Thunder In the news: Collison peers weigh in
As Nick Collison officially leaves the Association his peers came out enmasse to send well wishes and pay homage to Mr. Thunder.
May 10, will forever be etched in OKC Thunder history as the day Nick Collison retired. Royce Young’s ESPN article released Thursday coinciding with social media blowing up. Colleagues, coaches and fans alike reacted in similar fashion.
Each recalled memories of the player and man who touched everyone he came in contact with. Collison exudes an everyman quality mixed in with a superman, Clark Kent kind of edge. That rare intangible that makes strangers feel as if they know him and intrinsically trust him. In the old days people referred to it as ‘salt of the earth’.
Turns out these instincts are in line with who Collison truly is as a person. Given the big man’s popularity the overwhelming fan response was expected. Well wishes and anecdotes from his peers also poured in.
Former teammates cited Collison’s professionalism, class, mentoring and friendship. The following are some of the social media commentary or passages from current and former players.
Peers check in:
The Oklahoman requested via the Thunder a statement from Russell Westbrook about Nick Collison’s retirement. This is that statement (edited for content): “F****** LEGEND!!!”
— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) May 11, 2018
Nick Collison posted a video on his instagram.
Several current and former players commented on the video. Included were:
- Steven Adams
- Andre Roberson
- Anthony Morrow (yungfresh)
- Dakari Johnson
- Perry Jones (pj_thethird)
- Rashard Lewis (lewisfamily9)
- DJ White (waynegr3)
- Reggie White
And more….
No cupcake shade for Collison:
Kendrick Perkins, the man behind the infamous ‘cupcake’ dubbing commented at the Cavaliers practice.
Former Thunder center Kendrick Perkins talked about Nick Collison’s retirement today after the Cavs’ practice. Here’s some of what he had to say: pic.twitter.com/ebKIkLaswT
— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) May 10, 2018
Brent Barry reminds of why he’s my favorite ex player turned TV analyst. Barry is another of the good guys and his message to Collison clearly demonstrates this.
Anybody can sympathise with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend's success. And happy to have enjoyed yours as a man, a father, a role model. Proud of you and love you man-congrats on this part of your journey https://t.co/8wDumOxtR9
— Brent Barry (@Barryathree) May 10, 2018
Durant talks Collison professionalism and humility:
And finally, Kevin Durant did an interview with Anthony Slater of The Athletic which is definitely worth the read. Durant speaks about how Collison taught him to be a professional. A point which kept coming up was how underrated he was.
"Durant: Everybody can’t get the headlines and spotlight and Nick never did it for that. It’s not to say Nick was underrated because we all knew. All the best players on the team knew what he brought. We always wanted him in the game, fought for him to get more time.We all knew and that was good enough for Nick, good for us. Because he never was “Nick Collison, NBA player.” He just wanted to roam around, play ball, do his thing."
Clearly, Nick Collison was an appreciated teammate who went far beyond the parameters of ‘necessary’ to help his squad. Yet, based on the above messages his greater impact was made off the hardwood and won’t be easily replaced. Perhaps he can leave his glasses and cape behind as the OKC Thunder search to fill the gaping hole he leaves behind.