Why Oklahoma City Thunder Could Own the Next Decade of the NBA

There have been only three times in NBA history when one franchise won at least half of the championships over a 10-year span.

George Mikan’s Minneapolis Lakers collected five titles in six years (1949-54) during an era when the league generally consisted of a dozen teams, give or take a Sheboygan Red Skins.

Then came Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics. They won eight in a row (1959-66) when the NBA fielded just eight or nine teams.

In the modern era, there’s only Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. They pieced together a pair of three-peats (1991-93, 1996-98) interrupted only by Jordan’s flirtation with baseball. Or, for those who enjoy a good conspiracy theory, while Jordan was suspended for gambling.

We trot out these legendary crews to put into perspective the incredible era that’s unfolding right before our eyes.

Frankly, it will be a big upset if the Oklahoma City Thunder don’t collect at least six Larry O’Brien trophies from 2025 through 2035. In other words, the Thunder are going to win more crowns over this 11-year span than the other 29 teams combined.

Of course, the Thunder already have that first title under their belt. Now, despite playing without No. 2 stud Jalen Williams for the first 19 games of the season, they’re on the way to the greatest start in NBA history.

With Wednesday’s 138-89 victory over the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Cup quarterfinals, the Thunder sit at 24-1. Only the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who set the NBA regular-season record by going 73-9, have matched this 24-1 start.

If the Thunder win their NBA Cup semifinal against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday and take the NBA Cup title game on Tuesday, then they’ll become the first NBA team to deliver a 26-1 start.

Crazily enough, those 2015-16 Warriors were in a similar place the Thunder are now. The Warriors had a sure-fire Hall of Fame guard in his Year 27 season (Steph Curry) and so do the Thunder (reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander).

Curry had a couple young Hall of Very Good studs riding shotgun with him in 25-year-olds Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, but SGA has a pair of 23-year-old stars alongside him in Williams and Chet Holmgren — and all three have signed contract extensions through the 2030-31 season.

Their relative youth is only one area where the Thunder’s long-term prognosis looks greater than the Warriors, who celebrated championships in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.

When you check out all of Oklahoma City’s draft inventory, it’s clear how much longer the Thunder might roll. Next year, OKC holds its pick along with the Philadelphia 76ers’ pick (protected 1-4) and the Utah Jazz’s choice (protected 1-8). The Sixers are over .500 while the Jazz currently have the eighth-worst record, so that could come down to the NBA lottery on May 12.

(By the way, the Thunder earned this potential lottery pick way back in 2021 simply because general manager Sam Presti was willing to take backup big man Derrick Favors’ $9.7 million contract. The Jazz handed OKC their 2024 1st-round pick while only getting some cash and a 2nd-round pick in return. It’s one of many examples of how Presti has stayed two steps ahead of the rest of the league.)

In 2027, the Thunder’s draft prospects are even more sick. They have their own pick. They have the Denver Nuggets’ pick unless the Nuggets are in the top 5. They get the San Antonio Spurs’ pick if it’s later than 16. Oh, and they also have the right to swap their 1st-round pick OR Denver’s 1st-round pick for the Los Angeles Clippers’ first pick. The Clips are awful now (6-18) and figure to be even worse next year.

And none of this takes into account how the Thunder’s last two lottery selections -- Nikola Topic, the 12th pick in the 2024 draft, and Thomas Sorber, the 15th pick last June – have yet to play a minute. They will make their mark once Topic whips testicular cancer and Sorber’s torn ACL heals.

Right now, the Thunder still seem to be a secret. Maybe they have to win another title or two before they start the overexposure part of their story arc.

We’ll know they’re getting there when Saturday Night Live asks SGA to host and he gets to do a sketch with a new era of Superfans who promise a “minimum eight-peat.”