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Oklahoma Sooners GM Jim Nagy makes one thing clear after seeing the OKC Thunder make the NBA Finals

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Justin Churchill | Last updated May 29, 2025 2:44 PM ET

The Oklahoma Sooners football is by far the most successful sports program in the state of Oklahoma, with the most history. Yes, the softball program is probably right alongside them, but the football program has been doing it for a long time.

Unfortunately for the Sooners and their fans, the football program hasn't been what we've known it to be for a few years now. Brent Venables, the head coach, is heading into year four. He's already had two losing seasons, one in 2022 and one in 2024. Those are the first two losing seasons since the 1990s, which doesn't make it any better.

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But you can see that they are desperately trying to get back to the top. And, while 2025 could see them make a huge jump and shock a ton of teams, the Sooners still have some work to do. Right now, it's about making sure they are getting the right people in place to fit the culture they want and then seeing that culture work.

Luckily for them, there is a sports team just down the road in Oklahoma City that has a very similar culture and is putting on display every single time they play that their culture can work. The Sooners have to be watching what the OKC Thunder are doing, taking some of that philosophy, and applying it to themselves.

In fact, the new GM of the football side of things, Jim Nagy, let everyone know that they're doing just that.

"These guys are uncommon. They do everything right. They're professional. They're high character. They're competitive. And most of all, they're team first. They embody everything it means to be a team."

"These guys are uncommon. They do everything right. They're professional. They're high character. They're competitive. And most of all, they're team first. They embody everything it means to be a team".

@OU_Football.#ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/V0Xy2CHNIU
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_Sooners) May 29, 2025

That was what the Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said as his team received their Western Conference Finals trophy. And Nagy followed up that quote with something special.