Although born in Oklahoma City, I have lived most of my adult life in China, serving as a missionary, and enjoying a unique perspective on how the OKC Thunder took the basketball world by storm. For those unfamiliar with the short history of Oklahoma’s only professional sports franchise, below you will find an update on the current NBA season, followed by a short primer from an Okie who has witnessed (from both near and far) the rise and fall (and subsequent rebirth) of the Thunder.
The Thunder Storm Into 2025
The Oklahoma City Thunder are statistically the best basketball team in the world in 2025. You may have heard of their record-breaking regular season, devastating defense, and nearly unstoppable offense led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), the favorite to win this year’s MVP.
The Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of this year's playoffs. Then they battled (and finally defeated) the former NBA champion Denver Nuggets in a seven game death match. Now, the next fortnight will feature “Antman” and the Timberwolves battling SGA and the Thunder for Western Conference dominion. Finally, the winner of the Eastern Conference, either the New York Knicks or the up-and-coming Indiana Pacers, will be waiting in the NBA Finals. The Thunder are being picked by many (most?) to win this year’s NBA Title, no matter who they play. Only time will tell. Eight more wins.
The Palace on the Prairie
College football has been king in Oklahoma since at least the 1950s, when OU won three national championships. Every fall, OU’s Owen Field (aka, The Palace on the Prairie) rocks under the weight of 80,000 screaming fans.
However, having our own Big League sports team, in any sport, always felt like a dream. It just wasn’t gonna happen. So we Oklahomans rooted for our local high school teams, our favorite in-state rival college team (Bedlam!), or any one of dozens of pro teams. Many of us naturally gravitated to the nearby Dallas teams, especially the Cowboys and Texas Rangers.
However, others picked random teams from around the country. For instance, although born and raised in suburban OKC, I started out as a Pittsburgh Pirates fan (I was a Pirate in little league) and then jumped to the Cubs and Braves because they were always on TV in the early 1990s.
Katrina Opens the Door (2005-2007)
I had been in China for two years when, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina forced the New Orleans Hornets to temporarily relocate to Oklahoma City for the beginning of the NBA season. And for the next two years, Oklahomans emphatically proved they could support an NBA franchise.
It was about that time that my brother (then covering local high school sports) told me about the tiny possibility that Oklahoma City could actually acquire the Seattle Supersonics, since some Oklahoma businessmen had purchased the team from former Starbucks CEO, Howard Schulz.
Not long after the end of our second and final season hosting the Hornets, the unlikely became reality. According to NBA.com, on July 3, 2008, the ownership group “led by Clay Bennett, reached a settlement agreement in the lawsuit filed by the city of Seattle, finalizing the move of the Seattle SuperSonics” to Oklahoma City. The team changed its name to the Thunder, and not long after, our award-winning mascot Rumble the Bison was born.
Thunder Up (2008-2012)
In the fall of 2008, we returned from China for the birth of our third child, just in time for the Thunder’s inaugural season. I remember attending my first game sometime that winter, and not really caring that the Thunder got beat by the Denver Nuggets. It was just surreal that we had our own team!. And despite the Thunder losing over twice as many games as they won that inaugural year, I was hooked as a fan of the NBA’s newest squad, our own OKC Thunder!
That first losing season (2008-2009), when the Thunder finished 23-59 and last place in their division, turned out to be the precursor to more than a decade of winning. They improved their record every year, eventually reaching the NBA Finals in 2012. In fact, during that meteoric rise (2009-12), the Thunder lost each year in the playoffs to the team that would eventually win it all.
In 2009-2010, their first winning season, the Thunder lost to the Lakers in the first round. The Lakers went on to win it all that year, their final championship with Kobe Bryant. I remember nervously listening to these games live from China, cheering on the Thunder while shooting hoops alone on a local court in the morning (13 hour time difference) half a world away.
In 2011, the Thunder lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, after advancing through multiple playoff rounds. Dallas would go on to win the Finals that year, their only championship with German star Dirk Nowitski... It's worth noting that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had been one of the most vocal opponents of Oklahoma City acquiring its own NBA franchise, mostly due to its geographic proximity to Dallas.
In 2012, the Thunder swept the previous year’s champion Mavericks. Then they won the Western Conference Finals in six games, beating the dominant San Antonio Spurs four games in a row, after the Spurs had won twenty games in a row, including the first two in that series. Then, facing Miami in the Finals, and after winning the first game at home, the Thunder lost the next four Finals games in a row (and the series) to the Heat, as Lebron won his first NBA title.
It was during this meteoric rise that I noticed something interesting living in western China. Previously, whenever I was asked by a Chinese person what part of the United States I had originally come from, I would typically say something like “not far from Dallas”. Most urban Chinese had heard of Dallas, but almost nobody knew of Oklahoma. That changed rapidly in proportion to the Thunder’s rise during those years. The Chinese love basketball (Chinese star Yao Ming playing in the NBA), and the Thunder gained worldwide popularity as they kept on winning. So when I began to say “I’m from the city where the Thunder play”, the Chinese would nod knowingly. The Thunder put OKC on China’s American map.
Adversity (2013-2015)
In 2012, even after losing in the Finals, it seemed inevitable that the Thunder would continue their rise and win at least one, if not multiple, NBA titles. In many ways, we had become spoiled. But of course you can’t count your chickens before they hatch. The Thunder surprisingly traded one of their best players (and future NBA superstar) in order to save money after that season, one of the few obvious mistakes that Thunder leadership has made over the years.
But the self-inflicted Harden trade was not the only adversity the Thunder faced. They were also hit with major injuries in both. Star point guard Russell Westbrook tore his meniscus after Patrick Beverly dove into his legs during the 2013 playoffs. The Thunder, who had their best record ever up to that point (60-22), and the best record in the Western Conference that year, would then lose in the playoffs, and Westbrook would not return until the following season.
I clearly remember one of those 2013 playoff games in particular: I was watching in my hotel room in the foothills of Tibet and remember being annoyed by a surprise visit from the local Commie authorities. Although the visit was “ordinary” for that region, I was nervous with a car full of contraband Bibles due to deliver to a nearby church. The game on the TV actually gave me an excuse to sort of ignore the police.
After Kevin Durant led the Thunder back to the Western Conference Finals in 2014, where the Thunder would lose to the eventual champion Spurs, he missed much of the following season due to a Jones fracture in his foot. The Thunder would miss the playoffs completely that season, even though Westbrook won the scoring title. With everyone healthy again for 2015-2016, the Thunder were ready to return to the NBA Finals. They had a 3-1 game lead on the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, before losing three excruciating games in a row. That season, which started so promising, would turn out to be the end of an era.
Devastated by Durant (2016)
Kevin was one of us. At least that’s what everyone thought. Oklahoma even has a town named Durant! Sure, he had played basketball for Texas, Oklahoma’s arch-rival south of the Red River. But he always seemed to be the perfect superstar, simultaneously dominant and humble.
Stories abound of Kevin hanging out with neighbors, driving around town in his van dropping in to play random pick-up basketball games, coming to press-conferences (in his early years) with his backpack (supposedly with a Bible inside). Too good to be true, as they say.
So when Durant chose to join the enemy Warriors on July 4th, 2016, Oklahomans took his defection hard. Like, really hard. We couldn’t believe it. We are so loyal. We couldn’t understand how “one of our own” would willingly walk away, especially to the rivals who had just beaten him!
It wasn’t just about winning, although most of us believed that Durant would eventually win us an NBA title. It turns out we believed in Durant more than he believed in himself. Kevin Durant earned the nickname he was given by many of his former Oklahoma City fans: “cupcake”.
Back to China.
I remember driving in our little van with the kids in the back, trying to think of a way to explain to them that Durant was no longer in OKC. My voice cracked as I told them that Durant wasn’t a Thunder anymore. “Wait, really?” they asked, incredulous. They didn’t care about basketball, but they knew who Durant was. They had watched family and friends cheer for years as he rained buckets on countless Oklahoma evenings. They would have recognized him in a heartbeat if they saw him. And then he was gone, never to be cheered in Oklahoma again.
The Westbrook Show (2017-2019)
In the wake of Durant’s departure, Westbrook’s 2016-2017 season was the stuff of legends. He rampaged through the league, scoring, assisting, and rebounding like no one else. It was a one-man show, and it went on the road. People flocked to see the Westbrook show, not just in OKC, but in arenas all across the country.
We made it to a couple of games that year, including an away game against the Brooklyn Nets. Westbrook fans showed up that night from all across the region, including one lady we met from Upstate New York. She was proudly wearing her “0” Westbrook jersey, with no ties to Oklahoma other than Russell.
On that snowy spring night in Brooklyn, Westbrook did his thing, leading the Thunder to victory while scoring 25 points to go with 12 rebounds and a ridiculous 19 assists.
Thunder fans realized a few important things during that unforgettable season:
First, winning isn’t everything. He deservedly won that year’s Most Valuable Player award, even though he couldn’t carry the Thunder out of the first round of the playoffs. Westbrook made basketball fun again. He brought joy and emotional fire to a city that was heartbroken by the betrayal of a former son and friend.
Second, Oklahomans had picked the wrong superstar hero. Russell Westbrook was never quite as talented as Durant, and had always played second fiddle, but he turned out to be infinitely more devoted to the team, the city, and the fans. To this day, upon returning to OKC, boos rain down from the rafters on Durant, while Westbrook is greeted with tears and cheers.
After that epic season, Westbrook somehow convinced Indiana Pacers star Paul George to join him in Oklahoma City. I remember reading the news while eating at a McDonalds in Macau, happy that the Thunder “were back”.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. After two years of relatively mediocre basketball (2017-2019), and early playoff exits, the Thunder traded George in July of 2019 in what would turn out to be the most important transaction for the Thunder’s major rebuild in the following years.
It should be noted that Paul George was much more friendly to the Thunder in his departure from OKC than Durant, clearly stating in advance his desire to move on. This gave Thunder GM, Sam Presti, the opportunity to trade him for max value.
Rebuilding (2019-2023)
And maximize the trade he did. In return for trading Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Thunder received Danilo Gallinari (one of my kids favorite players), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (aka, SGA, a young star), and a host of future draft capital.
A few weeks later, Russell Westbrook was traded for future hall-of-famer Chris Paul and two first round draft picks. Westbrook’s departure was bittersweet to say the least. We hated for him to leave. He was a beloved figure after a decade dominating OKC sports, but we knew it would be best for the long-term health of the franchise. One of my daughters remembers taking the Westbrook departure much harder than Durant’s. Everyone loved him. Durant betrayed, but Russell stayed.
It helped that Chris Paul had played in OKC during the Hornets years (2005-2007) and was a fan favorite. However, the goal at that point was not to win, but to transition into a full team rebuild. Notably, it was during those “losing” seasons that Chris Paul helped mentor young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
All in all, the Thunder had accumulated 18 first-round draft picks by 2021, and they generally drafted well. They also signed SGA to a max extension, as he was already proving to be much more than just any young player. He had the makings of a superstar.
We saw early on that SGA was really good, but we also had relatively low expectations. We were content to just be fun and relevant again, and maybe win a few games. But the young Thunder, led by SGA, just kept on winning.
This new season of NBA dominance sort of snuck up on us in Oklahoma City.
Dominating (2024-Present)
The Thunder improved from just 24 wins in the 2021-2022 season to 40 wins the following year, barely missing the playoffs. Then in 2023-2024, they vaulted to 57 wins for the best record in the Western Conference, something they had only done once before, the year Westbrook tore his meniscus (2012-2013).
They not only made the playoffs in 2024, but swept the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round. However, in the second round they were overwhelmed in six games by Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, who went on to lose to Boston in the NBA Finals.
That brings us to the season which just ended (2024-2025). The Thunder ran away with the Western Conference, winning 68 games, more than any other season in their history. In fact, they tied for fourth in NBA history with 68 wins in one season. Not only that, but they broke the all-time record, outscoring their opponents by average of 12.9 points per game. This team is better than ever, and only keeps improving.
Nobody in OKC would’ve dared to dream of this return to the top of the NBA just a few short years ago. In fact, all throughout this special season, we keep expecting them to start losing, to return to the mean, to blow a few leads. But all year long, they kept pulling out victories more consistently than they have ever done before, even in the very best of the Durant-Westbrook years. Instead of becoming complacent, losing leads, or barely winning games, this iteration of the Thunder won an NBA record 54 games this season by more than ten points!
What Makes This Team Special
Thunder coach Mark Daignault is famous for constantly repeating one of the central tenets of his team’s success: stacking possessions. One good play (on offense or defense) isn’t enough. You have to continue plodding, putting in the requisite effort over and over and over again, so that it bears results at the end of the game. Stack possessions. Stack quarters. Stack games.
And it is working. The Thunder defense was ranked best in the league this season, and their ability to force turnovers and convert them into offense has been a huge part of their success.
On offense, the Thunder don’t have to only rely on NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had a statistical season to match any of Michael Jordan’s best years. They have a versatile, creative, energetic offense, with a long list of weapons, including Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe.
The Thunder are already one of the deepest teams in the league, and most of their players are still young and improving. They are full of joy, camaraderie, unselfishness, relentlessness, humility, chemistry, and energy. These are all terms that have been used to describe the unique qualities of this Thunder team.
And most aren’t even necessarily basketball related. You see all of these in action during their now famous post-game interviews, where nearly the entire team surrounds the person with the mic. Nodding in faux-seriousness with every answer, the players relentlessly refuse to let their more talented teammates take themselves too seriously. Nor do the Thunder shy away from praising and lifting up the younger players when they shine in a particular moment, showering them with water, tossing towels on them, and even barking (they consider themselves “dogs”: fun-loving, full of grit and tenacity).
The humble, joy-filled, hard-work, no-nonsense, never-quit attitude displayed by this group of players makes those of us from Oklahoma City proud to call the Thunder our team. And it’s obvious that many NBA fans from around the world feel the same way.
Storm Chasing
Whether or not the Thunder win an NBA title this year, there is no doubt that the Oklahoma City Thunder will be competing for championships for many years to come. They have the most draft capital in the NBA to pair with one of the best young cores in the league, giving them the ability to hand-pick future contributors who both fit the Thunder culture and come at a rookie discount.
While the Thunder spend the rest of the decade chasing championships, the rest of the NBA will most likely be chasing the rolling Thunder.
