OAKLAND, Calif. — Once upon a time, Sadiki Fuller made his living by dressing up in a skintight bodysuit. Foam-enhanced muscles formed mountain peaks on his arms, and he wore a blue mask framed by a lightning bolt that swept toward the heavens.

Fuller played the role of Thunder, the onetime mascot of the Golden State Warriors — a fading and sometimes forgotten piece of franchise lore.

A trampoline-bouncing, basketball-dunking, uniform-wearing superhero, Thunder was banished to the mascot junkyard in 2008 when the Oklahoma City Thunder were set to debut. It was a sad bit of nickname confluence that meant the mascot had to go. The Warriors never replaced him.

Fuller, who was inside the costume when Thunder made his grand entrance in 1997, entertained fans for five seasons before he left to pursue a career in comedy. Playing the role of Thunder was fun, Fuller said, but not without its challenges. The Warriors back then were not the record-breaking deities that they are now. Their overall record during his tenure was 97-281.