What started as three orange basketballs on a Nichols Hills lawn has turned into a rolling, metro-wide memorial. Hundreds, and organizers say now thousands, of basketballs marked "Love Stone" are popping up across Oklahoma City and nearby towns. The display serves as both a memorial to Stone Smith, a devoted Thunder fan, and a public push to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl. For neighbors, the bright spheres have become a new kind of neighborhood ritual, dribbled in driveways and propped on porches during the playoff run.
Stone's mother, Kimberly Hiddleston, says she first set three balls out on her son's birthday and then watched the idea catch fire as neighbors and friends added their own tributes. Kids have been spotted shooting and passing the balls in driveways while volunteers began donating extras so the effort could spread beyond the block. As reported by KOCO, Hiddleston originally set a modest goal of 500 basketballs, but the project quickly blew past that target.
The family soon formalized the effort into "Stone's Thunder Balls," a campaign organized by Spencer Stone that aims to buy signed memorial basketballs and share information about fentanyl poisoning. The campaign’s GoFundMe shows more than $26,000 raised toward a $30,000 goal and describes Stone's death as an accidental fentanyl overdose three days after the Thunder parade, as outlined on the same page. Organizers say the money will help purchase and distribute more balls around the metro and beyond.
How Far The Hoops Have Traveled
Organizers and volunteers say the memorial has pushed far beyond Nichols Hills. News 9 reports that volunteers have placed more than 5,000 basketballs from Oklahoma City to Tulsa, carrying Stone's name across the region. Each ball is signed "Love, Stone," and Hiddleston told News 9, "My son was a fun person; a passionate person. He cared about people. He was kind."
Neighbors And Businesses Step Up
Neighbors have written the names of loved ones lost to addiction on the balls, store owners have tucked them into window displays, and some community members have set up lemonade stands and handwritten signs in Stone's honor, as documented by local coverage in OKC Friday. Letters and flowers have been delivered to yards where the orange balls appear, and Hiddleston says she has received more than two dozen thank-you notes from people who say the display has helped them process their own grief.
Why Organizers Say It Matters
Organizers emphasize that the highly visible memorial is meant to spark frank conversations about fentanyl and harm reduction, not to shame people who use drugs. The Oklahoma State Department of Health reports that fentanyl overdose deaths have climbed sharply in recent years, from about 50 deaths in 2019 to roughly 609 in 2022, underscoring the push for local prevention and education, according to the OSDH. The family also says the Thunder organization has reached out with condolences and support as the campaign grows, as reported by News 9.
Hiddleston says she expects to donate the balls after the playoff season and hopes the "Love Stone" message keeps bouncing well beyond Oklahoma as a small but unmistakable way to remember loved ones and warn others, according to the campaign page. Supporters can read more or contribute on the GoFundMe.
