“I wish we tried one more time to run it back with that team” – Fans get emotional with Chris Paul’s “Thank You OKC” message on shoes
OKC Thunder fans get emotional on Twitter after Chris Paul aid homage to his stint with the organization back in 2019-2020
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Chris Paul
Chris Paul has had a storied NBA career that has seen him journey through many destinations. He started in New Orleans as a Hornet, then went to the sunshine in Los Angeles to be the commander and distributor in chief for the Lob-City Clippers. He then came close to beating the infamous Golden State Warriors team with Kevin Durant when he was part of the Houston Rockets alongside James Harden and finally made his first NBA finals appearance in 2021 as the veteran leader of a young and fierce Phoenix Suns team.
Between Houston and Phoenix, Paul stopped in Oklahoma City for a season and played for the Thunder. He was part of the package sent by Houston to acquire Russell Westbrook. OKC had just traded away both Westbrook and Paul George while looking ahead at a long rebuild after stockpiling tons of picks. The outlook on that Thunder team prior to the season was bleak, with many predicting a bottom-of-the-barrel finish.
Paul led that young Thunder team with a sophomore SGA in the ranks to the 5th seed. They fell one game short of beating the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. During the season, Paul and the fans in OKC formed a special bond. CP3 returned to OKC with the Suns in April of 2022 with “Thank You OKC!!” written on his shoes. The endearing message made the fans reminisce about the special 2019-20 season for the Thunder.
Amongst the emotional outpour from Thunder fans, there were also those that pointed out that they wouldn’t be in their current situation and so well set up for the future if they hadn’t traded CP3 away. The class of the OKC Thunder organization really shines through in the whole thing.
John Wall’s comments about the Rockets enhance Chris Paul and the Thunder even more
It’s really not as common as you would think to see such love between a player and their former team. One has to look no further than what John Wall has recently said about the Houston Rockets as proof. Wall said that his time in Houston was “beyond trash” on an episode of the ‘Run Your Race’ podcast. The contrast between the two veteran point guards’ opinions of their temporary one-year stops on young teams highlights the importance of a good culture.
On the other hand, Chris Paul gave a glowing review of his time in OKC. “That year I played in Oklahoma City is something I’ll never forget,” Paul said. “That was my first year living away from my family. The relationship I got with my teammates and fans. The fans were amazing. I always hate that that season got cut short because of COVID-19. That was a big season, big summer for me, going through things I hadn’t gone through since I’d been in the league.” One thing is for sure, the bond between Chris Paul and the fans in OKC is a special and unbreakable one.
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Rakibul John Rodgers
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