My wife, Paula, and I were sitting in our living room, commiserating a few days after the stunning trade of Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The trade hit us hard. Dort had endeared himself to us because of his hard-nosed, aggressive defensive play and timely 3-point shooting for the Thunder. He played a key role in the team’s 2025 NBA championship.
“I think Dort’s number should be hung in the rafters at Paycom Center,” she said.
I thought about her statement for a few seconds. I know it came from the heart.
However…
“I think there are several other player numbers that might go up before Dort’s,” I replied.
“Well, Nick Collison’s number is already hanging up there,” she finally said, implying, perhaps, that Collison didn’t have the impact that Dort had.
We went back and forth on the topic for a couple of minutes. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Lu Dort, but …
There’s no right answer to this debate, but it got me to thinking whose number(s) really belong in the rafters above the Thunder’s home court.
I’m pretty sure Collison’s number 4 was retired because his career spanned both the team’s Seattle era and well into its OKC tenure. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, Collison was known as “Mr. Thunder” and also played a key role as the team gained its footing here and became a force in the NBA Western Conference and playoffs.
Here’s who I see as most deserving of seeing their number hanging above the Thunder playing floor. In addition to Collison, you can count them on three fingers.
Russell Westbrook. Why not? Russ played a critical role in the team’s rise to prominence in the early 2010s, then committed to OKC after Kevin Durant bolted in 2015.
Kevin Durant: Yes, KD broke our hearts when he ditched the Thunder to join Golden State, but there’s no question about the impact he had on the team’s rise to prominence.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander: SGA is a long ways from retirement, but he brought us a championship, two MVPs and continues to play like a champion.
Who might be long shots for consideration?
OK, Stephen Adams, for one. A big fan favorite and a big impact player during his time here. Serge Ibaka, my favorite player ever out of the Congo. Lu Dort, of course. It’s a shame he was traded for draft picks in a salary dump.
I can’t go much deeper on my list. Of current players, it appears that Alex Caruso, Ajay Mitchell and Cason Wallace all show jersey-retirement potential if they can bring us a few more titles.
Now, let’s consider rafter-worthy Thunder players from my friends Ed Godfrey and Steve Buck. They are also co-hosts with me of the 3 Old Geezers podcast.
Ed Godfrey
“Westbrook as soon as he retires. SGA when he retires. No one else. Durant at some point but not immediately. He has to pay a penance for leaving. SGA is a two-time MVP and led the team to a title. He could not score another point and deserve it.”
Steve Buck
“Collison, Russ, KD, SGA. Criteria: 10 years with team or league MVP. Sam Presti and Mark Daigneault get banners, too. All players from 24-25 team go up on a shared banner. Only four retired numbers.”
Steve sets a pretty high bar. I guess we all do. But it’s fun to speculate and debate in the off-season.
Thank you, Paula, for inspiring this post.
BONUS CONTENT: OKC Mayor David Holt may be the Thunder’s biggest fan. He can go deep on the team’s history, too (read his book Big League City). Anyway, Mayor Holt posted a stirring tribute to Dort on Facebook in the wake of his recent trade to Atlanta. Here’s the money quote from Holt’s post:
“Lu Dort was not just one of the 18 young men who brought Oklahoma City its first title in 2025, he was a key leader and contributor, and always a fan favorite for his suffocating defense on opponents. The Dorture Chamber will long live in Thunder mythology. Lu Dort will long live in Oklahoma City history.”
Read his entire post on Facebook.