The Thunder are nothing if not a creative bunch.
Mark Daigneault’s side has been a buzzsaw over each of the past two seasons, collecting back-to-back No. 1 seeds in the NBA’s most competitive conference. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander secured his first career MVP with a wondrous campaign that saw him put up numbers eerily reminiscent to Michael Jordan — all while retaining his patented efficiency.
It’s no surprise that the basketball world is taking notice. Oklahoma City is arguably the league’s most dangerous side. Its postseason exploits is proof — the Thunder secured yet another Western Conference Finals appearance and look well-equipped to make a run for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The vibes are right in The 405. Nothing reflects that assessment more than their postgame interviews, defined not by their quips and quotes but rather by a towel-centered tradition that took social media by storm.
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Here’s what you need to know.
Thunder towel celebration, explained
Still the NBA’s youngest team, the Thunder’s youthful exuberance comes to the surface whenever they celebrate positive results.
As of late, that has taken shape in the form of their post-game celebration, an outpouring of ecstasy marked by a flurry of towels that descend before the treetops.
The process goes as follows: Oklahoma City players congregate around the person tasked with conducting a postgame interview with FanDuel Sports Network’s Nick Gallo after a win.
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The interviewee waxes lyrical about the value of the victory and the way his teammates help put him in a position to succeed.
Then, euphoria: as the interview nears its conclusion, towels traipse across Gallo’s brow. Thunder players far and wide contribute to the mayhem, effectively mummifying Gallo in a tower of fabric.
@nba The towels just kept coming 😂 @OKC Thunder @JWill #NBA #NBAPlayoffs #Basketball #Thunder #OKCThunder ♬ original sound – NBA
As with many traditions, the origins of the towel celebration are hard to trace. The team has a strong relationship with the sideline reporter, routinely incorporating him into their increasingly wacky schemes.
Gallo was at the heart of the team’s barking custom last year. He seems to have reprised his role as team jester in 2025.
In January, the team shrouded Gallo in rags after a double-digit victory over the Sixers. Gallo kept his cool as Aaron Wiggins, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams and Luguentz Dort swarmed him in a frenzy of cloth.
Gilgeous-Alexander eventually relented, telling his teammates to give Gallo some space.
“Y’all, you got to chill,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’m sorry Nick. The children, I’m so sorry.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder towel budget is out of control.
Credit due, @NickAGallo. pic.twitter.com/6csOJRo1F1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 15, 2025
Gallo told ESPN’s Malika Andrews that he takes all the hi-jinks in stride.
“I really try to stay locked in and focused because these guys just did something only a couple hundred people in the whole world can do, which is win an NBA game,” Gallo said.
The wins have been aplenty for Oklahoma City in 2025. The Thunder collected 68 of them during the regular season, the joint fifth-most in NBA history. They’ve kept the good times going in postseason play, too, advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the seventh time in franchise history.
As long as the results keep going their way, expect Gallo to continue to be doused in whatever furs Oklahoma City players can get a hold of.
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