Sadiki Fuller, a man once responsible for energizing raucous crowds at Oracle Arena as the former "Thunder" mascot for the Golden State Warriors, has died, the team announced Thursday. He was 44.
Dressed in the memorable "Thunder" garb — skin-tight blue bodysuit with bulging fake muscles to go along with a blue and yellow mask featuring a slicked-back lightning bolt in place of hair — Fuller was famous for fascinating fans with his high-flying acrobatics and gravity-defying trampoline dunks.
Fuller was the first person to bring the "Thunder" character to life in 1997, wowing fans until 2002 when he departed to embark on a comedy career, according to the team and The New York Times.
A number of other people filled Fuller's "Thunder" shoes after he left, according to the newspaper, before the mascot's run came to an end in 2008 when the Seattle Supersonics moved to Oklahoma City and picked up the Thunder name.
Details regarding Fuller's death were not immediately available.
