Steven Adams called it a "weird thing." Nope. His handshake with Nick Collison was as normal as any Thunder’s pregame ritual.
And then it was gone … sort of. Collison retired before this season, leaving a crushing void in Adams’ routine before tip-off. Before every game, pretty much every Thunder player received a big right arm from the 7-footer to interlock with theirs. Adams and Collison, however, always shared a traditional handshake and serious look in each other’s eyes.
So, in the first game of the Post-Collison Era, Adams was in the background of the Fox Sports Oklahoma broadcast giving a firm handshake to no one.
"It was one of those real lonely, desperate sort of moments," Adams told The Oklahoman. "I just did it anyway, just to see."
Before every game, the Thunder has a collection of handshake moments that could be the most unique in the NBA.
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Every NBA team has intricate pregame handshakes and rituals, but it would be tough to find the team with as many quirks as the Thunder’s bunch.
Some keep it simple like Adams. Russell Westbrook’s pregame has evolved from a dance routine with then-rookie Cameron Payne in 2016 to a simple (but really high) back-bump with Raymond Felton.
Just as Westbrook adjusts his game from year-to-year based on his teammates, he does so with pregame.
"It depends," Westbrook said of the pregame handshake. "Depends on the person, how long you’ve known them, how long they’ve been here."
It’s why Adams’ transition was initially awkward. In the Thunder’s first game of the season at home against the Knicks, Adams embraced that air with the same seriousness of the previous five seasons with Collison.
"We did that for so long. And then it just felt so weird when I was starting the game, and I was just like, ‘Oh, old mate’s not here anymore,’" Adams said.
Some guys just don’t bother. Thunder center Nerlens Noel can appreciate the intricacies of pregame, but he said he made a choice to just keep it regular.
"I don’t really get into it because I just like to focus, but man … they’ve got hella handshakes," said Noel, who said the handshakes in his previous stops (Philadelphia and Dallas) don’t compare to OKC.
"I’m not used to that. I can’t remember all them joints."
Terrance Ferguson and Jerami Grant can.
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The Thunder doesn’t have a Dean of Dance or a Headmaster of Handshakes. But if you pay attention, you’ll see where the most detailed performances are coming from.
"Paul and Jerami’s got the funkiest," Noel said, before exhibiting a (very) minor dance number he cuts off before it gets too funky.
"Yeah, it’s funny looking but it’s nice though."
The starting lineup announcements are often when those in arena get the best look at the handshakes and dance moves under a spotlight. Ferguson comes out after Westbrook and stands at the end of the line.
Ferguson finishes the moves of every starter, including arguably the best exchange with Paul George.
Running in place.
Shoulder bumps.
Something called the "Blueface - Thotiana" the two pulled from YouTube.
(Note: Don’t YouTube it at work or with your kids in the room).
"The original dance is called the ‘Bop,’" Ferguson said with a big smile. "We saw everybody doing it, so we were just having fun with it one time after a game or whatever and just added it to our handshake.
"It’s not as hard to keep track of them. It’s actually pretty easy. But there’s a lot of handshakes around here."
Ferguson then started thinking of his favorites. The 20-year-old likes movement. He listed his sequences with George and Grant as two of his favorites, then stopped himself.
"Actually, me and Kev (Kevin Hyde) the strength coach, we’ve got some good ones," Ferguson said. "We’ve got handshakes with everyone — the strength coaches to the security to everyone."
That’s right. This isn’t exclusive to players. Ferguson’s personal favorite is a Thankgiving-inspired handshake called the "Turkey," he does with trainer Mike Davis.
No matter the season, the Thunder enters pregame with a prerogative. It’s going to have fun not even a retirement can stop.
"When everybody’s coming out doing their handshakes and different styles, even watching other people’s handshakes, it’s dope," Ferguson said. "It gets you excited for the game, excited for the moment.
"I’m telling you it gets crazy around here."
Maddie Lee contributed to this story.
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NBA ALL-STAR GAME
When: 7:20 p.m. Sunday
Where: Charlotte, N.C.
TV: TNT (Cox 31)