Nobody can take away the fact that theOklahoma City Thunder are the NBA Champions. But for newcomer Erik Reynolds II, there's one moment he would like to take away.
On Thursday, the 6'2 guard from St. Joseph's Universitymade quite the impression during an NBA Summer League game against the Brooklyn Nets. He scored a basket off a jump ball, but it was in his basket, giving the Nets two points.
The moment was fodder for the ESPN crew, as well as Nets coach Jordi Fernandez, who looked on with a smile on his face. A smile that could convey pleasure in two points for his time, or a smile of shock mixed with embarrassment for Reynolds.
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It was as if the ghost of former Minnesota Vikings player Jim Marshall infiltrated Reynolds' being.Marshall famously ran the wrong way in a Vikings/49ers game in October 1964.
Much like Marshall, Reynolds' mistake didn't hurt his team. The Thunder went on to win the game 90-81. In the process, Reynolds ended up scoring a bucket, but it was in his basket.
Reynolds played four seasons at St. Joseph's from 2021 to 2025. Along the way, he became a leader in different categories. Among them are points (2,175), three-pointers made (350), and free throw percentage (86.8).
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This past year, Reynolds averaged 16.4 points per game and shot 41.1% from the field.
Erik Reynolds II's journey to the champion Thunder
In June, the Thunderofficially signed Reynolds to a contract to play in the NBA Summer League. The hope is for him to excel and advance to the NBA G League, where he will play for the Oklahoma City Blue.
During college, Reynolds was a prolific scorer. Not only that, he has proven to score on virtually all parts of the floor.
This minor mishap is just an example of a young player still finding his way.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture.