NBA Finals | Thunder lead 3-2
Thunder 120, Pacers 109

5 things to know:
• This was the ‘J-Dub game.’ Jalen Williams scored 40 and was clutch in a close fourth.
• SGA had a double-double with 31 points and 10 assists.
• Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace came off the bench to combine for 25.
• Indiana cut a big lead to 2, 95-93, with 8:30 left. OKC took over from there.
• Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 28 points. Tyrese Haliburton had only 4.

The Oklahoma City Thunder can win its first NBA title on Thursday night.

Game 6 is Thursday night at 7:30 on ABC from Indianapolis.

What’s happening, Oklahoma? It is Tuesday, June 17, and this morning’s edition of Oklahoma Memo comes to you from Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany, where it dipped into the low 50s earlier!

We spent most of the previous day on a bus coming from Switzerland to Germany, which included a brief drive through France (again!) I’ll write a lot more about this later on my personal website, ryanwelton.com, but getting into Europe and then the EU proper and moving about country to country has been super easy. Dealing with money has been easy, too. Cake.

The details of traveling to Europe have all been much easier to grasp than I thought it would be.

Here’s where we’re staying while in Germany, the Gasthof Post:

For more photos from the trip, follow me @ryanweltondigital on Instagram or @ryanisthatdude on TikTok or YouTube. I’m going to do the best I can to keep up with the newsletter this week. If I miss an edition before next week, chalk it up to technology.

Don’t forget to support local journalism wherever you can, if you’re able. For journalism to thrive, it’s important that journalists be supported.

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Weather Update ☀️

Downright hot — but at least you have AC! Breezy today, too. Looking at the extended forecast, it appears that summer has arrived.

🌡️ Tuesday's high in OKC 91°
🌡️ Tuesday’s high in Tulsa 91°

Legal battles and big changes: Oklahoma politics and college sports collide

By Scott Mitchell and Graham Dowers, News 9 / News On 6
Click to watch the segment.

From initiative petition lawsuits to the rapidly shifting ground of college athletics, lawmakers tackled a wide range of legal and political developments this weekend on Your Vote Counts. Hosted by Scott Mitchell, the episode featured Oklahoma Senator Paul Rosino and Representative Forrest Bennett in a wide-ranging discussion on transparency, democracy, student-athlete compensation, and public education funding.

House v. NCAA: Revenue sharing reshapes college sports

The conversation shifted from policy to college sports, as Mitchell raised the topic of the ongoing fallout from the House v. NCAA settlement. The landmark case has opened the door for student-athletes to be paid directly by universities, creating a financial shift that could leave many lower-profile sports behind.

Senator Rosino warned that prioritizing only revenue-generating sports risks creating inequity for athletes in less visible programs. He urged universities and the NCAA to take a broader look at how all student-athletes are treated.

Representative Bennett described the new system as long overdue. He emphasized that student-athletes contribute significant value to their schools and should be compensated fairly, especially as universities and coaches bring in millions. He acknowledged the growing pains but believes the shift is necessary.

Click to watch the segment. 

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The Oklahoma Rundown 📰

A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:

• 2-year-old dies after being swept away from ATV in Kingfisher Creek Sunday night (Fox 25)

• Man killed in SW OKC shooting, 4 police officers placed on leave (News 9)

• ‘Different tactics’: OU hikes tuition while touting scholarships, OSU keeps costs flat again (NonDoc)

• Zink Lake closed until further notice due to unsafe water conditions (Tulsa World)

• OKC’s Juneteenth on the East returns with BIG K.R.I.T. (Black Wall Street Times)

• Wagoner County commissioners deny zoning for $336M solar farm (2 News Oklahoma)

• Oklahoma Attorney General still wants to work out a deal with poultry companies to protect the Illinois River as decades-long lawsuit drags on (The Frontier)

• Westwin Elements' dream for America and swirling questions of tribal sovereignty, health in Oklahoma (KOSU)

• Proposed act to ensure Oklahoma EMS funding, boost response times (KTUL)

• Tulsa City Council set to vote on $1.1 billion budget proposal Wednesday (Tulsa World)

🗣️ Story Tips, Ideas, Feedback

My inbox is always open. If you have a link I should add to the newsletter, a story that isn’t getting enough attention, a press release, a press event you’d like to invite me to—or you just want to offer some good old-fashioned feedback, I’m available to you.

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The mission is to amplify quality journalism, rekindling the daily news habit!

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