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On March 20, Nick Collison became the first Oklahoma City Thunder player to have his jersey number retired. Collison was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics back in 2003, although he moved with the organization to Oklahoma City five years later and consequently spent his entire 15-year professional career with the franchise.
Appearing mostly from the Thunder's reserve unit, Collison made 910 regular season appearances, averaging 5.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. While not the most glamorous player to grace the NBA, Collison's longevity and loyalty to the Thunder were ultimately recognized, and his No.4 jersey now stands proudly at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Collison's number retirement also rekindled the debate over which player could be next to have their OKC jersey retired. Despite only joining the NBA in 2008, a number of individuals have already made a big impact on the Thunder, and here we will examine three men that should eventually have their number retired.
#3 Serge Ibaka
During his time in Oklahoma City, Serge Ibaka's input was often overshadowed by the All-Star pairing of Durant and Westbrook. However, Ibaka was undoubtedly the third star of the team, playing a major role in the team's run to the 2012 NBA Finals.
Ibaka was never named as an All-Star during his time in OKC, although he was named to the All-Defensive First Team on three occasions, and Ibaka also recorded the most blocks in both 2012 and 2013.
In total, the Congolese star made more than 500 regular season appearances for the team, and his 1300 total blocks is still a franchise record. Ibaka also sits third all-time in minutes, rebounds and points, and there is no doubting that the Thunder should honor the power forward's incredible seven-year spell with the franchise.
#2 Kevin Durant
At the time of writing, Kevin Durant does not have too many fans in Oklahoma City, however, KD will always be the man that put the Thunder on the map. Following Durant's debut season, the franchise moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City, and KD's incredible offensive skillset quickly transformed the Thunder into one of the NBA's leading teams.
During eight incredible seasons with the team, Durant reached the playoffs on six occasions, led the league in scoring four times, and most notably, won the 2014 MVP award. He also led them to the NBA Finals back in 2012.
Durant's relationship with both the organization's players and fans has been rocky since he left the team in controversial circumstances back in 2016. However, the relationship appears to be on the mend, and Durant recently attended the retirement ceremony of Nick Collison's jersey.
Ultimately, KD is the best player to ever put on a Thunder jersey, and there is no way that the franchise can ignore a player that was so influential to their early success.
#1 Russell Westbrook
While Kevin Durant is the best player to ever wear an OKC jersey, Russell Westbrook is certainly the most popular. Despite playing alongside KD for seven seasons, Westbrook was considered by many as the face of the franchise, and his popularity in Oklahoma City always soured well above that of his fellow All-Star.
His popularity in recent years has also only grown, as Westbrook has ignored the likes of the Lakers in order to remain loyal to the franchise that drafted him back in 2008. Since the departure of Durant in 2016, Westbrook has also taken his game to the next level, averaging triple-doubles in three consecutive seasons, while also taking home the 2017 MVP award.
Due to his longevity with the Thunder, Westbrook now holds the franchise records in minutes played, points, assists, rebounds, and steals. Westbrook has given his all to the Thunder, and it won't be long until the number 0 jersey is hanging at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
