paul always falls back on the same mantra: “How can we amplify every player’s voice?” “He’s the definition of a leader, man,” said Grizzlies forward and NBPA secretary-treasurer Anthony Tolliver. “I don’t think there could be a better combination of leadership and superstardom and work ethic when it comes to leading this union. “Whoever comes next is definitely going to have pretty big shoes to fill.”
Keith Pompey: The #Sixers will scrimmage the #MemphisGrizzlies on July 24, #OKCThunder on July 26 and #DallasMavs on July 28 during training camp in Orlando for the #NBA restart, according to a league source.
The Thunder have been in this position before. For the fourth time in their 12 seasons, the Thunder have lost an assistant general manager to another team. It’s a testament to the sharp minds general manager Sam Presti has surrounded himself with in Oklahoma City. This time is a little different. Troy Weaver was different, from his eye for talent (documented by The Athletic’s James Edwards III) to his truth-telling style, from his storytelling to his trash-talking.
Weaver — the Thunder’s vice president of basketball operations for the last seven seasons — bridged the gap between executive and player better than any high-ranking front-office member in the Thunder’s history. It’s why so many players who’ve come through Oklahoma City were overjoyed when Weaver was named the general manager of the Detroit Pistons on June 18. When Thunder guard Chris Paul picked up his phone and saw Weaver was hired in Detroit, he called and congratulated him. Even before Weaver was hired — when there were reports Weaver was in the running for the Detroit GM job — Paul called then, too.
It was Weaver who helped Paul’s transition from Houston to Oklahoma City. “Personally, I had a tricky summer being traded when I didn’t know I was going to be traded, and Troy made my transition so smooth,” Paul said last week. “I can’t imagine going through last summer without someone like Troy.” Many former players can’t imagine their Thunder experience without Weaver.
Erik Horne: Danilo Gallinari on if he considered not playing in Orlando w/ his free agency looming: “Never, not in my mind or my agent’s. The main reason is we’re fighting for something. To do it with my teammates, all the work we put in, I don’t want to see it go to waste.”
Erik Horne: Danilo Gallinari on if he considered not playing in Orlando w/ his free agency looming: “Never, not in my mind or my agent’s. The main reason is we’re fighting for something. To do it with my teammates, all the work we put in, I don’t want to see it go to waste.”
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Steven Adams pointed the webcam to his left arm. He wanted to show off the farmer’s tan he’d been working on in New Zealand. “Just from here down,” Adams said, lifting his T-shirt sleeve. “It was bloody brilliant. The cows are doing good though, mate.”
Brandon Rahbar: Steven Adams on if he ever questioned not coming back to play in Orlando: “It didn’t cross my mind. I just didn’t think about it. Every player wants to play.”
Brandon Rahbar: Steven Adams is impressed by the work being done to pull off bringing the NBA back to Disney: “It’s insane the amount of moving parts. Bloody well played, mate.”
Brandon Rahbar: Steven Adams has been in New Zealand during the coronavirus shutdown. “Been spending time on the farm with some mates. All in all, we (New Zealand) did a really good job handling COVID.”
Brandon Rahbar: Steven Adams on what he’s missed most during quarantine: “I didn’t miss much cause I was around my family and friends. That was the best part of it. It’s not like ‘I missed ice cream during quarantine.’”
Joe Mussatto: No Thunder player has tested positive for COVID-19 during the NBA’s testing period, per a team spokesman.
Tim Bontemps: Ben Simmons says he trusts the NBA and trusts older veterans like Chris Paul and LeBron James for putting the players in the best possible position to be healthy in Orlando. Says he feels he has a responsibility to play, though has no issue with anyone who decides not to play.
