Relive the championship joy: banner raising, parade chaos, MVP glory, and the moments that etched the Thunder's first title into history.
The year 2025 will go down as the greatest and most memorable in Oklahoma City Thunder history.
Sure, more championships very likely may be won. More Most Valuable Player trophies may be earned. New arenas will be built and statues will be erected. But no state's pro sports title is as meaningful as the first. No parade will be as enthusiastic as the initial one. And no group of players may be as beloved as the 18 young men (and Alex Caruso) who finally made a passionate small market fanbase's basketball dream came true.
If you asked 100 different Thunder fans their top 10 favorite moments of 2025, there would be a wide variety of answers. Some of those would likely include OKC winning 68 games or Lu Dort's 3 point barrage in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being named the NBA2K26 cover athlete or Jalen Williams dropping 40 in the NBA Finals or Chet Holmgren's thrillingly unexpected return from a hip fracture.
But there are a handful of memorable moments over this calendar year that stand out above the rest and would likely end up on the vast majority of Thunder fan favorite lists.
Top 5 OKC Thunder Moments of 2025
5. Opening Night Ring/Banner ceremony. The players being rewarded with their rings from Adam Silver and the championship banner being raised in honor of the team's first NBA title made for an electric night in Oklahoma City. Kevin Durant being in the house was a bit on the nose but also nicely played from the league script writers.
4. Thunder Championship Parade. An all-time moment not only for the Thunder, but for Oklahoma City as a whole. Don't believe any social media false narratives. The turn out was massive. The players running along the streets and into the crowds with the Larry O'Brien Trophy was entirely unique and summed up the relationship with this team and this community.
3. The Aaron Wiggins Speech. The man who saved basketball delivered a rousing address to the packed audience at The Paycom Center and a livestreaming audience during the Championship Celebration that held the inspirational power of one hundred Rocky montage scenes.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins MVP. The culmination of an all-time historic individual season. Though a vocal minority believe Nikola Jokic deserved the honor, Gilgeous-Alexander ended up winning comfortably. Much to the joy of the entire OKC fanbase.
1. Thunder win the NBA Championship. The moment every Thunder fan has waited for since the 3-29 start in 2008 to the heartbreak of losing the NBA Finals in 2012 to Klay Thompson's explosion in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals to Kevin Durant's departure to Russell Westbrook's staying to the rebuild to the rise of the a new Thunder era.