'I'll Always be a Thunder Fan': Inside Mike Muscala's Return to Oklahoma City and What's Next

After a year of intense moving through different teams, Mike Muscala found his way back to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the second half of the season. Beyond just basketball, the return meant a lot for the veteran.

Apr 14, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Mike Muscala (50) walks down the court after his team defeated the Dallas Mavericks at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Muscala has endured quite the long NBA career.

The veteran has spent time with seven different teams in his 11-year career, including four alone in just the last two seasons. The common thread between that stretch of constant moving and adapting to new environments? It started with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and it ended with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Muscala had spent time with the organization from 2019 to 2023, serving as a quality backup center that could space the floor better than most across the league. Those four seasons included the infamous "bubble" playoffs during the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic era, which started the close connection between him and many of the Thunder talent.

After being traded from the Washington Wizards in January and quickly bought out by the Detroit Pistons, the 32-year-old was met with interest from a few championship contenders. When he got the call from Sam Presti, it was a no-brainer to return to Oklahoma City.

“It was awesome. I felt so grateful for the opportunity to come back,” Muscala said in his exit interview. “Obviously a lot of memories here and years spent here. To see the success that the team had throughout the year, I was watching games all the time. Just to be able to come back and be a part of the team meant a lot to me.”

The Thunder was in a very different place since the last time Muscala had been on its roster. It had traded him to the Boston Celtics before its run in the Play-In Tournament last season, and now occupied one of the top spots in the Western Conference standings. His ample experience and previous relationship with the roster could help guide its crop of young talent in its first playoff series, a significant role beyond the playing time.

And that's exactly what he did. Muscala only suited up for 16 regular season games, and once the playoffs arrived, his role was strictly to remain on the bench. But at this point in his career, the job of a veteran in the locker room was good enough to make his stay worthwhile. Even if Oklahoma City wasn't in a winning situation, he remains adamant that he still would've returned.

"i would have come back to Oklahoma City regardless of whatever the record was or anything," Muscala said. "It wasn't about that for me."

Beyond basketball, living in Oklahoma City again provided some comfort that had been missing through a year of intense moving. The city brought some familiarity to his life after he experienced so many different destinations in a short period of time, which was a difficult time for the center.

At the same time, the experiences were something Muscala didn't take for granted. It was undoubtedly a hard situation for him to deal with, but few occupations could ever provide the same amount of opportunities for travel and meeting new people that the NBA life does.

“To go from OKC to Boston to D.C. and to Detroit and now back here, it’s like what other job could I have experienced something like that in such a short window?," Muscala said. “They’re places I wouldn’t live if it wasn’t for playing in the NBA.”

The Thunder organization has clearly meant a lot to the veteran throughout his career, or else he wouldn't have returned when the opening was there. Now that the season is over he plans to relax and decompress over the offseason, while he awaits what's next to come in his career.

A return to Oklahoma City is up in the air for Muscala. There's no question he'd welcome it if given the opportunity, but the potential moves it could be making to continue its chase at a championship trophy could force him to find another home once again. Whether he will be back hasn't crossed his mind much as of yet, but as the summer rolls on, the time will come for both sides to negotiate.

No matter what happens, one thing is for certain: Muscala and the Thunder will always have love for each other.

“It means a lot,” Muscala said on what the organization means to him. “I went through a lot in my life when I was here, just the city, the fans, the way that they support the team, what the team means to the community, those are things that I feel like I can relate to.

"“I’ll always be a Thunder fan no matter what happens in my life.”

Even if a partnership doesn't continue next season, don't expect Muscala to be away from Oklahoma City for good. He'll always have a place in "Loud City."

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