Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

Building a Mt. Rushmore of Oklahoma City Thunder cult heroes

By Tony Heim

DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 9: Kendrick Perkins #5 of the OKC Thunder battles for position against Kenneth Faried #35 and Wilson Chandler #21 of the Denver Nuggets on February 9, 2015 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 9: Kendrick Perkins #5 of the OKC Thunder battles for position against Kenneth Faried #35 and Wilson Chandler #21 of the Denver Nuggets on February 9, 2015 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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OKC Thunder center Steven Adams
TORONTO, ON – MARCH 16: Steven Adams #12 of the OKC Thunder looks on during the first half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on March 16, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

The OKC Thunder have had a myriad of personalities on the roster in their nine seasons. That’s what makes the players on this Mt. Rushmore so special.

FanSided’s NBA maestro Ian Levy recently put out his Mt. Rushmore’s for every NBA team. There’s not much to debate with the OKC Thunder/Seattle SuperSonics group; Kevin Durant, Jack Sikma, Gary Payton and Russell Westbrook are all deserved members.

If we were to only include players from the Oklahoma City era the debate becomes even less controversial. Serge Ibaka and James Harden would replace Payton and Sikma – I dare you to argue something else.

Related Story: Top five point guards in Thunder history

That’s why were going to make our own Mt. Rushmore today. The Big Four has reigned supreme in the OKC era, but many role players have carved their place in Thunder fandom-lore. This isn’t necessarily the best role players or the best personalities, but the best “Cultability.”

Honorable mentions: Serge Ibaka, Enes Kanter, Kendrick Perkins

Kyle Singler: 2015-present

If this Mt. Rushmore could be four Kyle Singler’s it would. There’s nothing more entertaining than Twitter once Singler checks in the game. Even better is the random camera shot where Singler is doing Singler things. The small forward is the only player in OKC-history who is openly roasted by every single Thunder fan, let alone NBA fans. We love him through it all, hence why Singler finds himself on the list.

Steven Adams: 2012-present

Unlike Singler, Steven Adams is beloved by his biggest fans despite his play on the court. And how could they? Adams cracks joke at almost every press event but constantly irritates players during games – he’s the quintessential team pest. The combination of long hair and facial hair add to his aura. The New Zealand blood affirms his spot on this Mt. Rushmore.

Dion Waiters: 2015-2016

More from Thunderous Intentions

The fact that Dion Waiters does not play for Oklahoma City still pains me. Waiters came to the Thunder a broken spirit. He’d been run out of Cleveland by LeBron James; nearly everybody jumped off Waiters Island. But then something happened in his time here. Waiters slimmed down, starting showing effort on defense. He helped push OKC to a 3-1 lead in the 2016 Western Conference Finals. Now he has a 4 year/$52 million deal with the Miami Heat. There’s no reason why a 1.5 year rental should bring up this much emotion in all of us, but Waiters is. That’s the power of Dion Waiters.

Russell Westbrook: 2008-present

Did you expect anything else? In one season Russell Westbrook went from an honorable mention on this list to the #1 option. 100% of current Thunder fans love Westbrook; 2 years ago that number would be around 65%. Russ gave a fan base hope in a time when there was none, and for that he will forever be praised in Oklahoma City.

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