Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is opening up Paycom Center to kids who could use a night off from life's harder battles. The SGA Foundation announced a new program called Home Court Heroes, which will bring children served by Make-A-Wish Oklahoma and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma to Thunder home games throughout the season, along with their families and mentors.
The announcement, made Thursday, lays out a program built around monthly outings to Thunder games, according to a release from the SGA Foundation. Outings will alternate between the two partner organizations during the regular season, and every trip includes a personal moment with Gilgeous-Alexander after the final buzzer. The foundation says the effort is guided by three pillars: Self-Belief, Growth, and Access.
Local children connected to both organizations will have a chance to attend Oklahoma City's home games across the 2026-27 season, and those outings will culminate in a one-on-one postgame meeting with Gilgeous-Alexander himself, according to Thunder Wire. For a player who has become the face of the franchise, the gesture extends his presence beyond the court and into the lives of families navigating some of their toughest moments.
Two Organizations, One Shared Mission
Make-A-Wish Oklahoma President and CEO Deborah McAuliffe Senner described Gilgeous-Alexander as a positive role model for children, noting that critical illness affects an entire family and that kids benefit from seeing what's possible, according to KOCO. Make-A-Wish Oklahoma plans to bring one child and that child's family to each game, the station reports, and the organization is set to grant its first wish connected to the program in November.
Shane Smith, the Tulsa-area director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma, said the program's investment and belief in children carries real impact. The station notes Big Brothers Big Sisters plans to bring up to three mentor-mentee pairs to each game, and Smith said the organization's first outing is scheduled for Monday, when three mentor-mentee matches will be on the court.
A 12-Year-Old From Yukon Among the First to Attend
Among those expected to take part is Parker, a 12-year-old from Yukon who is passionate about basketball and admires Gilgeous-Alexander, per the same report. Kids like Parker represent exactly the audience Gilgeous-Alexander says he's trying to reach: he has said he wants children to leave the arena believing they can achieve similar success and knowing he supports them.
The first groups from Make-A-Wish Oklahoma and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma are expected to attend games at Paycom Center soon as the season gets underway. Home Court Heroes marks a formal extension of Gilgeous-Alexander's efforts to help Oklahoma children facing life's biggest challenges attend Thunder games and meet him in person.
Program Set to Cross the Border in March
The foundation also plans to take Home Court Heroes on the road in March, when Gilgeous-Alexander returns home to Ontario to play the Toronto Raptors, per the SGA Foundation's announcement. Thunder Wire reports the trip will include a meet-and-greet when Oklahoma City travels to face Toronto on March 10, extending the program into Gilgeous-Alexander's home community north of the border.
The concept of pairing youth mentoring with NBA game-day experiences isn't unique to Oklahoma City. The NBA Foundation's iMentor program, for instance, has brought students and their mentors to a Chicago Bulls game, according to NBA.com, while the league has also partnered with the mentoring organization MENTOR to expand youth mentoring efforts nationwide. For Oklahoma families tied to Make-A-Wish and Big Brothers Big Sisters, though, Home Court Heroes offers something more personal: a direct line to a hometown star who wants them courtside.
