Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have become one of the NBA's model organizations, playing home games at Paycom Center in downtown Oklahoma City. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a homegrown core delivered the franchise's first title since the Seattle era in 2025, and OKC followed it with another West finals trip in 2026. The blue-and-orange identity now represents the league's gold standard for drafting, development, and sustained contention.

The franchise began in 1967 as the Seattle SuperSonics, winning its only Seattle-era championship in 1979. After relocating in 2008, OKC reached the 2012 Finals behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook before a patient rebuild. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to the 2025 title over Indiana and back to the Western Conference Finals in 2026, where they lost a seven-game series to San Antonio after winning 68 regular-season games.