History Made as Oklahoma City Thunder Win the 2024–25 NBA Championship

After years of patient rebuilding, high draft picks, heartbreaks, and memes about a “war chest” of future picks, the Oklahoma City Thunder are now the 2024/25 NBA Champions. Let that sink in. The youngest team in the league has climbed to the top of the basketball world, beating the Indiana Pacers 103–91 in Game 7 to clinched their first ever championship.

From the moment the season tipped off, OKC looked different. Not just younger or faster but hungrier. They didn’t just want to make the playoffs, they wanted the smoke and, in the end, they wanted rings. Behind Shai, who picked up not just the regular season MVP, but also the Finals MVP, the Thunder played like a team years ahead of their time, calm and calculated.

Game 7 was a movie and the first half was tense as Indiana held their own, leading by a single point at halftime. However, OKC’s third quarter offensive play was like a storm waiting to happen, they erupted with a 25–12 run, forcing turnover after turnover and turning defense into offense. Jalen Williams was fearless, Chet Holmgren was a wall in the paint, and veterans like Alex Caruso played like guys who’d been here before.

But make no mistake, this was Shai’s moment. The Canadian guard danced through defenders, knocked down mid-range jumpers like it was practice, and found his teammates with precision. He ended the night with 29 points and 12 assists, earning him the Finals MVP. He has now joined a handful of legends, MJ, LeBron, Shaq, who have pulled off both finals and regular season MVPs in the same season.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing though. The Pacers came in swinging. Tyrese Haliburton, who had led Indiana’s Cinderella run to the finals, unfortunately suffered a torn Achilles early in Game 7. Indiana didn’t fold though. Guys like Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard kept pushing but couldn’t keep up with OKC’s pressure.

What’s wild is how complete OKC looked doing it. They won 68 games in the regular season. That’s not just good, that’s 1996 Bulls territory. And in the playoffs, they bulldozed through the West, finishing 16–7 overall. What Sam Presti has built isn’t just a championship team, it’s a future dynasty. The core of Shai, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Josh Giddey are all under 26. Add to that one of the deepest benches in the league and a coach in Mark Daigneault who might be the most underrated mind in basketball? Yeah, this isn’t a one-and-done.

This proves that the rebuild is no longer a project, OKC has gone from scrappy underdogs to certified champions.

Shai said it best in the postgame: “It doesn’t feel real… but we earned this. Every single one of us.”

It does feel real now. It’s thunderous. It’s historic. And it’s just the beginning.