How a Little Team in Oklahoma Built an NBA Champion

Early Beginnings

It all began in 2007 when a tall, skinny teenager named Kevin Durant walked across the stage at Madison Square Garden. At the time, the Seattle SuperSonics picked him, but a year later they moved to Oklahoma City and changed their name to the Thunder. Nobody knew this was the beginning of something that would break hearts and make dreams come true.

A smart man named Sam Presti was the team's general manager and remains the general manager to this day. He had a plan to find young, talented players and help them grow together. After drafting Kevin Durant, he drafted Russell Westbrook and James Harden. These three young stars were like lightning in a bottle!

In 2012, the Thunder made it all the way to the NBA Finals. The whole city was buzzing with excitement! But they lost to the Miami Heat in five games and the next few years were a series of heartbreaks for Thunder fans.

Things Fall Apart

Just one year later, the team made a terrible mistake. They traded away James Harden to the Houston Rockets because they didn't want to pay him. Harden went on to become an MVP and one of the best scorers in basketball. Thunder fans watched as their beloved player became a superstar somewhere else.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook kept trying to win together, but they couldn't get back to the Finals. Every year, they lost in the playoffs. The worst loss came against the Golden State Warriors in 2016. The Thunder were up 3-1 in the series, they just needed to win one more game to advance. But they lost three games in a row and were eliminated.

Then came the most heartbreaking moment of all. Kevin Durant, the player who was supposed to bring Oklahoma City a championship, made a shocking decision. He left the Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors, the same team that had just beaten them! Thunder fans felt betrayed. Their superstar had joined the enemy.

The worst part? Oklahoma City got nothing in return. When a player leaves in free agency, the team gets no players, no draft picks, nothing. It was like watching your best friend move away and take all your video games with them.

Russell Westbrook tried to carry the team by himself. He played with incredible energy and won an MVP award, but it wasn't enough. The Thunder struggled for years, trying to find the right players to help him such as Paul George. Eventually in 2019 they decided to trade away Westbrook and George. In return they received Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an enormous amount of draft picks to kickstart a new era. Little did Thunder fans know, but was the beginning of something even more incredible.

The 2024 Season: Building Something Special

Fast forward to 2024 and the Thunder were ready to surprise everyone. They had spent the previous years making savvy draft picks like defensive big-man Chet Holmgren, do-it-all wing Jalen Williams and defensive menace Cason Wallace. On top of this, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became a superstar, making the All-Star team and almost winning the MVP award.

On March 31, 2024, magic happened. Playing against the New York Knicks, the Thunder won 113-112 in a nail-biting finish. They had made the playoffs for the first time in years.

The Thunder finished with 57 wins and became the best team in the Western Conference. They were the youngest team to ever win a playoff series when they beat the New Orleans Pelicans. But in the next round, they faced Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks. Even though they were winning by 17 points in the final game, they couldn't hold on and lost the series.

The 2025 Season: Champions at Last!

The 2025 season was when dreams came true. The Thunder added Alex Caruso, a tough defender, and Isaiah Hartenstein, a strong center. Even when Chet Holmgren got hurt early in the season, the team kept fighting.

They won 15 games in a row, the longest streak in team history! The whole city was electric with excitement. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was playing like a superhero, and Jalen Williams made his first All-Star team.

When the playoffs started, the Thunder were unstoppable. They swept the Memphis Grizzlies like a tornado, winning every single game. Then came the ultimate test, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, former NBA champions.

For seven games, these two teams battled like warriors. Each game was a fight to the finish. But the Thunder's young energy finally wore down the former champions and they won the series!

The Western Conference Finals against Minnesota was like a victory parade. The Thunder won in just five games, with Shai scoring amazing shots and the whole team playing like they were dancing.

Finally, the NBA Finals! Against the Indiana Pacers, the Thunder played seven incredible games. In the final game, with the championship on the line, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over. The little team from Oklahoma City had done it, they were NBA champions!

The city celebrated like never before. From a small market team with big dreams, the Oklahoma City Thunder had built something beautiful. They proved that with smart planning, hard work, and a growth mindset, any dream can come true.

And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? He won the MVP and Finals MVP awards, becoming the king of basketball. The little team in Oklahoma had grown up to become giants.