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Bulls' Josh Giddey Sends Message to Thunder After NBA Finals

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zachary Rainey | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 4:33 PM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder completed their dominant run by winning the NBA Finals over the Indiana Pacers. They finished the regular season as the No. 1 overall seed and had home-court advantage throughout the NBA Playoffs. Outside of a seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets, the Thunder breezed through the playoffs.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took his game to another level this season. After finishing second in 2024, Gilgeous-Alexander took home the league's Most Valuable Player award after leading the league in scoring with 32.7 points per game. It was fitting that he won the NBA Finals MVP after averaging 30.3 points per game and setting a playoff game high in assists with 12.

Bulls' Josh Giddey sends message to Thunder after NBA Finals

Outside of Gilgeous-Alexander, Alex Caruso, and Isaiah Hartenstein, the roster is composed mainly of homegrown players, as general manager Sam Presti has done a legendary job of stockpiling assets and essentially hit on all of those picks. However, one player that Presti selected wasn't along for the ride, but was a key piece in the Thunder's NBA Championship win this season. That player is Josh Giddey, who sent a message to his former team.

"Congrats to the guys," Giddey said.

Josh Giddey’s IG story after the Thunder became NBA Champions

“congrats to the guys ” pic.twitter.com/pgxeT7ySLr
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) June 24, 2025

Giddey spent the first three years of his career with the Thunder, showing promise. However, with his style of play, he needed the ball in his hands much of the time to make an impact, which meant they were taking it out of the hands of Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.

Caruso's defensive prowess and veteran presence proved to be all the difference, as the Thunder won their first NBA title in their franchise's young history. Now, the Thunder will have the challenging task of defending their title next season. At DraftKings, the Thunder are listed as +225 favorites to win next year's NBA Championship.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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