Letters from the Bunker: Be Resilient

The year 2020 has been truly challenging, with political divisiveness, global hostilities, the helicopter crash causing the death of Kobe Bryant and nine others, this COVID-19 Pandemic, and now, the widespread suspension or cancelling of nearly all major sports and public events. To be blunt, the first three months of the year have been awful.

But, my friends, all is not lost. Humanity has faced some truly horrific crises in history (wars, plagues, famines, terrorism, etc.), all of which were earth shattering and all-consuming at their time, but folks survived and bounced back better than ever.

The human spirit

For all our flaws and differences, humans have a stubborn will to survive that is unmatched. This pandemic is truly scary, but we will endure and persevere. I’m proud of how our Thunder administration and players are handling the difficulty and modeling optimism, and respect for our community as we all navigate these uncharted waters.

Times are dark, and may get darker yet, but there is a light at the end of this–we must persevere. Sports will return, friends and families will be able to gather around together and celebrate life and all of its wonders; things will be wonderful again. In the meantime, it’s important to embody calm, keep ourselves and our families safe, and stay positive. Keeping a positive mindset is critical as we try to maintain focus on who and what is truly important, and fight through this tough time.

The 2019-2020 NBA season was already shaping up to be one for the ages, and now, it truly is historic. Decades from now, people will still remember the season that was put on pause while the world dealt with a viral crisis, (it gives everyone a time to reflect, better themselves, and help others, as we are all in this situation together.)

How this season ends is anyone’s guess, but it will be back. This storybook campaign for the Thunder, who have vastly overachieved outside expectations, rallied together, and hit their stride, will include a closing chapter. I, for one am excited to see how the Thunder fare in the stretch run. Chris Paul, Shai, Steven, Gallo, Dennis and the others will be ready to roll when the season resumes.

In the meantime, enjoy binging shows, reading a good book, playing through your video game backlogs, and spending time with family. Thunder Up!