Former Thunder Members Honored at Pistons Game, Kick Off Inaugural Thunder Legacy Network Weekend
The Oklahoma City Thunder is a family.
Since relocating to Oklahoma City in the 2008-09 season, the Thunder organization has prided itself upon culture building. In the franchises’ 14 seasons, they’ve become a staple for success placing a record of 626-481 (.565,) birthing two MVPs, and fielding a finals appearance in the 2011-12 season. Over a decade removed from their humble beginnings, the services of those early members are still being commended.
During the Oklahoma City Thunder’s latest matchup versus the Detroit Pistons, a collection of 14 previous Thunder members were recognized in the organization’s inaugural Thunder Legacy Network Weekend.
In the mid-game honors, six members from the roster’s original 2008-09 were in attendance: Nick Collison, Steven Hill, Nenad Krstic, Johan Petro, Kyle Weaver, and Chris Wilcox. Alongside Collison, five other members of the roster’s finals team as Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook, Lazar Hayward, Nazr Mohammed, and Eric Maynor were at the Paycom Center. Former G League breakouts Mustafa Shakur and Reggie Williams accepted their invite while Mike Wilks rounded out the lineup of former members.
This collection of attendees spans from Oklahoma City’s lone man in the rafters, Nick Collison, to Steven Hill – a center out of Arkansas who played two minutes in a Thunder jersey.
Addressing the collection of ex-Thunder members, Thunder GM Sam Presti showed his appreciation for their time in Oklahoma City. “This is a place where you can come back to, you’ll be appreciated, you’ll be respected,” said Presti. “No matter if you played here for one year, or ten, or finish your entire career here.”
Outside of attending last night’s game, the legacy members partook in a basketball clinic Saturday with Big Brothers Big Sisters, a non-profit youth organization.
The Thunder Legacy Network, founded in 2020, hopes to shift OKC Legacy Weekend into an annual in-person event moving forward.
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