OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – APRIL 24: Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and teammates are … More interviewed following game two of the first round of the NBA playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans at Paycom Center on April 24, 2024 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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As the NBA playoffs heat up, one of the league\u2019s youngest teams is making waves\u2014and not just for what they’re doing on the court.<\/p>\n
After every Oklahoma City Thunder win something remarkable happens. As is typical for sports teams, the star of the game is asked to stay for a post-game interview. But rather than head to locker room as they do in other venues, after an OKC win the entire team stands behind whichever player is being interviewed, arm in arm. There are no scripts or cues, just the presence of the team. Sometimes the players even bark.<\/p>\n
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City’s tough-minded power forward, first brought this tradition to life when he played in the NBA\u2019s Summer League. After a standout game, an interviewer mentioned having a “dog mentality.” Chet barked. The team laughed\u2014and then something unusual happened. It stuck.<\/p>\n
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – MAY 7: Jalen Williams #8, Jaylin Williams #6, and Chet Holmgren #7 of the … More Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate during the first half of game two of the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets at Paycom Center on May 7, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joshua Gateley\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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\u201cChet kind of started it by accident,\u201d said teammate Jalen Williams in an interview with Sports Illustrated<\/a>. \u201cIt kind of just took off from there.\u201d<\/p>\n Now these postgame moments are a ritual, even part of the Thunder\u2019s identity. Instead of leaving the court, the Thunder players celebrate whoever had a big night and rally around him. Sometimes players wrap towels around their shoulders like capes, crowning the interviewee as the superhero of the night<\/a>. Others silently stand guard, a wall of support that turns every postgame moment into something bigger than one individual.<\/p>\n You might think it\u2019s all fun and games. Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors certainly does. He\u2019s criticized it, saying it proves OKC isn\u2019t serious<\/a>. Green is missing the point. The Thunder\u2019s postgame activities are not about antics. They are about alignment. The Thunder players choose\u2014night after night\u2014to show up for their teammate. It\u2019s a unique, even an inspiring, way of building the culture of the newest NBA team. Some of those guys in the background have never been interviewed, and perhaps they may never be. It would be easier and more convenient to slip into the locker room, beat the media traffic, and move on. But that\u2019s not where the culture lives.<\/p>\n Culture lives in those unscripted moments when you decide what matters most. Oklahoma City\u2019s players get this, choosing to be there for their teammates. They chose to honor the success of a colleague, even when they had little spotlight of their own. That\u2019s the kind of selfless consistency every organization wants but few are willing to commit to. While the Thunder might be the newest team in the NBA, it has not stopped the franchise from teaching the rest of us about leadership.<\/p>\n OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – APRIL 24: Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and teammates are … More interviewed following game two of the first round of the NBA playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans at Paycom Center on April 24, 2024 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Getty Images<\/p>\n As Oklahoma City shows, culture isn\u2019t built by the star player. It\u2019s built by the ones who choose to stand behind him, arm in arm.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to celebrate someone when you\u2019re the one holding the mic. It takes humility, discipline, and emotional intelligence to celebrate someone else from the background\u2014especially night after night, without expectation. That\u2019s what makes it special. That\u2019s what makes it sustainable.<\/p>\n This tradition\u2014and culture behind it\u2014could have easily faded away. The Memphis Grizzlies used to do something similar, but it went away. Maybe, just maybe, things are different in Oklahoma City. Perhaps the current players will be able to ensure their culture goes the distance, long after they have all moved on or retired.<\/p>\n In the meantime, people across the NBA are starting to notice. Tas Melas, co-host of the \u201cNo Dunks\u201d podcast, put it nicely<\/a>. \u201cI think OKC has got the best postgame interview team in the history of the National Basketball Association,\u201d he said. \u201cWho does it better?\u201d<\/p>\n