Just like what other teams did the last few days before the start of the regular season, the Oklahoma City Thunder also finalized their lineup and named the 15 players who they gave roster spots to.

One of the surprising players they kept is unheralded rookie Semaj Christon, who is expected to be the team's third-string point guard behind Russell Westbrook and Cameron Payne.

But one of the Thunder's mainstays, center Steven Adams, shared the reason why he remembers Christon even after years have gone when they played together in high school.

It may not be how the 6-foot-3 rookie wants himself to be remembered by his teammate, but since he is a relatively unknown to the team and the league, he may settle for it in the meantime.

But now that he has made the lineup, he can feel relieved and show his natural game during practices and impress the coaching staff. If he gets some playing time, Christon may use it as a proving ground that he deserves making it this far. And if he plays well enough, maybe he'll be thought of by Adams by then not just by having his name spelled like “James” backwards.