As the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season progressed, a new tradition formed — the dog barks. By the time the playoffs rolled around, fans barked in unison when Jalen Williams did anything positive on the court.
During pregame festivities, the jumbotron would show fans in the crowd who sported dog masks. The K-9’s call became the Thunder’s rallying cry as they captured the first seed and advanced to Round 2 of the 2024 NBA playoffs.
Williams — one of the faces of the barking tradition — said in his exit interview that he hopes it will continue next season.
“I hope it continues. I think it’s cool. I’ve been on record saying I’ve been barked at Target or Starbucks,” Williams said. “We could probably chill on that a little bit. I think it’s a really cool thing.”
Williams said it’s been another way the squad and fanbase can strengthen their relationship. The 23-year-old has spoken about how much he tries to make the gameday experience special for the individual fans by interacting with them.
“It’s like our team thing,” Williams said. “Kinda going back to the social media thing, like people were hating on that too, but I think it’s just a really fun thing that we didn’t even try to do. It just kinda ended up happening.”
Williams detailed examples in the Thunder’s home playoff games, stating it was surreal to see thousands of people bark whenever a massive play happened.
“Somebody’s mom was barking during the game. So it’s like one of those things that’s really cool. So I hope it happens,” Williams said. “It’s kinda like our identity. It’s been cool. I think a lot of our identity hasn’t been forced either. A lot of it is just like us being goofy and then it kinda ends up being something pretty cool.”
Williams has been a fan favorite on the Thunder since his arrival. His free-flowing personality has won a lot of fans over. The second-year wing has gone out of his way to build a bond with OKC fans.
“I enjoy it. I hope it continues,” Williams said. “I’ll keep doing like little T-shirts with pregame things. Nothing in that department is going to change.”
