When Derek Fisher isn’t doling out assists on the court, he is assisting local children with the joys of reading.
On Tuesday, D-Fish and his fellow Oklahoma City Thunder teammate, Hasheem Thabeet, passed out books, bracelets and bookmarks to 100 Parkview Elementary second graders in attendance at the Rolling Thunder Book Bus.
“As a parent myself, it’s great to see,” D-Fish said. “I just wanted to make sure they knew at Parkview Elementary that they’re doing a great job because the kids were outstanding today.”
Both Derek and Thabeet had to be in game-shape as the students who stepped on the bus were inquisitive, asking both Thunder players to help them find books that piqued their varying interests. Each student was allowed to pick a book from the bus.
“This means a lot to our kids and to us,” said Parkview’s assistant principal, Michelle Goolsby. “It made their whole life and some of our faculty’s lives.”
“They love to read,” Goolsby continued. “They’re so excited. You can see they’ll never be the same.”
The impact of D-Fish and Thabeet’s visit hit home when the students began a Thunder chant during the end of day. The kids swarmed Derek and Thabeet to thank them for coming to their school.
“It’s always humbling to see the impact that we can have,” Derek said. “That’s why not only the organization, but our players also really enjoy getting out and having a chance to have a positive impact on kids and anybody’s day that we possibly can.”
The Rolling Thunder Book Bus is a converted school bus which travels to schools, community centers, museums, parks and other sites throughout the year to promote reading and literacy. Each student who visits the bus receives a free book to promote a love of reading.
