SPORTS BUZZ
Nick Collison
March 17
WWE Live!
BOK Center
Tulsa, OK
918-894-4200
www.bokcentertulsa.com
March 17-March 18
R.K. Gun & Knife Show
Expo Square
Tulsa, OK
563-927-8176
www.rkshows.com
March 18
WWE Live: The Road to
Wrestlemania
Chesapeake Energy
Arena
OKC, OK
405-602-8700
www.
chesapeakearena.com
March 18
Riverdance
River Spirit Casino
Tulsa, OK 21+ to Attend
918-299-8518
www.riverspirittulsa.com
keeps Thunder
community in
focus as end
of career nears
Story and Potos By Michael Kinney
OKLAHOMA CITY – Connell
Brandon stood in the middle of the
isle just watching. She recognized
Nick Collison immediately,
but couldn’t figure out why the
Oklahoma City Thunder forward
was in the middle of Homeland
surrounded by a group of kids.
In the 11 years Collison has been a
part of the Oklahoma City Thunder,
he has developed a special
connection with the community and
fans that support the team.
Once Brandon was told it was part
of Collison’s annual shopping spree
for needy families, she simply said,
“That sounds like something Nick
would do.” “It feels good,” Collison said. “For
people to recognize that, it feels
great. But that’s not why we do it.
We do it to be able to help and
give back. We want people in the
community to know we care about
them and for them to recognize
that, it means it’s working.”
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Brandon
said. “I think it’s really neat they do
these kinds of things. It’s just nice
that he does things like this for the
community. It’s a great example.
We should all follow his footsteps.” One of the reasons is because
of the way he gets involved with
events like his annual shopping
spree. It’s something he began the
first year the Thunder moved to
Oklahoma City.
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“This is always fun,” Collison said.
“I’ve done one of these a year for
almost as long as we’ve been here.
I think it’s great you can actually
spend time with the family. It really
helps families out Just give a little
bit of a helping hand, they get all
the food they need. Homeland then
gives them another card to come
back and do it again. I know a lot
of families are on tight budgets
and to get help like that really
makes a big difference. People
appreciate what I do on the court,
but I’ve also been able to build
quite a bit of a bond with the
community.”
Collison was joined this year by
the Rivas-Cabreras family from
Oklahoma City. The single mother
March 18
OU Sooners vs.
Kennesaw State Owls
L. Dale Mitchell
Baseball Park
Norman, OK
405-325-8200
www.soonersports.com
March 18
OSU Cowboys vs.
Seton Hall Pirates
Allie P. Reynolds
Stadium
Stillwater, OK
405-744-7714
www.okstate.com
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March 19-March 24
Spring Break at the Orr
Family Farm
Orr Family Farm
OKC, OK
405-799-3276
www.orrfamilyfarm.com
March 23
OKC Thunder vs.
Miami Heat
Chesapeake Energy
Arena
OKC, OK
405-208-4800
www.okcthunder.com
March 23
OU Sooners vs.
West Virginia
Mountaineers
L. Dale Mitchell
Baseball Park
Norman, OK
405-325-8200
www.soonersports.com
March 23-March 25
Tulsa Oilers vs.
Quad City Mallards
BOK Center
Tulsa, OK
918-632-7825
www.tulsaoilers.com
March 24
Bill Maher
Winstar World Casino
Thackerville, OK
1-800-622-6317
www.winstarworldcasino.com
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