Thunder at the State Fair
By Nick Gallo | Broadcast Reporter and Digital Editor | okcthunder.com
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Eyes peering in deep concentration, new Thunder forward Eugene Omoruyi tried to keep his wrist straight while pushing from the elbow. It wasn’t a jump shot though – it was the Bottle Up game, and onlookers eagerly hoped he’d get the glass bottle to stand. Minutes later, Omoruyi’s Thunder teammates were perusing the concessions, daring one another to sample alligator and rattlesnake. At the Oklahoma State Fair, that competition and adventure are September traditions.
The State Fair itself is a tradition that spans back to Oklahoma’s first fair in September of 1889, just five months after 10,000 homesteaders settled the area that eventually became Oklahoma City. After the people voted in favor of statehood in September of 1907, the event turned into the official State Fair of Oklahoma, which has been held every year since except during World War I and the Spanish Flu, World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In September of 2008 the Thunder was still getting moved into Oklahoma City. Twelve months later, the organization started its own annual tradition of attending the State Fair. Thunder entertainers performed on stage on both weekends of the fair that year, Thunder players came through and Rumble even waved the Thunder flag proudly from the top of a tower.
Thunder players have made numerous visits to the Fair over the years to toss darts, proudly pose with turkey legs and hand out Thunder schedules, including five players on Wednesday afternoon. After having to miss the fair in 2020 and 2021 due to the NBA’s COVID restrictions, the Thunder was back in full force with Omoruyi, Aleksej Pokuševski, Vít Krejčí, Ousmane Dieng and Jalen Williams on site, cruising through the grounds on golf carts as they stopped into various activations.
“It's great to represent the team,” said the 20-year-old Pokuševski, who in his third NBA season is just now getting the chance to mingle in the community due to pandemic restrictions. “This is something new for me. The first two seasons we couldn't do that. I know how important that is for the team and for the community and I'm happy to do it.”
Since the team arrived in Oklahoma City, the Thunder has reflected back Oklahoma’s values of hard work and commitment, along with civic pride. Besides the 41 nights of Thunder games at Paycom Center, there aren’t many events that bring Oklahomans of all lifestyles together in one place more than the State Fair.
“We're a community-wide event,” said Fair Spokesperson Scott Munz. “The Thunder is big in the community. They like to get out amongst the people, and what better place to get out amongst them than at the Oklahoma State Fair. The mesh of those two is just phenomenal.”
The first stop the players made on Wednesday was one that could brighten anyone’s day. Despite many of the players never stepping foot onto a fairgrounds before, there was no trepidation as horses passed casually in front of them as they strode into the Equine Empowerment exhibition – a horse riding competition geared towards people with special needs.
After finishing in third place in her competition, a woman named Holly Hulsey walked up the stairs to meet her mother and grandmother when she stopped in her tracks, awestruck. Omoruyi, Krejčí and Dieng were in the stands, awaiting the next rider to start. A die-hard Thunder fan who still vividly remembers the game she attended, Holly was thrilled at the chance to shake hands and take a photo with the players.
“My whole family watches the team,” said Hulsey, who asks her mother, Cheryl Hodge, to check the schedule to make sure they don’t miss a game.
“Meeting the Thunder players is her biggest thing,” said Hodge. “She loves all of them.”
A short golf cart ride later and the Thunder quintet was waltzing down past concession stands, an intense karaoke contest and some carnival games. They stopped off to play Hot Shot, featuring those dastardly oval basketball rims. A couple of Oklahoma City youngsters – Daxton Sharpe, 11 and Hudson Moore, 10 – looked on as the shots went up, putting their ride-going and game-playing on hold to get a picture with the Thunder contingent as they moved on to the next station.
“(People are) walking down the Midway just thinking, ‘What game I'm gonna play next? What food joint am I gonna go to next?’,” said Munz. “All of a sudden they see a Thunder player that they've seen on TV and they just kind of go crazy.”
“It's pretty awesome to see people, just to be able to interact with everybody and really come together as community,” said Williams, a self-described funnel cake fanatic who actually already went to the fair with some friends last weekend.
After two and a half years of the Thunder organization doing everything it could to give back to the Oklahoma City community without players being able to participate, events like Wednesday’s at the State Fair carry extra meaning. Now that it’s possible again, these Thunder players jumped at the chance to make someone’s day at the Fair. As the countdown continues to Oklahoma’s October tradition – Thunder basketball – the team made sure to honor Oklahoma’s September one in a big way.
“A big thing for us is being part of the community. It's not just about playing basketball on the court,” said Thunder Manager of Community Engagement Jennifer Watson. “Being part of a staple that is the State Fair and bringing the guys out to show them that just ties in perfectly with our messaging and our mission of being part of the community.”
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