On Sunday night, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault turned 40 years old. And what better way for Daigneault to celebrate the start of his fifth decade of existence than with a huge victory for the Thunder, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 37 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and three blocks propelling OKC to a 130-123 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Thunder could not have given Daigneault a better gift, as there is nothing that validates a coach’s hard work more than the consistent winning basketball his team can play. But Gilgeous-Alexander has other ideas for what gift to deliver to the young head coach. The Thunder star cannot wait to playfully joke around with his coach in the locker room, outlining his hilariously devious plans for the birthday celebrant.
“[Let] the rookies sing, and then I’m gonna go in the back give him a noogie and pour some water on his head,” Gilgeous-Alexander told Jorge Sedano of ESPN following the Thunder’s victory.
SGA on Coach Daigneault’s birthday:
“I’m gonna go in the back and give him a noogie and pour some water on his head.”
pic.twitter.com/dh8PAOxpS4
— NBA (@NBA) February 24, 2025
For the uninitiated, to give a noogie means to grind one’s knuckles against the top of a person’s head. Of course, there is a certain level of respect expected for a player to give a head coach, so this is nothing but a hilarious joke from the Thunder star. Perhaps pouring some water on Daigneault’s head is more acceptable.
Regardless, this further shows how tight-knit of a group the Thunder have that Gilgeous-Alexander is able to joke around with his coach in this manner. And at this point, Daigneault may as well let Gilgeous-Alexander give him a noogie considering how well he’s playing as of late.
Birthdays are often memorable occasions, and Daigneault certainly won’t be forgetting this one anytime soon — especially if Gilgeous-Alexander did indeed end up giving him that noogie.
Thunder’s investment in Mark Daigneault is paying off
It’s not too often that an NBA franchise in the middle of a rebuild sticks with the original man they had planned to helm the ship. For instance, the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons went through some coaching changes before deciding that Ime Udoka and JB Bickerstaff were their guys — decisions that have been proven right by their performances this season.
Meanwhile, the Thunder hired Mark Daigneault as the team’s new head coach prior to the start of the 2020-21 season, deciding to hire from within after seeing Daigneault work his magic with the team’s G-League affiliate for six years. And even with Daigneault’s Thunder struggling through his first two and a half seasons at the helm, OKC decided to stick with him, believing in his ability to get them out of their rut. This belief has clearly been paying off in a huge way.
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