Now that we're a week into September, football fever has taken over the country. The college football season is a week in; the NFL will soon follow. The Oklahoma City Thunder also joined in on the trend in a recent team-bonding exercise that featured most of the roster.
Several Thunder players have spent the last handful of days together. They traveled to Texas for a player-run practice and workout. It's that time of the year when NBA players get together in their respective home markets. Most teams hold their own workouts together as a way to develop rapport.
The Thunder didn't just stop there, though. They're also doing some classic team-bonding. In the sizzling Texas heat this past weekend, several OKC players held their own outdoor football
game. Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams, Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz all participated.
We're in the final weeks of the NBA offseason. That means the 2026-27 regular season is right around the corner. With a new backend of the roster, the Thunder are getting ahead of the curve by spending time together. All seven players who tossed the football around outside could play key roles.
Holmgren and Wallace are expected to be starters. McCain, Williams and Williams should be penciled into the rotation most nights. And then Mara and Stirtz are the new faces in town who hope to help out from the jump.
When you're on an NBA team, you're around the same group of people for most of the year. The Thunder are building up some chemistry before training camp starts at the end of the month. Even after an offseason filled with cost-cutting moves, OKC is expected to be one of the top title contenders in the 2026-27 year.
Good to see the Thunder do a team-bonding activity. Everybody else in the NBA does the same around this time of the year. As cheesy as it sounds, the synergy needs to extend beyond the basketball court. For the last couple of years, OKC has had everybody on the same page. It hopes that it rolls over to this upcoming season.
Several Thunder players playing football in a team-bonding exercise recently
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) September 9, 2026
Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams, Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz all participated pic.twitter.com/JoqDM5McqF
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Several OKC Thunder players play football in team-bonding exercise
