Sam Presti, OKC's Gratitude Toward Community Extends Far Beyond Words

On Tuesday afternoon, Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti stepped to the media to give his annual exit interview after a wildly successful season for his young group.

He opened that statement greatly expressing his thankfulness to everyone surrounding Thunder basketball. In the community, operations, media and much more, Presti's words always appear genuine, and there's a lot that he and the Thunder organization have done to prove that sentiment time and time again.

Moments later, Presti delved into the loss of renowned Oklahoma City sports commentator and personality Bob Barry Jr., who tragically passed in a motor accident in June 2015.

"I was thinking about Bob Barry Jr. recently," Presti said. "It will be nine years in June that we lost him, he was obviously a huge factor in the community, a huge member of the media. I think it's important that we continue to keep his memory alive...

"Never want to lose an opportunity to reflect on the people that have been a big part of our journey."

The selflessness and attention to to detail from Presti has seemed to always be apparent, but the actual acts behind those words don't always seem to be spread from him personally. With that opening statement, KFOR reporter Dylan Buckingham reached out with a story of his own to the public.

A close friend and former protege, his relationship with Barry Jr. was akin to a father and son. So when Presti and the Thunder extended their hand to the Barry family, it was personal and emotional for he and Gina Barry, Barry Jr.'s wife.

"When BBJ passed away in 2015, his wife, the lovely Gina, opened the dors to their home for everyone to come laugh, cry, and remember him," Buckingham wrote on X. "Out of nowhere the doorbell rings. A local place drops off hundres of dolalrs worth of catered food. Gina starts askinga round to everyone who ordered it. She finally asked the delivery driver who said, 'It's from the Thunder.'

"Unprompted, unannounced. They found his address and made sure his family was taken care of in one of their biggest moments of grief."

Quick story. When BBJ passed away in 2015 his wife, the lovely Gina, opened the doors to their home for everyone to come laugh, cry, and remember him. We spent hours there that night.

Out of nowhere the doorbell rings. A local place drops off hundreds of dollars worth of catered… pic.twitter.com/4Zhmzwuh20
— Dylan Buckingham (@DylanBuckingham) May 28, 2024

This act and the kind words from the organization and one of its head decision-makers proves the authenticity of their intentions in its totality. It's called the Oklahoma Standard, and the Thunder organization are living by that each and every day.

"They don't say the stuff about community just to say it, they live it with their actions. First class all the way. This is just another example of that."

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