By Michael Kinney
OKLAHOMA CITY– When the Oklahoma City Thunder were done with the 2022 NBA draft, they finished the night with four new rookies on the roster.
Of the four, the one who was the enigma and the least talked about during their rookie season was Ousmane Dieng.
While playing much of the year in the G-League for the Oklahoma City Blue, Dieng began to get minutes on the NBA stage in the latter portion of the season. He played in 39 total games where he averaged just under 5 points per game and shot 42 percent from the field.
Yet, the 11th overall pick out of France was an enigma for many Thunder fans. While an injured Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams became household names for the fan base, Dieng had a low-key first year.
Dieng seems ready to change that as he prepares for his sophomore year with the Thunder. The 20-year-old is using the offseason to sort of re-introduce himself to the communities in Oklahoma.
Dieng spent two days last week meeting with young kids in Shawnee and Oklahoma City and in partnership with Adidas, Dieng donated more than 500 pairs of shoes, socks, athletic shorts and other athletic gear. Dieng was one of 12 NBA rookies from the 2022 rookie class to sign endorsement deals with Adidas. That list also includes teammate Jalen Williams.
“I think during summer it was the best opportunity to give back to the community,” Dieng said.
Dieng visited the Shawnee YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma County on June 15. The next day he made his way to Bridgestone Intermediate School location and at Cleats for Kids in Oklahoma City.
At each stop Dieng spent time with the kids and played a variety of different basketball-related games. At Bridgestone, he played a form of Knock-Out that they called Gotcha. However, Dieng said in Europe the game is called Lucky Luke.
After losing the first game to a very competitive young boy, Dieng was not going to be denied in the second game. That includes having to knock out Rumble, the Thunder mascot.
“That was just a lot of fun playing with the kids,” Dieng said. “The kids were amazing. That was just good.”
Not only did Dieng say he had a good time, he believes it is his responsibility.
Dieng remembers growing up and hearing about camps in France from NBA stars like Tony Parker, but was unable to go because he wasn’t close enough. So he wanted to go to where the kids were.
“I get a lot of things because of my work, so I just think that was the best way to give back,” Dieng said. “When I was young, I would have liked to have the same thing. So, I was just thinking about that and wanting to give back to the community.”
Besides a quick trip back to France when the season ended, Dieng has been spending most of his time in Oklahoma City.
Along with exploring the area and looking for new restaurants, (Mahogony Steakhouse is his favorite), he has been working on his game to come back bigger and better for the 2023-24 campaign.
“I’ve been in the gym every day,” Dieng said. “The whole summer was really good for me. Just came back in France to see my family there a little bit, but I was here the rest of the time, so that was, that was really good. I’m working every day on all aspects of my game because nobody’s perfect. Especially physically trying to gain muscles and just work every day and we’ll see.”
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