It's a small world, and it seems even tinier in the state of Oklahoma.
As the Oklahoma women's gymnastics team already won a national championship and the Oklahoma City Thunder started their hopeful playoff run for an NBA title in the same weekend, there's a common household between the two title contenders.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is the husband of Ashley Kerr, who is an assistant coach for the Sooners. The two have been married since 2019 and have two kids.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault's wife Ashley Kerr is assistant coach for Sooners women's gymnastics
The OU women's gymnastics team this season won its seventh NCAA championship and third in the last four years. The next day, the Thunder started their run in the NBA Playoffs as the 1-seed. Daigneault's Thunder then swept the Grizzles, beat the Nuggets in seven games then finally got past the Timberwolves in five games to get to the NBA Finals against the Pacers.
Daigneault and Kerr have been in the state of Oklahoma for a while now. Kerr joined the OU staff in 2017 as a volunteer assistant and has helped mostly with balance beam since. Daigneault got to the state in 2014, when he was named the head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder's G League affiliate.
In 2019, the same year the couple got married, Daigneault was elevated to an assistant role with the Thunder before getting promoted to head coach in 2020 to replace Billy Donovan.
Kerr got a promotion in 2023 from volunteer assistant coach to assistant coach when the NCAA approved the conversion of volunteer assistant coach positions into full-time, paid assistant coach positions.
Both were assistants at their alma-mater Florida in their respective sports in 2011-14. Daigneault was named a graduate assistant under Donovan in 2010 before Kerr became a team manager in 2011 after a lucrative gymnastics career with the Gators.
Since, both have been part of building something special in Oklahoma. Kerr has been with OU's staff during four national championships. Meanwhile, Daigneault has been at the front of the Thunder possibly becoming the next NBA dynasty and coaching the 2025 NBA MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Under Daigneault last season, the Thunder became the youngest team ever to earn the top seed in the NBA Playoffs. This season, the Thunder were on top again after a 68-14 regular-season record and 12.4 average point differential, the largest in NBA history.
On Thursday night, with Daigneault leading the way, the Thunder will start their series to win the first title in franchise history since moving to OKC. Winning the series would also make Kerr no longer the only champion at home.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers tips at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday on ABC. The first two games will be down the road from Norman at Paycom Center before the series heads to Indianapolis for Game 3 and 4.
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