Thunder GM Sam Presti’s Classy Gesture to NBA Fan Resurfaces After OKC’s Title Win

There seems to be nothing but good vibes in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hugs Oklahoma City Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti after their team defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder gave their fans no shortage of priceless memories Sunday night when they beat the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the Finals to win their first NBA championship.

One fan's sweet flashback reveals that over a decade ago, Oklahoma City unwittingly gained a new lifetime supporter thanks to Thunder GM Sam Presti's needlessly kind gesture.

After OKC's triumphant NBA title win, a story about Presti sending a polite rejection letter to a hopeful intern has resurfaced on social media. Daniel Marks, who currently works as the chief program strategist for Howard University's men's basketball team, shared an anecdote about how he emailed every NBA team for a potential internship following his college graduation.

Presti not only responded, but sent a signed letter (albeit, a letter of rejection) to Marks.

Read that letter below:

After I graduated from college, I emailed every NBA team asking about internships.

A lot of non-replies, but Sam Presti sent a signed letter to my parent’s house.

Knowing an NBA GM took the time to do that encouraged me to keep going until I landed in the league.

Congrats OKC pic.twitter.com/yYk7IpZpkP

— Daniel Marks (@dgm591) June 23, 2025

Marks added in a recent post on LinkedIn that he briefly met Presti in person and credited the Thunder exec for giving him the faith to follow his career dreams and aspirations.

As some already know, Presti got his own humble start in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, working his way up from a video intern for Gregg Popovich's team to assistant general manager in 2005. He didn't need to respond to a fan's long-shot internship application all those years ago, but he did so anyway and gave him a lifelong keepsake to remember. Nothing but class from the top of the Thunder organization.

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