OKC Thunder's Many Tribulations End with NBA Championship Glory

Six years ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder dealt away fan-favorite Russell Westbrook after a crushing playoff defeat at the hands of Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers. Three years beforehand Kevin Durant took his talents to the Golden State Warriors, four years removed from the franchise's first and only — at the time — trip to the NBA Finals.

Oklahoma City has seen a whole lot in a relatively short amount of time since it received an NBA team. Plenty of highs and superstar-caliber players to enjoy, but just as many disappointments and frustrating departures. Each year, it felt short of its ultimate goal.

On Sunday night, the 2024-25 Thunder defied the franchise's past. The rebuild that, on paper, should've lasted a whole lot longer than it did, already paid off into the highest achievement possible in the NBA. It might've had an average age of just 25.6-years-old, but its players reached far beyond their shared experiences.

Jalen Williams hadn't even taken a sip of alcohol yet. Once he tried it amid the celebration, he didn't even like the taste of the Michelob Ultra's plastered around the locker room.

Oklahoma City displayed a level of maturity throughout the year of an NBA champion. Of course its youth off the court shun through all over social media, but on the court? Good luck trying to get past its defensive unit, nor stop the three-headed monster leading its offense. The additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein transformed an already elite Thunder team, to a bonafide dynasty in the making.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's ascension to the mountaintop didn't take long, either. Each year since Oklahoma City acquired him Paul George, he's taken big steps forward in his game. This was the season he put it all together — the offensive bag, confidence and leadership — to take home his first MVP award.

While the likes of Durant and Westbrook paved the way and forged the foundation for the Thunder franchise, Gilgeous-Alexander took it to uncharted territory. He's going down as the greatest player in Oklahoma City at the ripe age of 26-years-old, still carrying plenty more years of growth and championship contention ahead of him.

Chet Holmgren's injury following his selection in 2022 was one of the few setbacks of this era of the Thunder. There was building anticipation to see what the center could help bring alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, only for it to be held off for a year.

The vision general manager Sam Presti was building didn't come to a halt, though. It was just that — a setback. The mastermind behind the scenes told Gilgeous-Alexander one phrase that stuck with him until the very moment Oklahoma City captured the championship: "Our destiny is what we make it, no one else can control that."

"We can do whatever we want to do out there," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Just like how we've all
got to the NBA, no matter what anybody says, who is hurt or who is not. I think that talk stuck in my head, I think a few of the other guys as well. It's a big part of why we're here."

Soon, Holmgren did suit up. Immediately the Thunder got a bid in the Play-In Tournament, and one year later, it already rose to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. It's first playoff run ended to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round, but that was apart of the tribulations Oklahoma City needed.

Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, Williams and the rest of the Thunder corps were dealt those far sooner than most teams can get. They had to grow up to get where they wanted to be, as premature as that might've seemed from the outside.

Once the veteran and former NBA champion Caruso came in, he knew there was a special opportunity building.

“It's a unique capability to be able to do that for 21- to 27-year-old kids,” Caruso said. “For me, I've seen greats do it, so I knew the way. I knew the mindset. But to see these guys do it, man, it's really cool to see it in person. I'm so happy for the guys to be able to figure it out and to be able to get this done.”

The Finals were by no means any easy path for Oklahoma City. The Indiana Pacers battled it to a maximum of seven games, stealing Game 1 on the road and not backing down in Game 6 despite being down 3-2. Tyrese Haliburton gave one of the gutsiest performances you'll ever see in the playoffs through a calf injury, but to the dismay of every person watching, his chance at a championship was cut short with an achilles tear.

Even with Haliburton's exit, Indiana didn't shy away from the moment. Pascal Siakam and T.J. McConnell did everything they could to keep the Pacers alive, forcing the Thunder to look at itself in the mirror at halftime and get it together for 24 final minutes.

A 34-point third quarter was all Oklahoma City needed to make history. From there, it remained poised and determined to close out Indiana for good in front of the faithful dressed in blue in Paycom Center. The long and treacherous journey was over.

The Thunder's championship celebration was rather modest. Players from both sides shook each other's hand, embraced family and loved ones before taking the podium for the offical inaguration from commissioner Adam Silver. In the locker room, Caruso had to teach a confused locker room on how to pop open a champagne bottle.

Even the Finals MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander, didn't make the moment about him. Oklahoma City has formed a team about as close-knit as one can find, which has been on display thoughout the entire year. Without that bond, the victory wouldn't have felt near as impactful.

"All the achievements and accolades and things, like, they don't even come close to the satisfaction of winning with your brothers and people that you are so close to and want to succeed just as much as you want yourself to succeed," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "That's been the most impressive and fun part of it, just to know that I have 15 brothers that I just experienced a once-in-a-lifetime experience with. I'll never forget them, they'll never forget me."

In Thunder history, there have been several different players and teams that seemed to be destined for a championship. Yet, they continued to never work out, only leading to new paths being formed every few years. Finally, this group got the job done — and they aren't going anywhere for a very long time.

Take it in, Oklahoma City. The past 17 years have all led to this.