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OKC Thunder Reporter Keeps It Professional As Players Prank Him in Postgame Interview
The Oklahoma City Thunder love their sideline reporter, Nick Gallo. Thunder players have made him a true part of the team through their antics during interviews on the live broadcast. That comes with some brotherly love, though, and Thunder players took it to another level when they pranked Gallo as he interviewed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after OKC beat the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday night.
Jalen Williams held a stack of towels in his arms, passing some to surrounding teammates in between stacking the rest on Gallo's shoulders and head while he tried to keep a straight face speaking with Gilgeous-Alexander.
Williams, Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Jaylin Williams continued to pile as many towels as they could on Gallo before the interview ended.
.@NickAGallo unphased pic.twitter.com/bMTf26tetg
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 15, 2025
MORE. TOWELS. 😂@okcthunder having fun after winning 18 of the last 19! pic.twitter.com/ExvVjDQioy
— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2025
Gallo remained professional throughout and it was Gilgeous-Alexander who finally had to stop the madness.
"Y'all, you got to chill," Gilgeous-Alexander said to his teammates on FanDuel Sports Network Oklahoma. "I'm sorry Nick. The children, I'm so sorry."
The Thunder, the top team in the Western Conference, advanced to 33-6 with their 118-102 win over the 76ers on Tuesday. OKC has won 18 of their last 19 games. And they had some extra fun with Gallo to celebrate.
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Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.