OKC Thunder: Jeremiah Robinson-Earl wears 50 for his dad

When OKC Thunder executive Sam Presti shifted draft picks this summer it wasn’t that surprising as the club had six in their possession. One of the moves Presti made was trading the 34th and 36th picks to the Knicks to move up the 32nd spot to take Villanova big man Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

JRE will have a big first week as he took to the podium today and will participate in his first training camp launching tomorrow, followed up by the preseason set to start October 4th for the Thunder. 

OKC Thunder Jeremiah Robinson-Earl wears number 50 for his dad

As the Media Day coverage continued Robinson-Earl made his Media Day podium debut. Of the quartet of rookies, the Thunder’s 32nd pick Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was the one who got the most run at Summer League, taking full advantage.

With Josh Giddey and Tre Mann going down early at Summer League, he embraced the spotlight. The big man appeared in all five games in Vegas averaging 12 points on 50 percent shooting from the field, shooting 33.3 percent from deep.

His ability in the paint was on display and he’ll offer a great pick and roll target for the young guards on the Summer Thunder. Moreover, he’s an above-average passer for a big delivering almost two assists per game in those five matches.

However, his instincts on the glass will be a welcome addition to the Thunder as he pulled down seven rebounds per tilt, adding a steal and just under a block per game through 25 minutes.

Although he’s not the typical center size at 6’9 in the modern era of the game he could be the perfect fit in a small-ball lineup.

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will dawn the number 50 on his jersey, the first player to wear the number in an OKC Thunder uniform. When asked why he elected to make such history, he proudly said it is to honor his dad.

Lester Earl was a supreme athlete, even topping NBA legend Kobe Bryant in the All-American Slam Dunk Contest when they were Seniors in High School. Lester played basketball at Kansas University when as a member of the Jayhawks an injury derailed his career.

Dawning his father’s high school jersey number JRE says Lester Earl was extremely happy when he found out about the number selection. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl hopes his father can live through him in the sense of knowing the number on the NBA hardwood is because of him.