{"id":1098,"date":"2025-04-26T10:59:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T10:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/1098\/"},"modified":"2025-04-26T10:59:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-26T10:59:17","slug":"okc-thunder-playoff-t-shirts-have-become-contentious-on-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/1098\/","title":{"rendered":"OKC Thunder playoff T-shirts have become contentious on social media"},"content":{"rendered":"

A can\u2019t-miss neon T-shirt caught the gaze of Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> center Isaiah Hartenstein<\/a> Tuesday night at Paycom Center.<\/p>\n

Donning it was Thunder superfan Juan Guerra<\/a>, who hasn\u2019t missed a home game since the franchise arrived in OKC in 2008 and has been a contentious subject on the social media site X since the NBA Playoffs<\/a> began for opting not to wear the traditional playoff shirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hartenstein, the first-year Thunder center, took matters into his own hands during Game 2 of a best-of-seven series against the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a>, grabbing one of the playoff shirts and draping it over Guerra\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe got the neon shirt on and I saw it and just felt like he was doing it on purpose,\u201d Hartenstein told The Oklahoman. \u201cYou can\u2019t be too cool to wear the shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

The practice has quickly become more than an average T-shirt giveaway. Other Thunder fans have constantly hounded Guerra on social media for choosing not to wear the shirt.<\/p>\n

During this season’s playoffs, the Thunder has also continued its lighthearted jumbotron antics, which aim to peer-pressure fans to wear their playoff T-shirts. The camera pans to an attendee who isn\u2019t wearing one of the shirts and clamorous boos follow.<\/p>\n

CARLSON: Thunder beating Grizzlies at own game, controlling pace and NBA playoff series | Carlson<\/a><\/p>\n

Offering 18,203 fans matching shirts during the NBA playoffs is a tradition dating back to one of the franchise\u2019s first postseason wins in OKC over Kobe Bryant\u2019s Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> 15 years ago. And in Game 2 when the Thunder handled the Grizzlies 118-99 Tuesday night<\/a>, the pranks continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether I wear the shirt or not, it’s not going to dictate how many free throws (Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) gets to shoot,\u201d Guerra told The Oklahoman. \u201cIt’s not going to dictate how many points we give up on defense. It’s not going to make somebody miss a shot for the other team because I’m wearing the T-shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

For fans who choose to wear them, it\u2019s become a playoff ritual and for those, like Guerra, who opt out of wearing them, they\u2019ve become targets on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Regardless of where you stand, it\u2019s become a hot topic among Thunder fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, like, nothing affects the way that I wake up, go to sleep, go to the game,\u201d Guerra said. \u201cNone of it affects me. Like, I mean, honestly, I could care less.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Oklahoma City Police Department\u2019s official X account has even joined in on the playoff T-shirt jokes, posting, \u201cOKC ordinance requires those in attendance to put on the t-shirt! (probably). We\u2019re watching.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like he was doing that on purpose because he\u2019s at every game, he has to know,\u201d Hartenstein said. \u201cTo come in with the neon shirt, it was kinda funny to me because you don\u2019t just go pick a neon shirt. I thought it was funny, I was just trolling.\u201d<\/p>\n

TAKEAWAYS: OKC Thunder answers every Memphis Grizzlies run to go up 2-0 in NBA Playoffs<\/a><\/p>\n

Why OKC Thunder T-shirts are \u2018very impactful\u2019 to some<\/p>\n

As Rob McLaughlin was settling into his family\u2019s longtime season-ticket seats Sunday inside Paycom Center, he was dialing a FaceTime with his older son who lives in Dallas.<\/p>\n

McLaughlin, who shares season tickets and estimates he makes a third of the home games each year, aimed to offer his son a glimpse of the playoff atmosphere in Oklahoma City since he couldn\u2019t make the trip.<\/p>\n

Seconds later, he and his younger son, Kyle, found themselves drowning in boos from fellow Thunder fans who arrived at the arena early ahead of the Game 1 shellacking of the Memphis Grizzlies.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, we weren’t at our seats for 10 seconds,\u201d McLaughlin told The Oklahoman. \u201cI mean, literally, we were in our seats for 10 seconds and the camera got on us. I’m like trying to dial on the phone, and I don’t even know what’s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The McLaughlins were just the latest victims of the Jumbotron bit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI had full intentions of putting the T-shirt on,\u201d McLaughlin said. \u201cIt’s just, I needed another 45 seconds to do it. We got with the program pretty quick. That was pretty funny. We did receive a fair amount of texts.\u201d<\/p>\n

More: Why ‘watch the games’ sentiment remains relevant for OKC Thunder amid NBA Playoffs<\/a><\/p>\n

Everyone keeps wondering how the Oklahoma City thunder gets everyone to wear their shirts for the playoffs. Well, here\u2019s how – the camera will literally spotlight you and shame you into putting it on so that you don\u2019t get too comfortable sitting without it! pic.twitter.com\/ScA5YfIV8z<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kira Zahara Ahsan (@KZA76_NBAstats) April 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The practice has become so hyped that fans spend days speculating online which color and design each shirt will be.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s huge, very impactful,\u201d McLaughlin said. \u201cIt just sets the tone and everyone’s in it together. It’s just so reflective of our community, right? It\u2019s not OU or OSU; we can all get behind the Thunder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just looks cool, feels cool and it just works.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ironically, Rob was watching Game 1 of the Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves series the night before when Kyle, a sophomore at TCU who was in town for Easter weekend, commented on Laker fans not wearing their shirts.<\/p>\n

Kyle and Rob had no idea what awaited them less than 24 hours later.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod, the Laker fans are just so weak,\u201d Kyle told his father. \u201cThey don’t even put their T-shirts on. That\u2019s what\u2019s so cool about us. We’re all in.\u201d<\/p>\n