SALT LAKE CITY — As Thunder players and personnel clambered onto the team bus after OKC’s first summer league game, David Akinyooye told a Thunder staffer that he was going to walk rather than ride back to the hotel.

Akinyooye, having just recorded his first head coaching win at any level, needed some time to think. Taking walks, which Akinyooye has made a habit of, is like a cool-down period for his mind.

“Being in this head coach position, it’s a little bit different, so it’s a lot of thoughts and things that are on my mind,” Akinyooye told The Oklahoman. “I’m able to decompress and get a feel for what I wanna do or what I want to say with the guys when I take that walk.”

Akinyooye (ah-kin-YO-yay), like a lot of NBA assistants, mostly operates in the shadows. The 33-year-old is entering his ninth season with the Thunder, but he hasn’t been in the spotlight until now, as he coached the Thunder’s summer league squad in Salt Lake City. OKC Blue coach Kameron Woods will take over head coaching duties in Las Vegas Summer League.

Often referred to by his initials "DA," Akinyooye was an assistant on Mark Daigneault’s G League OKC Blue staff for four seasons, and Akinyooye has spent the last five seasons as a Thunder assistant. When Daigneault got the Thunder head coaching job, he promoted Akinyooye to a first-row assistant.

Akinyooye, from Elmont, New York, is detailed in his work, and stoic in disposition.

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“Quiet, but super stern, super confident,” guard Jared Butler said. “I enjoy being around him, and I think he instills confidence in his players.”

His players tease him, trying to get Akinyooye to crack, but so far this summer he hasn’t. While Akinyooye coaches hard, harping on fundamentals no matter who he’s working with, his players respect him. Adore him, even, which is why they try to chip away at his no-nonsense façade.

“That’s my man,” said Thunder guard Tre Mann after Akinyooye’s debut. “He looked good out there. He was dripped out a little bit, he had a little bit of swag to him. He was confident, came into the huddles with direct messages. He was real smooth.”

Dripped out? How so?

“He had the shorts a little high, there was a couple of wrinkles in the socks, and then for the most part it matched,” Mann said. “It was gray, black, like some simple drip, but he looked good.”

More swag than Daigneault? (Yes, the question had a tinge of sarcasm).

“I’m not gonna answer that,” Thunder guard Jalen Williams said. “You’re just gonna get me in trouble.”

Akinyooye raised his eyebrows when Mann’s wardrobe analysis was relayed to him.

“To be honest, I don’t even know what that means … I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Akinyooye said. “I’ll talk to him after I’m done with you guys.”

Akinyooye isn’t far removed from his playing days, which helps him relate to the Thunder’s young squad. Akinyooye played college basketball at Adelphi University, six miles from where he grew up on Long Island.

Akinyooye credits his college coach, James Cosgrove, for influencing his coaching style.

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“He was a really hard-nosed, old-school coach, and at first I didn’t understand it,” Akinyooye said. “But the biggest thing for him was, if you put the work in, there’s gonna be results … For me as a freshman it was tough because I wasn’t putting the amount of work in to prepare the right way. After my freshman year I was able to buy into it. Now, being 33 years old, I understand what he meant by that, not just on the court, but also off the court as well.

“If I’m putting in the right amount of work and preparing the right way and it doesn’t go my way, I can sleep better at night,” Akinyooye added. “And that’s something that I’ve been able to adopt as a coach, too.”

After college, Akinyooye played one season in the G League with the Springfield (MA) Armor.

In 2012, he got his foot in the door with the Knicks as a coaching workout associate. In 2013, Akinyooye joined the Spurs, the NBA champs that season, as a player development quality assurance associate.

Akinyooye then moved to France, where he was an assistant for one season with Asvel, a club owned by former Spurs star Tony Parker.

The Thunder then hired Akinyooye in 2015, and he’s been in Oklahoma City ever since.

But never in this position, as a head coach.

“It’s great. It’s a different experience,” Akinyooye said after his first game. “I don’t even know how to … like what am I supposed to be thinking right now, honestly?”

Akinyooye tried to organize his thoughts. He needed to take a walk.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder summer league coach David Akinyooye embraces new experience