Desmond Mason, a real Oklahoman sports hero
I am Boomer Sooner to the core. Like literally, to the core of my being. I had the same procedure as Wolverine and instead of adamantium, I had crimson and cream melted to my skeletal frame. True story.
I love the University of Oklahoma about as much as anything. I graduated from there. Every family member I have is a Sooner fan. Heck, my wife was a four-year member of the OU cheer squad and the captain for the last two (yes, I’m bragging). I don’t like orange and it doesn’t matter what shade it comes in. OU is just a part of me. I can’t help it.
But I absolutely love Desmond Mason. Seriously, he’s one of my all-time favorite basketball players. Forget that he went to that school up north. Honestly, it just made me like him more. How backwards is that? Desmond going to OSU made me like him more. Next I’ll tell you that I have Colt McCoy bedsheets and didn’t think there was a clip on Johnny Rodgers’ punt return in The Game of the Century.
Why do I like him so much you ask? The truthful answer is… I have no idea. He was just kind of our guy around here. Most of the time, those type of guys are the ones that hit the big shots, make game-changing plays or are just all-around studly. But in Dez’s case, while a fine basketball player, it was more just about a connection. 
When we were embarking on our first NBA journey back in 2005 with the Hornets, we didn’t have a clue what we were doing. We were pretending to be fans of this team and trying to give them a place that felt like home. But having Dez around actually made it feel kind of right. It made this new game and new group of guys we’d never really heard of feel familiar. We’d seen this show before. It wasn’t all that new and shocking to have this team here, because hey, that’s Desmond Mason throwing down hellacious dunks and catching alley oops. I have seen this before. He was the de facto face of the franchise from the start because his face was really the only one we recognized. To be honest, I think Desmond Mason is largely responsible (along with Chris Paul) for the NBA explosion in OKC and the love affair for the game that quickly formed. I really do. Read more…
