Comparing the OKC Thunder to the NBA's Last Repeat Champions

The NBA is in the midst of an era of parity.

After the Golden State Warriors dominated much of the 2010s, no team has reapeated as champions since 2018, when Steve Kerr's team won it's third title in four years. The last seven NBA champs haven't been able to repeat, but the Oklahoma City Thunder could be the group to break the mold.

After winning the 2025 title, OKC is viewed by many as the favorite again heading into the 2025-26 campaign.

Here's a look at how the Thunder stack up against the NBA's last repeat champions.

Record

In 2016-17, Kevin Durant's first season in Golden State, the Warriors went 67-15 and claimed the top seed in the Western Conference.

Similarly, Mark Daigneault's crew went 68-14 in 2024-25, boasting the top record in the NBA and earning the No. 1 seed in the West.

In 2017-18, Golden State went 58-24, but dominated the postseason aside from a seven-game series against Houston, en route to an NBA Finals sweep. Some speculate that the Thunder's regular season record may not be as impressive in 2025-26, but should still be one of the best in the NBA.

Returning talent

The Warriors returned one of the strongest cores in NBA history, as four players from the group's 2016-17 squad were honored as all-stars.

Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry and Draymond Green were all end-of-season award recipients in both 2017 and 2018, giving the Warriors an elite group of talent. All four of the aforementioned players were under 29-years-old when the team won in 2017.

The Thunder may not have Durant and Curry on their team, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams were both all-star selections in 2024-25. Gilgeous-Alexander is fresh off an MVP campaign, and Williams was also honored on the NBA's All-Defense and All-NBA teams.

Alongside Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams, Lu Dort was a First-Team All-Defense selection in 2025. Chet Holmgren likely would have been in the running for an end-of-season honor, but suffered an injury and missed most of the 2024-25 season.

Opponents

The Warriors lost just one game throughout the 2017 postseason, coming in the NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Western Conference remained mostly stagnant heading into the 2017-18 campaign, and Golden State's toughest opponent in 2018 was the Houston Rockets, who took the Warriors to seven games.

The Thunder, on the other hand, were tested in the 2024-25 postseason, going to seven games twice en route to a title. Houston made notable improvements over the offseason, adding Durant and Dorian Finney-Smith, and Denver reloaded its roster with Bruce Brown and Cam Johnson.

Both the Nuggets and Rockets should be tough competitors for OKC in 2025-26.