Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & the OKC Thunder Are the New Kings of the NBA After Taking Care of Pacers In Game 7 of the NBA Finals

OKLAHOMA CITY– Seventeen years after a young core first turned heads in Oklahoma City, the Thunder finally climbed the mountain. On Thursday night, in a loud and desperate Gainbridge Fieldhouse, they quieted the crowd and the questions about their youth with a 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 and for the first time in franchise history, the Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions.

They didn’t just win. They validated every step of the plan.

This was more than a championship. This was a full-circle moment. From the heartbreak of 2012, to the departure of Kevin Durant, to the rebuild that began with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander arriving in a trade nobody thought much of — every moment led to this one.

And Shai? He became everything.

SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER: FROM QUIET STAR TO NBA KING

Already the 2025 NBA MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander cemented a legacy with a Finals MVP performance worthy of the stage. In Game 7, he posted 29 points, 12 assists, 5 assists, and countless moments of calm when chaos swirled around him. He picked his spots, got to the free-throw line, closed the game with mid-range daggers, and set the tone on both ends.

He didn’t do it alone — but it always came back to him. The control, the composure, the cold-blooded shot-making. This was his coronation.

BUILT, NOT BOUGHT

There was no shortcut here. No free agency coup. No blockbuster trade at the deadline. The Thunder did what small-market franchises aren’t supposed to do in today’s NBA: they built from the ground up, stuck to their plan, and trusted the timeline.

Jalen Williams, a first-round pick, delivered a Finals series that redefined his ceiling, including a 40-point outburst in Game 5. Chet Holmgren, in just second season, proved to be the defensive anchor they envisioned when drafting him. And head coach Mark Daigneault? He out-coached every veteran in his path, turning mismatches into matchups and youth into strength.

Their 68–14 regular season wasn’t a fluke. It was a warning.

THE FINALS: TOUGH, TESTED, AND WON

Indiana gave them everything. The Pacers took Game 1 in dramatic fashion, pushed the pace all series, and defended with heart. But when Tyrese Haliburton’s calf injury limited him down the stretch and eventual game altering lower leg injury (that looked to be an Achilles tear), OKC pounced. The Thunder adjusted. They closed off the paint, switched with purpose, and dared the Pacers to keep up.

Games 4 and 5 turned the tide. Game 6 gave the Pacers hope. Game 7 ended it. And not with fireworks, but with discipline. OKC played like a team that had been there before, even though none of them had. That’s culture. That’s growth. That’s a championship team.

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

The celebration has already begun in Bricktown. Fans poured into the streets. Horns echoed downtown. A generation that once watched Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook fall just short now watches a new core,  younger, calmer, maybe even better, raise the Larry O’Brien trophy they left behind.

And here’s the scary part for the rest of the league: they’re not done.

Shai is 26. Jalen Williams is 24. Chet is 23. This wasn’t a one off run. This was a blueprint becoming a banner.

The Thunder didn’t just win a championship. They arrived, loudly and permanently.

The NBA has a new standard and it lives in Oklahoma City.

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