OKC Thunder: The different sides to Darius Bazley
The OKC Thunder’s Darius Bazley has impressed in his rookie year. He’s one of OKC’s funny characters’ who is looking comfortable and content on and off the court.
Darius Bazley is only 19 years of age. He’s got an endorsement deal with New Balance, has worked to earn a stable role on a playoff team and is slowly establishing himself as a versatile player, who will be one of the centerpieces for the OKC Thunder going forward.
He’s a character too, wise beyond his years but still a kid at heart who is not afraid to be himself. The Boston native is used to standing out from the crowd. He proved that by forgoing College and training away from organized basketball before declaring for the draft.
We have had the chance to see different sides to the guy nicknamed Baze, in his short time in the NBA so far. From the sports fan, tik tok Baze to stylish denim and colorful pants Bazley.
He’s relatable, generous of his time, thrilling to watch and deserved of his own YouTube channel. So I thought it would be cool to look at the things that put his personality on display and makes him who he is.
Tik Tok Baze:
The Thunder forward recently created a tik tok account and has posted hilarious videos of him dancing and making skits.
One shows him pretending to be his mom finding dirty dishes that he didn’t clean, another of him being that one kid in class who makes beats on his desk which annoys his classmates.
A takeaway from this is that he is still learning to do the Dougie dance move and he is on board the tik tok train like any teenager. His videos are definitely worth a watch, showing that he loves to have fun.
Community service:
The NBA prides itself on the incredible work they do in the community. The Thunder organization lives up to this with its ‘Thunder Cares community program.’
Bazley can be seen out and about working with children and last week attended the Thunder Character Combine where he met with school students. To celebrate Black history month, he and the children looked at inspiring leaders and figures such as Oprah Winfrey and Jackie Robinson who paved the way for African Americans today.
He spoke with them, shared some basketball tips and encouraged them to strive to achieve their goals.
The rookie also attended the Winterfest in OKC at the end of December along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Mike Muscala. Interacting with kids and pushing them down the snow slope.
These are just a couple of the initiatives that Bazley has helped out with and there’s certainly more to come.