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"Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Nick Collison has spent the last two seasons contributing to GQ.com. Today Nick makes his glorious return with his trademark Twitter mailbag column...\n\nLaNeale Robertson @lanealerob\n\n @nickcollison4 what's the douchiest thing you've done since being in OKC?\n\nWell, I wasn't in Oklahoma City yet, but the way I'm flexing my farmer-tanned arms (I was #2) in this high school AAU picture is pretty uncool. Also, see Sean (#25) in his cargo shorts, and notice how Scotty (#34) has his hand resting ever so gently on Kurt's (#5) shoulder.\n\nFacebookPinterest\n\nKasiah Robinson @kasiah5\n\n @nickcollison4 What's the most important thing your parents did to help you get to the NBA?\n\nI'm fortunate to have very supportive, old-school parents. They were always present. They encouraged me. They made me take responsibility for my mistakes. They traveled thousands of miles to watch me play.\n\nMy dad had a huge influence on me as a basketball player. He was a high school basketball coach for 25 years. When I was 9 years old I started to hang around the gym at all of his team's practices, and I was also a ball boy at the games. I always had a basketball in my hand. I would ride the bus to road games and I was around the team all the time. I would hear him talk about the good things players did and I would hear him complain about the bad things they did. I feel like this gave me an understanding of how I was supposed to play the game that I could not have gotten only playing in youth leagues. This was a tremendous advantage for me growing up, and I think it allows me to see the game differently than I would have without those experiences.\n\nBen Mabra @benmabra20\n\n @nickcollison4 If Emilio Esteves and Liam Neeson had a love child, do you think it would look like Scott Brooks?\n\nYes.\n\nFacebookPinterest\n\nChris Walla @cwalla14\n\n @nickcollison4 What really goes on during team plane rides?\n\nI'm on the plane right now, so let me fill you in. Kendrick Perkins is knitting a sweater. He's really into knitting. Scarves, sweaters, mittens, etc. Russell has his pottery wheel out again. It makes a mess but it helps him relax after games. He made me a vase. It's sooooo dope. Hasheem, Reggie, Perry, DeAndre and Jeremy Lamb are in a heated debate over which budget cuts congress needs to make in a debt reduction deal. Actually, it's kind of hard for me to write with all the yelling. Serge is painting a portrait of Thabo while Thabo paints a portrait of Serge painting a portrait of him. KD and Eric are playing Jenga, while all the coaches shoot dice.\n\nSo, pretty normal stuff.\n\nCherie Reyes Leach @Jediriccan\n\n @nickcollison4 Who is your inspiration for the game, and who is your favorite player of all time?\n\nWhen I was growing up I used to watch University of Iowa games with my dad. They had a player named Chris Street who was a skilled, physical power forward who played hard every night. As a 12-year-old, I wanted to play like him. He was from an Iowa town similar to mine, and I felt like if he could make it, I could make it too. Sadly, he passed away in a car accident during his junior season, 20 years ago this month. Although his life and career were cut way too short he made an impact on a lot of kids like me across the state. I loved Michael Jordan and watched all his championships, but Chris Street is the guy I wanted to be like.\n\nMike Roelfs @mikeroelfs\n\n @nickcollison4 If the Kings do relocate to Seattle, do you have any advice for the players?\n\nI would check out Pesos for Mexican food. They have a good bar, too.\n\nDavid @61th\n\n @nickcollison4 What are some of your pregame rituals? You down a can of Mountain Dew like a bro?\n\nNah bro, no Mountain Dew. I don't have any superstitions or rituals but I do have routines I follow throughout the whole day. I eat at the same times on game days. I eat three times before the game at the same times. I do the same shooting workout before and after shootaround in the morning. I arrive at the arena the same time every game, which leaves me just enough time to get treatment, do a light workout with the strength coach, and do my pregame shooting workout which has been the same for the last 4 years. I finish the workout making ten straight free throws. I slap hands with assistant coach Mark Bryant. I turn and do a Tecmo Bowl high five with assistant coach Dave Bliss, then I usually sign a few autographs until I have to be in the locker room for Coach Brooks' pregame talk. After the talk, I'm the first one in the hallway. I like to get loose and have some time to myself to get my mind right before we go out.\n\nNick Collison is a power forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder and a GQ contributor. Follow him on Twitter at @nickcollison4."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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