Thunder parade championship trophy through Oklahoma City
A SHIRTLESS Shai Gilgeous-Alexander toted the NBA Finals MVP trophy behind a parade float Tuesday, raising his left hand to the beat of chants of 鈥淢VP, MVP鈥 from the crowd as Oklahoma City turned out in temperatures approaching triple-digits to celebrate the Thunder鈥檚 first championship.
Alexander, who began the day in a white tank with his Canadian flag shirt tied around his waist, carried the Larry O鈥橞rien Championship Trophy to the barricade so fans could touch the hardware.
Accounting for humidity, the heat index at the peak of the parade was 101 degrees according to AccuWeather. Thick air didn鈥檛 slow down the party for the Thunder or thousands of fans assembled for a celebration that started in Midtown on Tuesday morning.
Defensive stopper Lu Dort and 7-footer Chet Holmgren showered attendees with champagne, first from the second level of the team鈥檚 double-decker bus and later from the top of a golf cart.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very hot out here, so I鈥檓 going to keep this short and sweet,鈥 Jalen Williams said. 鈥淲ithout this, none of this is possible without you guys. You guys have been through the ups and downs of the Thunder organization. We appreciate you guys. We love you guys.鈥
Isaiah Hartenstein said he hadn鈥檛 slept for 36 hours, unlike his young son, who was fast asleep in his father鈥檚 arms in the immediate aftermath of the team鈥檚 Game 7 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing. To experience it with the family, with the community, it鈥檚 been really special,鈥 Hartenstein said.
The celebration included a stage for the closing ceremony at Scissortail Park. Thunder fans packed close to the stage and again Gilgeous-Alexander entered the crowd, bringing the trophy through throngs of supporters for pictures and an up-close opportunity with the NBA鈥檚 championship prize.
Aaron Wiggins ignited the crowd with a brief speech that touched on humble beginnings as the 55th pick to a franchise that won 24 games during his rookie season.
鈥淭here was a point where they tried to call us the black hole of the NBA,鈥 Wiggins said. 鈥淏ut four years later, when they mention the Thunder organization when they mention (owner) Clay Bennett, (general manager) Sam Presti, (head coach) Mark Daigneault and every single one of you in this arena, they鈥檝e got to mention you as NBA champs. And that鈥檚 it!鈥 鈥 Reuters
