Top 15 NBA Draft picks in OKC Thunder franchise history

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JUNE 6: Oklahoma City Thunder players, from left, Kendrick Perkins #5, Kevin Durant #35, Serge Ibaka #9 and Russell Westbrook #0 celebrate with the Western Conference Finals Champions trophy following their team's victory against the San Antonio Spurs in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals during the 2012 NBA Playoffs on June 6, 2012 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /

6 of 16

NBA Draft /

Nick Collison – Mr. Thunder

2003 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 12 by Seattle SuperSonics

Arguably no player epitomizes the culture of the OKC Thunder better than Nick Collison. Although never a top-rated star type player what Collison brought to the team is equally valuable. Collison spent his entire career with Seattle and OKC and did whatever the team required of him. He announced his retirement at the end of the 2017-18 season. Whether he lands on the sidelines in OKC or somewhere else it seems inevitable he’ll end up part of a coaching staff in the near future.

Throughout the decade of his service in OKC, there are numerous film clips that can be pointed to where his few minutes on the court resulted in full out effort. His contributions to helping Steven Adams’ growth were invaluable as well.

Collison ranks fourth in franchise history for total rebounds with 4,701 and third for games played (910). He also makes the franchise lists ranking sixth in blocks (469)

Collison was part of the infamous dinner trio (Durant/Westbrook) when K.D. ensured all was well heading into free agency. At some point, we’ll hope for a biography from Collison, though given his tendency to be ‘the best teammate’ it’s unlikely he’ll serve up the dirt.

In the interim, the film Mr. Thunder is available to view and we’ll have to wait to see if Collison ends up on the sidelines coaching.

Home/Thunder All-Time Lists