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Thunder guards Aaron Wiggins and Lindy Waters III could hear the excitement from the students before even stepping foot into the building.
Over 100 students anxiously awaited inside the gymnasium of Esperanza Elementary for the special guests who were just beyond the doors. When Waters and Wiggins ducked their heads into the school, an audible gasp came from the group of surprised second graders who then erupted into cheers as they realized who was in front of them – real life NBA players.
“It was crazy. I heard them before I walked in, they were screaming,” said Wiggins. “Being able to walk in there and see they were all kind of mesmerized and surprised by how tall we were was super fun.”
“My school is filled with 430 amazing students who are the most appreciative and excited about any outreach that we do for them,” said Glenna Berry, principal of Esperanza Elementary School. “I had students saying ‘this is the best day of my life.’ So that means a lot.”
Waters and Wiggins joined the Rolling Thunder Book Bus presented by American Fidelity on Wednesday afternoon to pay a visit to the second-grade students at Esperanza Elementary school. The visit marked the first face-to-face player appearance at a Thunder community event in nearly two years.
The pandemic hampered the Thunder’s ability to be out in person with the community over the past two seasons. The team’s community efforts continued over that time, but took on a much different look through Zoom calls, FaceTime calls and other virtual interactions.
“I think there’s so much that’s missed when you don’t have that human connection,” said Erin Oldfield, director of community engagement for the Thunder. “For these kids who are coming through the book bus today. To see us, to see the players, to have that access, it’s just something that the human interaction brings that’s just lacking in any other experience.”
When students entered the Book Bus, they were immediately greeted with that human connection through a high five or a hug from the players before making their selections. The Book Bus, decked out with a basketball court floor and a full-size NBA locker, left the students wide-eyed and in awe as they filtered through to make their choice from thousands of books on its shelves.
Waters and Wiggins crouched down their towering 6-foot-6 NBA frames to help the 8- and 9-year-olds make their choices. Whether it was helping to locate the latest Pokèmon book or to take a quick picture, Waters and Wiggins soaked up the experience with a wide smile knowing that they were finally getting a glimpse of the 360-degree view of what it means to be a Thunder player.
“One of the biggest things that the front office has spoken to us about is just how big the community is and what they mean to us,” said Wiggins. “Being able to know that we get to do a little bit more within the community and be a little bit more hands-on and get involved is super huge and I’m looking forward to expanding and seeing what it’s all about.”
“It’s love all the way,” said Waters. “Just being out here in the community and seeing all these kids and being able to give back – there’s no better feeling.”
It was a moment that neither the second graders, the Thunder nor Wiggins or Waters will soon forget. To commemorate the experience, both Waters and Wiggins signed their names and jersey numbers on the wooden locker inside the bus – the first players to do so.
“I will remember this for the rest of my life,” said Waters. “It was amazing to be out here.”
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