Thunder Complete Journey From Rebuild To Record-Setting Champion

The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t just win a championship. They roared all the way back from the NBA’s basement to the top floor of the league’s penthouse.

Their 103-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 capped one of the most remarkable rebuilds in recent NBA history. Just a few seasons ago, Oklahoma City was on the outside looking in, with a 22-win team followed by a 24-win one. Fast forward to 2025, and they’re holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy after a 68-win regular season, one of the top seven ever.

They also broke a record no one thought would fall — the best point differential in NBA history, eclipsing a mark that stood untouched for over 50 years.

Game 7 wasn’t all about glory. It took a heartbreaking turn late in the first quarter when Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton collapsed on a drive. His father later confirmed it was an Achilles injury. He never returned.

The Pacers rallied admirably, even taking a one-point lead into halftime. But Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league’s MVP and now Finals MVP, took over in the third. He sparked a 34-20 burst that pushed OKC ahead for good.

Indiana made it interesting down the stretch, trimming a 22-point deficit to 10, but this wasn’t another Pacers comeback. Not this time. Not against this Thunder team.

Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 29 points and 12 assists in the clincher, completing a rare sweep of accolades — league MVP, Finals MVP, scoring champion, and NBA champion.

Oklahoma City now owns its first championship since relocating from Seattle in 2008. Fittingly, the win came on the same day former Thunder star Kevin Durant was traded, a symbolic closing of the franchise’s first era.

Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden once carried OKC to the Finals. That group fell short. Now, led by Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, Sam Presti’s second core has delivered.

Holmgren and Williams were massive in the playoff run. Holmgren protected the rim, while Williams exploded for 40 points in a pivotal Game 5. Luguentz Dort, the undrafted bulldog from 2019, gave OKC its defensive backbone.

This team is young, fearless, and under contract. Gilgeous-Alexander is eligible for a super-max extension. Holmgren and Williams will soon be in line for their rookie-scale extensions.

Presti once wrote a public letter after trading Westbrook and George in 2019. In it, he said, “The next great Thunder team is out there somewhere.”

Turns out, it was just around the corner.