Oklahoma City's towel tornado tradition explained - How the Thunder soak their reporter in the NBA's weirdest celebration
Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder (Image via Imagn).
The
Oklahoma City Thunder
have become one of the NBA's most exciting teams, not just for their dominant play but for their quirky postgame celebrations. Their latest tradition—drowning sideline reporter Nick Gallo in a cascade of towels—has taken social media by storm, showcasing the team's youthful energy and camaraderie.
How the OKC Thunder towel celebration works
After a win, Thunder players gather around during postgame interviews with FanDuel Sports Network's Nick Gallo. As the interview wraps up, players bombard Gallo with towels, piling them on until he's nearly buried under the fabric. The chaotic yet lighthearted moment has become a signature celebration for the team.
The tradition's exact origins are unclear, but Gallo has been a good sport, often playing along with the team's antics.
Last season, he was part of their barking ritual, and now, the towel shower has become the new viral trend.
The players behind the OKC Thunder's towel celebration
The entire team gets involved, but key contributors include Aaron Wiggins, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams, and Luguentz Dort. Even MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has joined in, though he once jokingly scolded his teammates for going too far.
After one particularly aggressive towel dump, Gilgeous-Alexander stepped in, saying, 'Y'all, you got to chill. I'm sorry Nick. The children, I'm so sorry' (H/t: Sporting News). Gallo, for his part, takes it in stride. He told
ESPN's Malika Andrews
that he stays focused on the interview, acknowledging how rare it is to win an NBA game.
Why the OKC Thunder's towel celebration resonates with fans
The Thunder's success has made the tradition even more fun to watch. With 68 regular-season wins—tying them for the fifth-most in NBA history—and a deep playoff run, the team has given fans plenty of reasons to celebrate. Their chemistry and playful nature make them one of the league's most likable squads.
As long as the Thunder keep winning, expect more towel showers for Gallo—and more viral moments for fans to enjoy.
Also read:
Minnesota Timberwolves vs OKC Thunder final injury report for Western Conference Finals Game 4 - Is Julius Randle playing tonight? (May 26, 2025)
The Thunder's towel celebration is more than just a silly postgame ritual—it's a reflection of a team that's winning, having fun, and embracing the moment. Whether they're burying Nick Gallo in towels or cracking jokes mid-interview, Oklahoma City's chemistry is undeniable. And with a roster this talented and this entertaining, the NBA world can't look away. So keep an eye on those postgame interviews—because as long as the Thunder keep piling up wins, the towel showers (and the laughs) aren't stopping anytime soon.
Who knows? Maybe Gallo should start bringing a raincoat.
Get
IPL 2025
match
schedules
,
squads
,
points table
, and live scores for
CSK
,
MI
,
RCB
,
KKR
,
SRH
,
LSG
,
DC
,
GT
,
PBKS
, and
RR
. Check the latest
IPL Orange Cap
and
Purple Cap
standings.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
'As rangy and versatile a player as you can get': Thunder coach on Pascal Siakam ahead of 2025 NBA Finals
Pascal Siakam ,Image via Getty Images With the 2025 NBA Finals approaching, all eyes are on the Larry O'Brien trophy, and the competition is intense between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. While both teams have no dearth of talent, the Thunder head coach, Mark Daigneault, recently expressed his appreciation for Pascal Siakam, who has arguably been considered an underdog for a while, but is gaining ground as a great player with the Pacers. With the Thunder being four wins away from the NBA Finals win, their coach expressed that he would not be overlooking the rising star, Siakam. Oklahoma City Thunder coach expresses respect for Pacers star Pascal Siakam To cement a position for the Thunder's head coach, Mark Daigneault expressed that he would have to limit Siakam's impact on both the offence and the defence. With players such as Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren with the Thunder, Siakam shouldn't pose as a threat. Daigneault did not pass up on the opportunity to shower praises on Siakam and shared, 'Somebody we have high respect for and obviously a huge part of the series.' He added, 'Great versatility on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he can play in the pick-and-roll game as a handler, setter — he's kind of a matchup problem, quite frankly on that end.' Additionally, he also added, 'Defensively he's one of their best help defenders. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cel mai popular echipament de sudură din zonă siginificant Află mai multe Undo He's always eating space like all the help defenders. Got great length. He can play outside, inside. He's about as rangy and versatile a player as you can get at that position.' Siakam has also enjoyed the process of being an integral part of the Pacers. In an interview, he shared what he loved most about playing with the team, and he shared, 'And another thing … we're resilient. We won't stop. And when there's bad games, we're still gonna be here. We're gonna wake up every single day and we're gonna go to work, and that's what you want from a team. That's why I always ride for these guys.' Also Read: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's calm in the chaos is the MVP force powering Oklahoma City Thunder's NBA Finals run He also added, 'It's just a bunch of good guys. And when you have that, and everyone is committed to the work, and there's no selfishness and it's all about winning, that's what you want to have.'
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has always had to take the winding road to NBA success
OKLAHOMA CITY — The drive between the little upstate New York towns of Lisbon and Ogdensburg, by Rick Carlisle's recollection, would take about eight minutes. In that part of the world, in the St. Lawrence valley just a few miles south of Canada, that's like going next door. That ride is probably a reason why Carlisle — the Indiana Pacers coach — is at the NBA Finals for a sixth time as a player, assistant coach and now a head coach. The story behind the ride is this: Carlisle went to Lisbon Central, a school where everyone from kindergarten through 12th grade was housed in the same building — that's quite common in that part of the world — and was the first 1,000-point scorer there. But if he wanted to watch NBA games, the family had to hop in the car and head to Ogdensburg. The reason? There was no cable TV in Lisbon at that time, and the aerial antenna at the family home couldn't pick up any NBA games. 'We had a thing, you turn the rotor in the direction and the antenna would move and it would either go towards Kingston, Ontario, or Watertown, New York,' Carlisle said. And back in those days we only got the CBS affiliate, and they didn't have the NBA back in those early years. But we got Hockey Night in Canada." And yes, Carlisle played hockey in those days. He just liked basketball more. That's why that eight-minute drive would get made, over and over, so he could see NBA games. Fast forward to now, and Carlisle — who won a title with Boston as a player and with Dallas as a head coach — is four wins away from another championship. 'I can't say enough about him and the respect I have for him,' said Mark Daigneault, whose Oklahoma City team will face off with Carlisle's Pacers when the NBA Finals start Thursday night. "I think the whole is better than the sum of the parts. Almost consistently across every year he's ever coached, the team is better than their sum. I think that's a reflection of him. 'His teams play a clear identity, stay in character through all the ups and downs. That identity has changed over the years based on his teams, the league trends. But his teams are always in character. This year is certainly no exception.' There are parallels between Daigneault and Carlisle. Both are incredibly smart. Both might lean toward a dry sense of humor. And Daigneault isn't exactly a big-city guy, either. His hometown — Leominster, Massachusetts — has a population of about 43,000, which makes it an absolute metropolis compared to Lisbon and its population of about 4,300. Big city, small town, no matter one's roots, Daigneault said everyone feels the same way getting to the finals. 'Every single person that's participating in this, whether it's coaches, players, staff, there was a time in their life when this was just a dream,' Daigneault said. 'This wasn't a foregone conclusion for them. That's every player that's participating. There's a time when they were in their driveway shooting 1-on-0 with a basket counting down the end of the game. That's what makes it so special to participate in.' Carlisle was close friends with Hal Cohen, who played at nearby Canton Central and was part of Jim Boeheim's first class at Syracuse. Cohen was one of the first players from that part of the world to play basketball at a Division I level; he showed Carlisle the way. Carlisle went to prep school for a year before starting his college playing career at Maine, his lone Division I offer. He wound up eventually transferring to Virginia and playing alongside Ralph Sampson. 'Changed my life forever,' Carlisle said. Carlisle got drafted in the third round in 1984 — 'a round that no longer exists in the draft,' Carlisle says — and played in the league for parts of five seasons, with a brief stint with the CBA's Albany Patroons thrown in there as well. He was with the Patroons not long after one of their more successful coaches had left; that coach's name was Phil Jackson, who went on to win 11 NBA titles. The road here, just like that road between Lisbon and Ogdensburg, was more than a bit winding. 'Had great coaching and a lot of things that were very fortunate,' Carlisle said. 'I ended up getting drafted by Boston in a round that no longer exists in the draft. A lot of things fell my way. But I worked hard, too.' NBA: /nba
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Thunder's Gilgeous-Alexander hungry to cap MVP season with NBA crown
Oklahoma City superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has piled up the individual accolades in leading the Thunder to the NBA Finals, but the Canadian guard says a title triumph against the Indiana Pacers is the prize that matters. "I don't play for the individual stuff, I don't play for anything else besides winning I never have in my whole life," Gilgeous-Alexander said Wednesday, a day before the Thunder host the Pacers in game one of the best-of-seven championship series. From youth basketball in Canada through university basketball in the United States, Gilgeous-Alexander said, his focus has been on winning titles. "Now I'm 26, I want to win the NBA championship," he said. "It's always about winning for me." With that goal in his sights, Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a spectacular season that saw him supplant Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic as the NBA Most Valuable Player. "SGA" averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds. 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocked shots per game in leading the Thunder to an NBA-best 68 regular-season wins. He became the first player to lead the league in games with at least 20 points , 30 points , 40 points and 50 points in a season since James Harden in 2018-19. Named MVP of the Western Conference finals after the Thunder dispatched the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games, Gilgeous-Alexander could become the first league scoring champion since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 to win the NBA title in the same season. Gilgeous-Alexander said it had been "a long week to wait" since polishing off Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves which followed a seven-game victory over Jokic and the Nuggets in the conference semi-finals. He acknowledged after the conference semis that he'd been nervous in the run-up to game seven but that experience has only helped him in the build-up to the Finals. "As these playoffs go on, you get better in controlling the situations, controlling your emotions. You understand what's coming," he said. "I just figured out how to navigate through all the emotions and the nerves and the waiting process, which is just plugging into my loved ones, try not to think about it so much, stress about it so much just enjoy life and stay in the moment." In addition to not looking too far forward, Gilgeous-Alexander said he is also not yet looking back on what has been an historic season for the Thunder. "I've been so focused on just game one," he said. "Trying to be the best version of myself for this group and trying to make sure that we're clicking on all cylinders on the biggest stage of our careers has been on the forefront of my mind and all I do worry about when I worry about basketball." bb/rcw
