A lucky Oklahoma City Thunder fan turned his basketball dreams into cold hard cash Thursday night, nailing an incredible half-court shot worth $20,000 during a game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Jake Amy, just 19 years old, stepped up during a second-quarter timeout and did what only 23 other fans have managed since 2008 – sink the promotional half-court shot sponsored by MidFirst Bank.
The University of Oklahoma student wasn’t even feeling confident about his chances.
"I’m still overwhelmed," Amy said after making the shot. "I’m a huge Thunder fan, so this is awesome for me. I didn’t feel great about it, but I’m grateful I still had the opportunity. This means so much to me. I still can’t even believe the experience."
He’s the first fan to make the shot this season.
The magical moment came with 6:14 left in the second quarter, with the Thunder up 48-42. Maybe a good-luck bump from Rumble the Bison, the team’s mascot, gave him the extra boost he needed.
Amy, who lives in Edmond (just a quick 13-mile drive north of Oklahoma City), already has plans for his surprise windfall – he’s going to invest it.
While it was a night to remember for Amy, the Thunder probably wish they could forget it. They suffered just their third home loss of the season, falling to the Mavericks despite leading 62-60 at halftime.
Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 24 points, while P.J. Washington had a monster game with 22 points and 19 rebounds.
For the Thunder, Jalen Williams put up 33 points in the losing effort. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, fresh off being named an All-Star starter earlier that day, added 31 points – including 16 in the fourth quarter. It was a comedown from his career-high 54 points against Utah the night before.
The loss drops the Western Conference-leading Thunder to 20-3 at home. They’ll try to bounce back Sunday when they visit Portland.
But at least one Thunder fan went home happy – 20,000 dollars happy.
