For a second there, Jeremy Lamb must have felt like he was standing in the tunnel at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The noise of the crowd swelled as he walked through the hallway and around the corner into the gymnasium. Just like the dedicated Thunder fans who cheer on the Thunder every night at the arena, the children at Highland Park Elementary burst with applause and screams as one of their Thunder players emerged onto the court. It was the loudest any school event has ever been, and for the rookie guard, it was an amazing feeling.
“To see the smiles on their faces and for them to see me and be that excited, it feels good,” Lamb said. “They’re really supportive. We do a lot in the community and every time they really enjoy it and are really grateful that we come out and see them and support them. It’s a great support system.”
Lamb was at the school in southwest Oklahoma City on Tuesday afternoon to help celebrate the students’ participation in National School Breakfast Week, an event sponsored by the School Nutrition Association of Oklahoma. The school had the highest participation during the week of March 4-8 out of any school, as the children participated in the Highland Park breakfast program.
There was an essay contest, and the winner hoped that a Thunder player would visit the school. Highland Park’s principal, Donna Cloud, was ecstatic about Lamb’s visit and how he spoke to the students.
“We won the prize of having a Thunder player here,” Cloud said. “We were so lucky today to have Jeremy come out and visit with us. The kids were excited, they’ve been pumped up. I really appreciated the way he talked about how important education was, so these kids understand that he still is going to school.”
He congratulated the students and answered some of their questions, but the most important aspect of Lamb’s visit was the way he explained to the children how important eating correctly is to any person. Regardless of they become a basketball player or a teacher, Lamb made sure that each student understood that not only eating breakfast, but eating correctly throughout the day is essential to staying healthy.
In addition, Lamb explained that during the summer he will be spending time back at the University of Connecticut, as he continues to get his college degree. Barbara Bertot of the School Nutrition Association explained that Lamb’s message was critical for the students to hear.
“That’s what I think these kids really needed to hear from somebody who has made it,” Bertot said. “Just because you’re a big person it doesn’t mean that you don’t eat breakfast.”
A young player himself, Lamb is still learning the ins and outs of being an NBA player, but with the support system at the Thunder and in the Oklahoma City community, he’s developing in many ways each and every day. The fact that while he is continuing to grow and improve as a player and person that he could step back and realize what would be important for elementary school kids to hear shows the thought that he put into his message to the children.
“Taking care of your body is huge,” Lamb said. “I just try to get across to them that taking care of your body, you can do anything. And with education, you can do whatever you want outside of basketball. If you have an education, there are no limits.”