Why This Retired NBA Veteran Hopes OKC Thunder Don't Repeat as Champions

The NBA hasn't had a repeat champion since the Golden State Warriors won consecutive titles in 2017 and 2018.

Since then. though, a different team has claimed the title each year, with the Oklahoma City Thunder becoming the most recent champions in June. OKC, however, is different from the other teams that have won titles since Golden State's run ended.

The Thunder have virtually the same roster returning in 2025-26, and with most of the team still under 30-years-old, there is no reason to believe that Oklahoma City will take a step back.

In fact, the team could be even better with players like Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell and others making another leap over the offseason. As a result, the Thunder have been lauded as the favorites to repeat as champions by multiple analysts and betting services.

One former NBA player is hoping the Thunder don't take home another trophy, though, citing the team's position in a "small market" as the reason for his disdain.

"I'm hating, I don't want them to win," two-time NBA champion Mario Chalmers said on a recent episode of the No Limit podcast, hosted by Iman Shumpert. "It's a small market. Business wise, it's like, 'We are we going to do?' Yeah they're the best team, they go it all, but we need a big city to win."

While Chalmers may not want to see the Thunder win another title, he and Shumpert both seemed to agree that Oklahoma City is in a good position to repeat and should be viewed as title favorites.

"That's why I said I was hating," Chalmers added.

Currently, the best hope for a "big city" to challenge the Thunder and win an NBA title is likely the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks. The Denver Nuggets also appear to a realistic threat to make the NBA Finals after adding Bruce Brown and Cam Johnson, but don't fall into the big market category that Chalmers was describing.

After finishing second in the Western Conference last year and adding Kevin Durant over the offseason, Houston should be a formiddable opponent in 2025-26. Like the Thunder, the Rockets have a young roster that should take another step forward heading into the upcoming season.

The Lakers may have seen an early exit from the playoffs last season, but with Luka Doncic and LeBron James on the roster, Los Angeles is also a threat to make a deep playoff run. Last season, the Lakers demolished OKC late in the season, and showed the ability to give the Thunder a few problems in a potential matchup.

The Knicks don't seem like a tough matchup for Oklahoma City, given the teams' strengths and weaknesses, but New York was the only "big market" team to make the conference finals last year.