SI Thunder: Meet the team

Welcome to SI Thunder! Meet Derek Parker and Nick Crain, who manage the site, as well as their talented team.

SI Thunder at InsideTheThunder.com, a FanNation affiliate, is here to provide diverse coverage for the Thunder. This will include game day coverage, analysis of the trade market, data-driven deep dives, practice reports, commentary, as well as NBA draft profiles and coverage of Oklahoma City’s unprecedented rebuild strategy. In short, we will have all the Thunder content you crave in one location.

Meet the team:

Derek Parker - Publisher

Twitter: @DParkOK

Derek has been a sports writer in the Oklahoma City market for five years now, covering a variety of the biggest teams in the area. His stops include two seasons on the Oklahoma City Thunder beat, two seasons covering Oklahoma football and softball and a variety of prep teams in the area in between. 

Nick Crain - Managing Editor

Twitter: @CrainNBA

Nick has spent four full seasons covering the Oklahoma City Thunder and has grown quickly in the media since starting in 2018. He’s continued to produce Thunder content through writing for Forbes.com and podcasting with The Uncontested Podcast, as well as branching out to cover the NBA as a whole for SLAM Online.

Rylan Stiles - Lead Beat Writer

Twitter: @Rylan_Stiles

Rylan Stiles is a credentialed media member covering the Oklahoma City Thunder. He hosts the Locked On Thunder Podcast, and is Lead Beat Writer for Inside the Thunder. Rylan is also an award-winning play-by-play broadcaster for the Oklahoma Sports Network. 

Kade Kimble - Associate Editor

Twitter: @KadeKimble

Kade is a Strategic Communications student at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He's been covering the Oklahoma City Thunder since the 2019-20 season.

Ross Lovelace - Staff Writer

Twitter: @Rosslovelace

Ross is a 2023 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the OU Daily and Prep Hoops. He now works for the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee and covers OU sports for AllSooners.com. He has been covering the Thunder since the 2019-20 season.

Randall Sweet - Staff Writer

Twitter: @RandallSweet5

Randall is a 2022 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the Norman Transcript and OU Daily. Randall also serves as the Communications Coordinator at Visit OKC.

Ivan White - Intern

Twitter: @ivanbball13

Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered the OKC Thunder since 2022 and covers OSU athletics for The O’Colly.

Nathan Aker - Intern

Twitter: @nateaker

Nathan is a senior at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Public Relations and graduates in May 2024. He holds experience covering multiple sports, primarily basketball, at the high school and collegiate level.

Chase Gemes - Intern

Twitter: @chasegemes

Chase is a sophomore at the University of Missouri - Columbia studying journalism. He is sports editor for Mizzou’s student newspaper, The Maneater.

Matt Guzman - Intern

Twitter: @mattgzman

Matt is from Austin, TX and is a sophomore at the University of Missouri pursuing a degree in journalism with a sports writing and reporting emphasis, along with a sports analytics certificate. He serves as a staff writer and reporter for the SI/FanNation network covering collegiate sports, pro football and pro basketball.

Aubyn Phippen - Social Media Intern

Twitter: @AubynPhippen

Aubyn was a staff writer at the Weatherford Daily News covering high school sports in the western Oklahoma area for three years. She now produces and hosts an Oklahoma State podcast through The Franchise.

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As the Oklahoma City Thunder continue to rebuild their roster and push towards contention in the coming years with their record amount of draft capital, the SI Thunder crew will keep you informed and up-to-date on everything you need to know. 

Bookmark InsideTheThunder.com and follow us on Twitter (@OKCThunderFN) and Facebook (InsideTheThunder) for all things Thunder.