u/PrettyLawfulness4602

Ever since I was a kid, basketball was the only thing I had. I didn’t have a lot of friends at school, my parents were always working and we could barely afford the smallest house in our gated community. So every day after school, the few friends I did have in the neighborhood would stop by the basketball courts to shoot hoops and get out our frustrations with life.

Some of my favorite memories were on that court, pretending to be the old school greats like Kobe or KG and recreating their career highlights.

Recently, Ive noticed the neighborhood kids continuing the tradition of playing on that court and I thought they’d appreciate an old head hooper joining them and bestowing knowledge. I was telling them about how when I was their age I used to pretend to be Steph, when one of the more annoying kids playing said “I’m Shai!” And pulled up for a step back over me.

I don’t know if it’s the fact that it went in or the fact he hit the “2” celly after, but that whole sequence set something off in me. SGA is NOT a real hooper like LeBron or Steph. He is a DISGRACE to the game I love. These kids needed to be taught a lesson about ethical hoops.

“If you want to be Shai then I’ll be Caruso” I said, taking my shoes off and holding them in my hands. As I was guarding them, I made sure to hack and foul as much as I could off ball, constantly slapping his body with my shoes. I felt like if these kids got the receiving end of how the Thunder played, they would understand how us real hoopers feel.

Instead, the same kid ended up hitting another one (NOT over me this time) after yelling “MIDDY!” and started loading up the chopper. I want to be very clear with everyone here that I was not upset that he scored, but him celebrating like Shai is disrespectful to the game. Could you imagine Tim Duncan doing that?

At that point, I was totally set off. I screamed “I’m Dort!” And tackled him. I was NOT going full force, I just wanted the kid to feel a fraction of what I feel every time I have to watch the Thunder play.

Well of course, just like he was actually Shai, he flopped and here comes the water works. He was totally fine, a little scrape on his knee and elbow, but with how he was screaming you’d think he was actually auditioning to be on the Thunder. His uncle was apparently watching and came over to me and started pushing me. He didn’t want to hear my explanations, I would bet money he doesn’t even watch the NBA.

The family is not pressing charges. I am NOT in any legal trouble. But I do feel like I’m being judged by my family and neighbors after this event. The HOA has sent me a letter stating I am no longer allowed at the playground or basketball courts. My wife and I have already been on the rocks and now she won’t even look at me. I believe we will make it through this, as we have made it through worse, but you can imagine the toll this has taken on my mental health.

I’ve already reached out the NBA and my senators about my concerns with the Thunder. At some point people have to realize that this is bigger than money. This is affecting people’s lives. The longer the league lets this “team” continue to exist and conspire with refs to win games, the more innocent people will be affected. The blood of that child and of my relationship is on YOU Adam Silver. It’s time to step up and do the right thing.

Every time I bring up obvious issues like how SGA flops like a fish, or how literally every single point he scores involves a push-off, they bring up some other star doing the same thing. Like yeah, sometimes Reaves flops. But Reaves can also just play basketball. It’s LITERALLY ALL Shai can do.

If I bring up Dort or Caruso hacking on every single play, suddenly they want “video evidence.” Sorry, I don’t record every game for you people. Maybe you should try actually WATCHING instead of waiting for someone to spoon-feed you a clip at 2am.

If I bring up the fact that the refs are clearly helping the Thunder they want to talk about FT disparity or the fact that Shai had to sit a quarter because of 3 early fouls. News flash: None of that matters. I don’t know how to explain it any simpler than that.

I get it. You’re 49th in Education. This is hard.

But here’s the thing… every real basketball fan can see exactly what’s going on. It’s only Thunder fans who can’t. Make that make sense.

Message to Thunder fans: I don’t want your stats. I don’t want your clips. I don’t want your graphs made by some guy with an agenda. I have been watching basketball for over 10 years and I know what I see.

WATCH THE GAMES.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

To anyone actually watching these games, it’s obvious that the Thunder are working hand in hand with the refs to make sure that the Lakers lose before Luka can come back. Dort and Caruso are LITERALLY wrestling Ayton and Reaves the whole game, and the refs simply act like they don’t see it. Meanwhile anytime a Laker makes any inadvertent contact with a Thunder player it’s an automatic flagrant 2. This so called “MVP” would be a bench warmer for a Middle school team if it wasn’t for push-offs and free throws obtained from flopping.

This kind of stuff has NEVER been an issue in the history of basketball before the Thunder. I want to go back to watching the greats without all the above nonsense. Guys like D-Wade, Dennis Rodman, Reggie Miller, MJ and the bad boy pistons. It should be clear to any real basketball fans that Shai and OKC have single handedly ruined the sport we used to love.

My list of demands for Adam silver would be:
1.) Disqualify the Thunder from the playoffs and move the Lakers on to the WCF.
2.) Break up this thunder team and force them to go back to the drawing board; Shai in particular should be barred from playing another NBA game for life.
3.) Suspend and investigate all refs for ties to OKC.