OKC recently signed the Nets in the first round

Days before Oklahoma City The Thunder unveil their championship banner on the opening nightadded the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round pick — Darrick Whitehead — to its roster. As the Nets finalized their roster for the upcoming season, they gave up their 22nd pick in the 2023 draft. The Thunder signed him to a new deal.

The Thunder announced the signing on Friday. Whitehead, whose early career was blighted by injuries, pla

is in just 22 games over a two-year span for the Nets. A recurring right foot fracture led to two surgeries as Darrick Whitehead spent most of his rookie season playing for the Long Island Nets – Brooklyn’s G League affiliate.

He averaged 5.7 points on 40.6% shooting, including 44.6% from deep in 20 games for the Nets last season. Whitehead will likely spend most of the 2025-26 season with the Thunder’s G League affiliate Oklahoma City Blue.

Oklahoma City Mayor Declares Opening Night ‘Thunder Day’

The The Thunder will conclude their preseason game schedule at the Payko Center when they host the Nuggets on Friday. They will then set the scene for an unforgettable night on Tuesday. It will be a night that no Thunder fan will ever forget as the franchise raises its first banners and the players receive their championship rings.

Ahead of the special evening, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, he announced around October 21officially declared “OKC Thunder Day” on his X, formerly Twitter.

“Next Tuesday, our NBA champion OKC Thunder returns to the court. Prior to the game, a permanent championship banner will be unveiled in our arena and the players will receive their championship rings,” said Holt. “Other commemorations will be revealed around the city. It is the end of one chapter (which we will always celebrate) and the beginning of another.”

“And so it is most fitting that I hereby declare Tuesday, October 21, 2025, OKC THUNDER DAY in Oklahoma City and encourage our residents to mark the occasion by wearing Thunder apparel, displaying Thunder flags and signs, showing support on social media and otherwise commemorating our city’s first NBA Championship.”

The Thunder will host the Rockets in the opener on Tuesday.