The Oklahoma City Thunder are getting ready to take on the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night in Chicago, where the Oklahoma team is projected to win by almost eight points.
It's unclear, however, if oddsmakers have factored in the stressful effects of the Thunder's flight to Chicago, which center Steven Adams called "a rough flight, to say the least," in a Twitter post.
Upon landing in Chicago, the players found significant damage to the nose of their Delta charter flight, which had clearly gone head-to-head with something.
But what?
Adams, who also tweeted "What caused this?" tagged @BillNye (the Science Guy), leading astrophysicist @neiltyson and U.S. space agency @NASA in his search for answers.
As of press time, it doesn't appear that any of three had yet weighed in with a response.
Teammate Carmelo Anthony, who took to Instagram to post a similar question, "What possibly could we have hit in the SKY at this time of night? Everyone is Safe, Though. "All Praise Due" #ThunderStrong" found his fans more than willing to offer their own guesses.
Some of the 8,460 comments, many of which included possible causes were pretty hilarious, positing everything from Superman to a pterodactyl to illegal drug trafficking drones.
An official spokesperson for Delta, however, said the damage was likely caused by a bird strike while the plane was landing, according to USA Today.
[READMORE]READ MORE: NFL Teams Scramble After Being Dropped by Airlines[/READMORE]
"Delta flight 8935, operating from Minneapolis to Chicago-Midway as a charter flight for the Oklahoma City Thunder, likely encountered a bird while on descent into Chicago. The aircraft, a Boeing 757-200, landed safely without incident; customers have since deplaned and maintenance teams are evaluating. Safety is Delta's top priority."
While some responses on Anthony's Instagram feed suggested there was no way a bird strike could cause that much damage to a nose cone, a recent bird strike on a Badr Airlines flight over the Sudan caused significantly more damage. Also in September, a bird strike on a Japan Airlines flight caused the engine to erupt in flames.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
