Decades ago, professional basketball in Oklahoma City was just a dream. Decades before that, the hope of the first African-Americans to play in the NBA was realized, kindling the aspirations of current NBA players to compete professionally in the game they love.
During this month of February, NBA players around the league have been donning t-shirts honoring Black History Month during pregame warmups as a reminder each game about the importance of honoring and reflecting on African-American history in the United States.
On its own, the Thunder is hosting its ninth-annual Black History Heroes Challenge, presented by Sprite, which involves an essay, poem and visual arts contest for Oklahoma students from kindergarten through 12th grade to portray an outstanding person from African-American history.
In addition, Thunder players have gone out into schools to hand out the book “Martin’s Big Words”, about Martin Luther King Jr.’s impact on the Civil Rights Movement. Over the past week, Thunder players have reflected on what it means to celebrate Black History Month.
“It means a lot to me to be able to celebrate people of my culture who came before me and paved the way for me to be able to do the things that I do today,” guard Victor Oladipo said. “To be able to be an African-American athlete in the NBA, there are a lot of guys who paved the way for that, who kind of set the tone and made it possible for all of us to be able to play the game that we love. It’s an honor and a blessing to be able to celebrate them in the month of February.”
The NBA is always dedicated to honoring Black History, but the game’s leaders, like Russell Westbrook, are always looking for ways to improve. Westbrook sees an opportunity to go even further, to help provide a deeper education on the history of this country and those who impacted it.
“I think more people should be recognized, whether it’s Martin Luther King, Malcolm X or whoever it is, people should have individual games and days and things of that nature because of the different things they did to change the world we live in today,” Westbrook suggested.
“We have a lot of younger guys in the league who are 21 who may not understand the African-American culture,” Westbrook explained. “To me, that was important. It was something I studied in college, to be able to know your history, know your background and where you’re from and how you’re able to do the things you’re able to do today. It’s important not just for people in the NBA, but people across the world knowing what Black History Month means.”
To Thunder players, the lessons learned from African-American history aren’t only applied during the month of February, or within the framework of the NBA’s celebration. Both youngsters and veterans alike described how they believe it is their responsibility to their family members and friends to continue the education process.
“I learned more from my family – my mom and my dad always tried to keep me as educated as possible on our history,” forward Jerami Grant said. “Them doing that definitely helped me open my eyes to everything going on around the country. That’s a big thing for families. Parents should always teach their children as much as possible about everything. My parents doing that definitely helped me understand.”
“I’ve been trying to explain to my little cousins and the younger people in my life to read up,” shooting guard Anthony Morrow said. “There are documentaries, one called “The 13th”, which is a really good one. It explains a lot of our history from slavery up until now. It’s just awareness for people. I’m not necessarily saying just black people, but everybody should know.”
Not only do many Thunder players feel it is important to pass down that knowledge to family members, but to community leaders like Westbrook, there is a chance to be a beacon for Oklahoma City and the country. Westbrook views his role as one of the premiere players in the league and most famous Oklahomans as an opportunity to give back to the kids and find ways to educate not just African-Americans, but people of all races about their histories, their cultures and how they all come together in this nation.
“You can kind of do it on your own and use your own platform. As athletes we’re role models,” Westbrook said. “You can use your platform to go out and communicate to younger crowds and younger kids to understand their culture and understand where they come from.”
