Aday Mara Focused on First NBA Game, Not Thunder-Spurs Rivalry

Aday Mara knew he was joining a good Oklahoma City Thunder team when his name was called No. 12 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft.

It just took him a little while to fully understand what he was walking into.

The Thunder’s run through the Western Conference last season ended with a Game 7 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, creating what could be the beginning of a rivalry between two young teams that figure to be competing near the top of the conference for years to come.

A few weeks later, Mara was drafted by Oklahoma City.

He admits, though, that he didn’t immediately put those two things together.

“To be honest, it took me for a little bit, I got drafted, and, okay, I’m going to OKC. And then you start seeing that you’re going to a team that has a rivalry and has to play against all these teams.”

As Mara settled into the idea of being a member of the Thunder, he began to realize just how significant that matchup with San Antonio could become.

The Spurs are no longer simply another Western Conference opponent. The two teams have young cores, high expectations and, after last season’s Western Conference Finals, some recent history between them.

Mara understands that.

“So yeah, it took me for a couple weeks. But obviously we have like a rivalry against the Spurs because we just played the final conference (game) last year, and they are a great team.”

Still, Mara isn’t approaching his first NBA season with the Spurs at the front of his mind.

There will be plenty of time for him to learn what those games mean, especially if the two teams find themselves facing each other again when the stakes are much higher. Right now, the bigger challenge is simply getting through his first NBA season.

The schedule is long, and the Thunder have plenty of teams to worry about.

“But we have like a long season to go. We have a lot of teams that we have to play against.”

That’s probably a pretty reasonable way for a 19-year-old rookie to look at things.

Mara has plenty to learn as he makes the jump to the NBA. He has to adjust to the speed and physicality of the league, learn Oklahoma City’s system and figure out how he fits alongside a team that already has championship expectations.

There is no reason for him to get too far ahead of himself.

“So I’m worried going about going game-by-game, play my first game first, and then think about all these other teams and all this.”

For Mara, that first game is much more important right now than thinking about what a potential rivalry could look like months from now.

“It’s more like playing against every time. I’m more concerned about that than just the Spurs”

And honestly, that’s probably the right approach.

The Thunder and Spurs could very well become one of the NBA’s more interesting rivalries. Both organizations have young talent, both expect to compete and both could spend the next several years fighting for position in the Western Conference.

Mara will eventually get a firsthand look at what makes the matchup different.

But for now, he’s trying to take everything one step at a time.

The Spurs can wait. His first NBA game can’t.