Dieng Gives Back to Oklahoma
Back in mid-April, just days after the Thunder’s season came to an end, the Shawnee YMCA was destroyed by a tornado that ravaged through the town. Relocated to the Gordon Cooper Technical Center, the YMCA members have been on the minds of many in the Oklahoma community, including someone only a few years their senior, 20-year-old Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng.
On Thursday, a group of kids from the YMCA were given a heads up about an impending surprise, but when they walked in to see the 6-foot-10 Dieng and the cache of athletic clothes behind him, there was an audible gasp. One of the kids, seven-year-old Alex Bloomfield, exclaimed, “my brain is exploding!” before bouncing off the walls for the next hour. Bloomfield and his fellow YMCA members spent their time with Ousmane trying to guess his height, playing pop-a-shot and graciously accepting gift bags full of sportswear.
“I didn’t have the chance to have this type of event when I was young,” Dieng said, without realizing that besides the children he was by far the youngest person in the building. “I have some time and I love to give back to the community, so this was a great opportunity.”
On Friday, Dieng went to two other locations – the Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma County and Oklahoma Cleats for Kids – to round out the two days of philanthropy that included his giveaway of over 500 pairs of new sneakers, socks and athletic shorts to the three organizations, along with a significant monetary donation.
At Oklahoma Cleats for Kids, Dieng measured feet and picked out shoes for Millwood Middle School’s girls basketball players, signed shoe boxes and even helped 14-year-old Rickell Hunt win a bet by letting her sign his phone case.
“He made sure everybody had their right size and everything. It was cool, a good experience,” said Hunt. “He’s a very nice person.”
“Having Ousmane here today made all the difference in the world for the kids today,” added Stacy McDaniel, the Executive Director at Cleats for Kids. “(This donation) is going to impact hundreds of kids here in Oklahoma and give them access to sports when they otherwise wouldn’t have.”
After unveiling the cornucopia of athletic gear to the kids from the Boys and Girls Club, Dieng took the group down to the gymnasium, where he and Rumble led a game of knockout, or as Dieng and his fellow Frenchmen call it, Lucky Luke. Even though he is still learning English, has a crucial summer of work ahead of him and is still getting accustomed to the United States, Dieng had endless energy for the kids as took the time out of his summer to do an unheard-of three events in 48 hours that spanned 105 miles throughout central Oklahoma.
For Dieng though, that distance was nothing. At just age 18, in the midst of a global pandemic, Ousmane felt the confidence to make a 12,000-mile leap from Europe to the New Zealand Breakers and the NBL because of the support of his dad, Ababacar Dieng.
The father-son duo has so much in common – particularly in their professional basketball journeys. They both left their home countries at a young age, with Ababacar leaving his native Senegal to play professionally in France just as Ousmane left France to go across the world to New Zealand. Ababacar was a massive help in developing Ousmane’s high level of skill and innate understanding of the game.
“(Ababacar) has had a lot of influence,” Ousmane noted. “He was behind me after every choice of my life. He was really supportive.”
“I was always in the gym,” added Ousmane, who is now getting the opportunity to serve as the type of role model that he looked up to as a child. “I was always following him everywhere.”
The bravery to leave the comfort of home was echoed a year later, when Dieng entered the 2022 NBA Draft and had the courage to track back 8,000 miles from New Zealand to the United States to test his skills against the very best players in the entire world. After being selected 11th overall and acquired by the Thunder, Dieng was an integral part of the young Thunder core as it grew together in 2022-23. From the outset of the season, teammates had their arms around Dieng’s shoulders both literally and metaphorically.
During impromptu post-practice dunk contests, no player was more hyped up by teammates to throw one down with authority than Dieng. As the season rolled along, that encouragement was translated into force on the floor, like when Dieng blew by a San Antonio Spurs defender and dunked with two hands despite traffic in the lane. On defense, Dieng showed confidence and tenacity by stopping two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry in transition and ripping the ball out of his hands.
While some long-term prospects would have shied away from putting themselves in those situations, Ousmane didn’t flinch. He accepted the challenge and the potential momentary failure that comes with it. Same thing with his philanthropic work – it would have been easy for Dieng to fly under the radar this summer and to work on his game in solitude, but instead he was out in the community, speaking an unfamiliar language and connecting with kids who need a helping hand.
“I've noticed that he will put himself in those situations,” Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti said. “I like the path that he's taking because it's definitely not the least resistance, and we're big on that."
Dieng has understood, from a very early age, the optimism and self-starting nature that is required when pursuing a career in professional basketball. He also has a sense of the responsibility to pay it forward that comes with the big stage that is the NBA, as well as the duty-driven environment the Thunder organization has to its attention to the community.
“It's a dream,” said Dieng. “I get a lot of things because of my work, so I think this was the best way to give back… I love Oklahoma and am looking forward to keep working here.”
