NBA: OKC Thunder honour family members of the 1995 bombing victims

Oklahoma City Thunder honoured the family members of the 168 people killed during the Alfred P. Murrah bombing in 1995 with personalised city-edition jerseys. After a video presentation, the families took the floor before tip-off, holding up jerseys which had the number 95 on the back, along with the name of their family member. 

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NBA: Oklahoma Cty Thunder honours families of bombing victims

The city jersey is a collaboration between Oklahoma City Thunder, Nike and the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The uniform has gold colouring, which represents the 'Gate of Time' from the memorial – 9:01-9:03. There is also a picture of the Survivor Tree on the belt. The survivor is a 90-year old American elm tree that survived the blast, around which the memorial is built. The uniform also included various subtle symbolism. The victims' family members held up their jersey as centre Ernestine Dillard sang the national item.  

Chris Paul, while speaking to a sports channel, said that a lot of his team members were not even born back in 1995. Paul was ten years old in 1995 and remembers the incident. He sent his parents and grandparents to the memorial so they could experience it. For Paul, the incident was emotional. 

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On the day of the game, 168 days remain for the 25th anniversary of the bombing, which took place on April 19, 1995. It was the worst terror attack in the USA before 9/11. The bombing killed 168 people and injured more than 680. The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum has 168 empty chairs that face a shallow reflecting pool in honour of the victims. The memorial is a few minutes away from the Chesapeake Energy Arena. 

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Thunder's centre Steven Adams talked about the event in an interview with American media, calling it amazing and rating it a 10 out of 10. He believed the event was 'unbelievably special'. Adams thinks the memorial honours the victims well and emphasised that they are not forgotten. Adams found the event touching and believes that Thunder keeps the victims alive by doing so. The team has always given importance to the incident, and all new employees take a tour of the museum to understand its significance to the city and the city's identity. Thunder's general manager Sam Presti is a part of the memorial's executive committee. The team will wear the uniform on January 9 next year, for their match against the Houston Rockets. 

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