On a Saturday evening in January, Josh Samuels and a few of his fellow students at Ohio State University piled into a car and made the 2-hours-plus drive to Cleveland for a Cavaliers game.
Josh wasn’t there to cheer on the Cavs, though. This NBA fan was eager for his first opportunity to see his favorite team in person. At the Quicken Loans Arena, Josh yelled loudly for the Oklahoma City Thunder as he sported his Kevin Durant jersey amid a red sea.
“The strong feeling that the Thunder has inspired in me comes with the pride that the Thunder has,” said the 19-year-old Cincinnati native.
“One of the reasons I chose Ohio State as the college I was going to attend was their pride. When I see the fans and the city take ownership of their team in the way Oklahoma City does, it definitely inspires me.”
For Josh, few moments have been as inspirational as Game Three between the Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Playoffs.
"I got chills watching and listening to the crowd in Loud City,” he said. “I thought the playoffs were amazing. That was a college basketball atmosphere in an NBA environment, which was amazing to me. I've had to sit through a lot of Cleveland playoff games, and they were not even close to the level of craziness that the Ford Center had. I hope within the next couple years I get the chance to make it down to Loud City.”
Of course, Josh isn’t the only Buckeye with an affinity for the Thunder. Center Byron Mullens played at Ohio State.
The Thunder faithful from across the country -- heck, even the planet – can swap stories, pictures, videos and more at THUNDERALLY, an interactive online community for Thunder fans.Phil Bacharach is the Director of Corporate Communications for the Thunder. He is looking for die-hard Thunder fans throughout the world. If you or somebody you know bleeds Thunder blue, contact Phil by clicking here