Eugene Omoruyi

okcthunder

OKLAHOMA CITY,&nbsp;Feb. 10, 2023&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Oklahoma City Thunder has signed forward&nbsp;Eugene&nbsp;Omoruyi to a multi-year contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

During the 2022-23 season, Omoruyi has appeared in 21 games with the Thunder and averaged 5.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.2 minutes of action. In six games this season with the Oklahoma City Blue, Omoruyi has posted averages of 18.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 28.3 minutes per game.&nbsp;

Omoruyi was originally signed to a Two-Way Contract&nbsp;by the Thunder on July 2, 2022.&nbsp;

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Thunder Signs Eugene Omoruyi to Multi-Year Contract

okcthunder.com

By Nick Gallo | Broadcast Reporter and Digital Editor | okcthunder.com

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Thunder Trio Spreads Holiday Cheer

A young child named Randy Bauer, with a Transformer already in hand, was positively beaming as he walked around Skyline’s Holiday Pop-Up Shop in southeast Oklahoma City, shouting excitedly about each toy he saw. Helping him along his quest for Christmas gifts was Thunder guard Lu Dort, who listened to every word of the narration and helped Bauer snag a free baseball bat, a Star Wars toy and the Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar book.&nbsp;

“I love the Thunder team,” said Bauer. “This is awesome.”&nbsp;

On Tuesday, the Thunder took over Skyline’s gift giving operation and Dort, Eugene Omoruyi and Isaiah Joe dropped in to shop with the families, many of whom wouldn’t have had the chance to get anything for Christmas without that opportunity. Dort, who grew up in the hardscrabble neighborhood of Montreal-Nord and knows what it’s like to go without, had an appreciation for the feeling children like Bauer felt as they shopped without concern for price.

“I know myself, I would have been so happy,” said Dort. “There’s so many options and it would have been hard for me to pick because there's so much stuff.”&nbsp;

Skyline, which sits just across the Oklahoma River from Paycom Center, serves a wide swath of families and seniors in Oklahoma City as primarily a food resource center where patrons can visit every 30 days to shop for 10 days’ worth of groceries. In addition, Skyline provides free eye care exams for uninsured patrons and low-cost glasses while also operating a clothing shop for people who have had a family emergency. Those patrons can receive 10 items, including essentials like socks and underwear. Each year, Skyline also hosts a Holiday Pop-Up Shop to bless people with Christmas gifts that they otherwise couldn’t afford.&nbsp;

“We serve the Oklahomans that are living in the shadows of our prosperous downtown – our residents and citizens that need a little bit of extra help,” said Katy Leffel, who serves as the Director of Skyline. “To have the Thunder show up and help, it just brightens their day it makes them see that people care about them. I think oftentimes our patrons feel overlooked, and that they're kind of slipping through the cracks in society and are having a tough time making it through.”

“We are meeting people's basic needs in a way that just is really touching,” said Leffel. “You can see the hope on people's faces when they come in. They're tired. They're hungry. They leave and they're taking a deep breath. They know they can make it to the next paycheck.”

One of those clients, an elderly woman named Ginger Miozza, was there to shop for her grandkids that range in age from 16 to 6 months. Bundled up in a worn-in black leather coat, Miozza walked around with Omoruyi as she selected some gifts for her grandchildren, focusing on the non-electronic toys that stimulate the imagination.&nbsp;

“I usually work, but my boss died from COVID. I’m here for my grandkids because I couldn’t afford to give them anything this year,” said Miozza. “It means a lot because there’s a lot of families who can’t afford things. This gives them a way to be able to give to the kids.”&nbsp;

“God bless them for it,” Miozza added, noting how the frigid temperatures this December make it even more difficult for elderly folks like herself to get around. “The older we get it seems like the harder it is.”&nbsp;

While Dort and Bauer bopped around and marveled, Omoruyi gently guided Miozza from table to table. Joe seemed to be everywhere at once, shopping with a variety of families as they looked at everything from children’s books to toys to electronics. Joe made suggestions and laughed with the kids and adults alike, bringing smiles to their faces that may have been few and far between lately.&nbsp;

“We want our clients to feel kindness when they come into our building and to be always treated with respect and dignity,” said Leffel. “The Thunder brings that to the table.”&nbsp;

“Doing these community event shows how much we love the people,” Joe said. “We want to share our love and have a good time with them, because at the end of the day basketball is fun but it wouldn’t be as fun without them, without their support.”&nbsp;

Most days, Skyline is a resource center for those everyday basic needs like food and clothing, but on Tuesday the Thunder helped fill a human need that goes as deep as those physical ones: community and connection. For two years during the pandemic those types of genuine interactions weren’t possible, but this year’s Holiday Assist, the 15th consecutive the Thunder has held, has been the most robust and impactful in team history.&nbsp;

“There's a real need here and we know that the holidays can be challenging,” said Thunder Director of Community Engagement Erin Oldfield. “To help these families maximize their dollars when they're looking at whether they're paying their bills or able to buy some presents for Christmas, we can kind of fill that gap for them this holiday season.”&nbsp;

Bauer, toys bundled in a bag and his family alongside him, was ready to head home. He surveyed the scene and took one last look at the gifts all around him and the Thunder players waiting cheerily for the next family to walk in. Before he left, Bauer wanted to say one more thing.&nbsp;

“It’s really nice being here and actually meeting up with them,” said Bauer. “It’s my dream.”&nbsp;

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Thunder Looking Out for Those in Need at Christmas

Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Eugene Omoruyi helped families do some holiday shopping at the Skyline holiday pop-up shop.

Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Eugene Omoruyi spent an afternoon at the Skyline Holiday pop-up shop to help local families pick out gifts for their children.

As part the 15th season of Holiday Assist, the Thunder trio brightened the day for the parents and their kids as they pick out toys and other items on hand.

Lu Dort: 'We're all doing this for the people. It's always good to go back to the community because they support us so much."

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Thunder Brightens Day at Skyline

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Highlights: OKC vs.MIN

OKC erupted in the third quarter, but ultimately came up short down the stretch.

By Nick Gallo and Paris Lawson | okcthunder.com

On Friday, the Thunder faced the Timberwolves for the fourth and final time this year, marking the earliest in the season that OKC has been done with a division foe. That familiarity bred a game of back-and-forth runs, with an 11-4 burst by the Thunder to start the seconnd quarter, then a 15-0 Minnesota response.&nbsp;

The Timberwolves led by as many as 14, but the Thunder, as the league’s best third-quarter team this season, burst out of the halftime locker room on a 12-3 run, then closed with an electrifying sequence that caused Paycom Center to erupt. After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stopped and dropped a mid-range jumper, Lindy Waters III stole the inbounds pass and Aaron Wiggins buried a 3 at the buzzer to cap a 21-4 run by the Thunder to close the period. OKC outscored Minnesota by 16 in the third, going +10 in that frame for the sixth time this season.

In the fourth quarter the Thunder went small, switching everything defensively down the stretch and trapping Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards early out top. A standstill, contested 3-pointer from the left corner by Austin Rivers gave the Timberwolves a late lead though, and the Thunder’s final heave at the buzzer missed, resulting in a 112-110 loss.&nbsp;

Nick: The Thunder racked up eight of its 18 total second-chance points on its first three possessions of the game, including a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer in the left corner for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and another at the top of the key for Aleksej Pokuševski. The latter has been a 39.5 percent shooter on catch-and-shoot 3s this year, while any opportunity for Gilgeous-Alexander to line up an open shot off the catch is welcome, let alone on the very first offensive possession of the game. That bucket was just the start of a sensational offensive night where the Thunder racked up 29 assists.&nbsp;

Paris: Josh Giddey picked up his dribble in the middle of the lane, surrounded by Minnesota jerseys. In one motion, he snapped a bounce pass to a cutting Jalen Williams who finished the play with a one-handed slam. The ball movement and player movement is a staple of OKC’s offense and has been loud as of late. Coming into Friday night’s game, the Thunder registered an assist rate of 60% or better in three of its last four games.&nbsp;

Paris: Lu Dort attacked the left side of the lane and looked as though he might lay the ball up, but instead he stopped it off to a cutting Aleksej Pokuševski. The 7-footer caught the ball in stride, elevated and navigated the ball in mid-air to bank it off the glass away from the defending arms of Minnesota’s defense. Pokuševski finished the night with nine points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.&nbsp;

Nick: Jalen Williams buried a pull up jumper going to his left, stopping and popping at the elbow and rising up over his defender for two of his nine first-half points. Williams was once again efficient in this one, as he came into the game having shot 50 percent or better from the floor in 17 of his 24 games to start his career. That’s remarkable efficiency for a guard like Williams, but when two of the shot attempts are no-doubt driving dunks like the ones he got in the first half, that shooting percentage can go up very quickly. Williams finished with a cool 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, above 50 percent once again.&nbsp;

Nick: With four seconds left on the shot clock, Gilgeous-Alexander caught a baseline out-of-bounds pass in the right corner, spun, attacked full speed going left and banked in a jumper off the right side of the backboard and in. Those types of plays come from hours upon hours of sweat equity Gilgeous-Alexander has put in over the years, as he comes back better each season. On Friday, he racked up 10 of his 35 total points in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter, the 36th time this season he has had a double-digit scoring quarter. He kept the foot on the gas with a career-high 23 points in the frame.&nbsp;

Paris: With just a minute left in the third frame, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander zipped the ball over to the left wing to Isaiah Joe. Without any hesitation, Joe cashed in a 3-pointer. On the very next possession, Mike Muscala stole the ball and it was Joe in transition who laid the ball in through contact for the and one and made it a two-point game. The Thunder’s sharp-shooter off the bench finished the night with six points and continues to demonstrate his readiness as a reserve for OKC.&nbsp;

Nick: On a Pokuševski drive and dish, Giddey was ready to immediately attack the closeout by his defender, pushing downhill for one of his patented runners in the lane. That bucket gave the Thunder a 96-95 lead in a game that featured 14 lead changes and 10 ties. A few minutes later, Giddey attacked baseline, spun and scored at the end of the shot clock to cut the deficit back down to 108-107 with 1:36 to go. Giddey’s immediate decisions on the catch are critical to starting the Thunder’s “blender” offense, and can result in high percentage baskets for himself too. He racked up his sixth double-double in his last eight games with an 11-point, 13-rebound, 6-assist night. Out of 80 career games, that was Giddey’s 32nd with at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.&nbsp;

Paris: Eugene Omoruyi played deep into clutch time for the Thunder on friday night. The two-way wing moved without the ball and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander found him under the rim for an easy reverse in a one-possession game. By the end of the night, Omoruyi chipped in 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting off the bench while also ripping away three steals.&nbsp;

“It's really just trying to make sure that we stay committed to the track we're on. We're on the right track clearly and we're better individually and as a team than we were a year ago and we're better than we were at the beginning of the season. At the end of the day, it's the NBA. It's really hard. You’ve got to be able to take your punches. It's not like you just go out there and throw haymakers against every team. I personally think that these punches, with a group of guys that handle them with resilience and that keep coming, make you stronger. Hopefully that's the case for us. But we have to make that happen too, we can't just sit around and wait for that to happen.” - Mark Daigneault&nbsp;

“Although we're a young team, we have a veteran mindset - all of us. It’s not always gonna go our way. We’ve just got to continue competing and we can't focus on how the game swings. We’ve just got to keep pounding away at it.” - Eugene Omoruyi

The Thunder’s seven-game home stand continues with the second night of a home-home back-to-back—a Saturday night showdown with the Memphis Grizzlies. That 7 p.m. matchup will be the Thunder’s third game in four nights and fifth game in eight nights.

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The Walkout: Fight to the Finish

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Recap: Thunder vs. Timberwolves

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Highlights: OKC at MEM

Fourth-Quarter Lull Slows OKC's Attack in Memphis

No matter the momentum, a road trip can only go as far as what’s left in the gas tank allows. On Wednesday the Thunder battled for two-and-a-half quarters against one of the most dominant teams in the Western Conference, but after a pair of fourth quarter surges in Minnesota and Atlanta, OKC couldn’t muster up a final run in Memphis. The Grizzlies outscored the Thunder 29-15 in the fourth quarter on the way to a 123-102 final margin.&nbsp;

The Thunder couldn’t get much going on the interior in this one, starting the game 2-for-15 below the 3-point line, but 7-for-15 on above-the-break threes in the first half. The Grizzlies were selling out with help in the paint, and the Thunder made Memphis pay with outside shots. Eventually, the scoring for the Thunder faltered, and Memphis had an extra gear in transition, where the Grizzlies racked up 18 fast break points. While there was plenty to improve upon, there were also some positive takeaways, like the way OKC out-hustled Memphis on the offensive glass and got five players into double figures again.&nbsp;

Nick: The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the most physical defenses in the NBA, providing resistance to drives to the lane, which is the area the Thunder excels in more than any other. As a result, the Thunder wanted to get out into the open floor and get some high quality looks before Memphis could get its defense set. After Josh Giddey made a steal on an attempted cross-court pass by Ja Morant, he pushed the ball up the floor and found Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer on the right wing. Getting an in-rhythm shot like that can be a catalyst for any player.&nbsp;

Paris: At 6:54, Mark Daigneault inserted Eugene Omoruyi into the ball game. On his very first possession, Omoruyi ripped down an offensive rebound through the tall timbers of Steven Adams and Santi Aldama. On the next possession, the two-way player took a disciplined charge on Ja Morant who had high hopes on his attack down the middle of the lane. He continued to inject energy into the game when the team needed it throughout the night and finished with 11 points, five rebounds and four steals in 24 minutes of action.&nbsp;

Paris: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl streaked across the baseline and without missing a beat Aaron Wiggins tossed up a lofty pass above the rim. Robinson-Earl elevated and threw down the slam to add to the Thunder’s points in the paint total in the first half. It wouldn’t be the only time that JRE would make his mark on the rim – by the end of the night, the second-year forward logged three dunks which is three more than he had the entire previous season.&nbsp;

Nick: Jalen Williams attacked and put a shot up, then stuck with the play when his shot rolled off the rim. Maintaining physicality, Williams was quick off the ground on his second jump and tipped in his own miss. The Thunder was aggressive and opportunistic on the offensive glass for the entire first half, and ended up leading Memphis, who came in as the NBA’s best rebounding team, in total rebounds (32-27), offensive rebounds (11-5) and second chance points (8-6) at halftime. In categories like that where the opponent typically has a massive advantage, even playing to a draw in that department is a win for OKC.&nbsp;

Nick: Impeccable vision in transition on a cross-court fast break pass from Giddey to Robinson-Earl to beat Memphis in transition for a dunk. On the very next possession, Robinson-Earl sprinted up the right hand side of the floor again, streaking towards the rim where Gilgeous-Alexander found him this time for another dunk. The Thunder racked up 25 assists in the game, giving OKC at least 20 assists in 20 of the team’s 25 games.&nbsp;

Paris: The Thunder’s 3-point shooting has been a massive boost to its offense throughout the night as the Grizzlies work to take away the paint. Through the first three quarters, OKC shot 48 percent from deep and nearly all of its looks have come off of incredible ball movement. After moving the ball from one side of the floor to the next, OKC found multiple quality looks throughout the night. Of its 30 made baskets, 22 of them came off of assists heading into the final frame.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nick: While the Thunder struggled to get pay off its downhill, attacking style against a stout Memphis defense, Gilgeous-Alexander continued to keep the scoreboard moving at the free throw line for his team. For the game, Shai racked up career-highs with 17-made free throws and 19 attempts, giving him 214 makes on 231 attempts this season, good for 92.6 percent on the season. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging nearly 10 free throw attempts per game this season, and leads the NBA in total makes from the stripe.&nbsp;

Eugene Omoruyi on his mentality going into a game…

“My mindset is to always stay ready as always. Stay ready, be ready to go no matter what game or what time in the game – just always be ready and still have that positive mindset because I know what I'm fighting for. So just always be ready no matter what.”

Josh Giddey on the Thunder’s low paint production…

“They’ve got great rim protection. Their defense is good when they're all switched on. We tried to exploit some different matchups, but for the most part, they got it covered. Our offense could have been a lot better tonight, but you learn from these games and you move on to the next.”

The Thunder’s longest road trip of the season, one that spans 5,000 miles and four time zone changes, is past the midway point. After a brief stop in OKC to practice, the Thunder will then ship back out for a trip to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers on Saturday night. 

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The Walkout: OKC at MEM

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Recap: Thunder at Grizzlies

Season Two debuts with Royce Young sitting down with Isaiah Joe, Mike Muscala, and Eugene Omoruyi to discuss the importance of always being ready.

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The Path: When You Stay Ready, You Don't Have to Get Ready

Royce Young sits down with Isaiah Joe, Mike Muscala, and Eugene Omoruyi to discuss the importance of always being ready.