OKC Thunder Forward Hosts Hometown Youth Basketball Camp
In his team building efforts, Thunder general manager Sam Presti has always seemed to value high-character prospects.
Presti famously said, "We draft people first, and players second," when talking about his philosophy. On the current iteration of OKC's squad, this sentiment rings true, as Oklahoma City has not only done outstanding work in the community as an organization, but the team's players have carried this torch individually, as well.
Earlier this summer, Ousmane Dieng attended multiple Thunder Cares events to help give out basketball gear and other supplies to multiple underprivileged communities, including one that was ravaged by a tornado earlier this year.
Just last week, former Thunder wing and Norman resident Lindy Waters III helped raise $20,000 in college scholarships for local, native seniors looking to continue their education.
Now, Robinson-Earl is taking his turn to give back to a community that helped raise him.
The OKC forward returned to his hometown this week to host a youth basketball camp for elementary and middle school students.
Robinson-Earl was seen practicing with the campers and giving out camp t-shirts. The 6-foot-9 big man offered a few words of wisdom to campers as well, giving the group his undivided attention and seemingly enjoying his time teaching basketball to the group of children in attendance.
"Everything you want to do, you want to do it with hard work," Robinson-Earl told campers. "Confidence, being humble, so you can inspire others to be great at aspects of their lives. Make everybody better at what they're doing. That's my motto."
The Villanova product's act of service continues to exemplify the community-oriented culture that the Thunder have built within their organization. While many Oklahoma City fans have speculated that JRE may not be on the team for too much longer, his personality and mindset seem to match with what Presti and the rest of the front office are looking for in their players.
In an injury-riddled second season, Robinson-Earl averaged 6.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and one assist per game while shooting 44.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
As a rookie, the second-round draft pick tallied 7.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and one assist per game in 49 appearances, making 36 starts and shooting over 35% from 3-point range. If Robinson-Earl is able to get back to where he was in his first year with the team, the former 5-star recruit will have a much better chance at sticking around in OKC.
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