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Athlon Sports
Roberson is in awe of how commendable OKC has been on and off the court.
By Andrei de Guzman,
5 hours ago
Even if he's been prematurely retired already, Andre Roberson will always have no love lost for the Oklahoma City Thunder .
For seven seasons, he felt the Thunder lived up to the expectations as a world-class organization. Beyond the four corners of the court, he was captivated by how its fanbase and community showed overwhelming support through the ups and downs. Even as a small market team that gets little attention to none, Roberson knows OKC will always find ways to be a commendable franchise that tries to represent success, professionalism, and camaraderie.
A priceless experience in OKC
Andre will never forget how the Thunder rallied behind his back regarding his growth. The team put all of its trust in his development as an unproven swingman out of Colorado and cultivated his eventual emergence as one of the league's premiere defenders. And when he suffered a devastating setback that unfortunately ended his career, OKC still showed that support in whatever way they can towards his recovery and return to the hardwood.
USA: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson (21) attempts to steal the ball from Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the second quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
In an appearance on the Above the Rim podcast, the 32-year-old expressed his love for them during his time with them. It gave his flowers to the Thunder franchise for building a solid foundation under Clay Bennett's ownership and the leadership of general manager Sam Presti.
"I love it, man. It was amazing from top to bottom, from the community to the front office, to everybody who was just in it, along with the players. I greatly credited Mr. Bennett, but Sam Presti started with the Spurs organization. I grew up in San Antonio being a big Spurs fan, so it kind of a full circle for me," he said .
A team built in character
Another critical component in which Roberson can testify about OKC's impressive culture is how the team constructs its roster. Under the lens of Presti, the Thunder closely identifies talents and potential additions based on attitude and personality, which should perfectly incline the franchise's ideals on and off the court. For that, the current Thunder group is indisputably off the charts regarding team chemistry and camaraderie behind the lead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
"In the draft, they do their background checks. They don't just draft guys based on their talent. It's like they do due diligence. It's like I always appreciated that extra step because you aren't going to bring any knucklehead into the locker room and mess up the whole team's chemistry. We going to compete, but I ain't going to have no issues with him off the court," Roberson concluded.
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