The Oklahoma City Thunder kicked off its 2025-2026 NBA season with a ring ceremony at the Paycom Center to honor its first championship title in the franchise’s history.
Ring ceremonies date back to 1947 when the Philadelphia Warriors, who later moved to San Francisco and changed their name to the Golden State Warriors, had the first championship rings awarded by the NBA.
The ring ceremony kicked off with Nikola Topic being the first Thunder player to receive his championship ring. After the rest of the team received their rings, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning Most Valuable Player, drew cheers that reached around 105 decibels when he received his championship ring from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Fans chanted “M.V.P.” and “O.K.C.”
Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP award by being the best player in the previous season. These rings had a tribute to the Oklahoma City Memorial with a small picture of the Gate of Time and the Reflecting Pool.These two monuments were made after the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995.
Then, the Thunder raised a huge banner into the air, cementing last year’s victory into the Thunder history book. According to ESPN, the Thunder is still favored to win the championship this next season, even while being plagued by injuries.
After the ceremony, the Thunder focused on beating the Houston Rockets, the new team of former Thunder player Kevin Durant. When Durant was introduced in the starting lineup, the whole crowd booed; they also booed every single time he had the ball. This was because of how he left the team, joining the Golden State Warriors after the Thunder lost to them in the playoffs the year prior.
One player who they did not boo was Steven Adams, who is also a former Thunder player. He was on the team for seven years, kicking off his career by being drafted by the Thunder in 2013. He was eventually traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2020.
The Thunder eventually beat the Rockets in a 125-124 victory in the second overtime on this historic night in Oklahoma City to honor the team’s first NBA Championship and the most winning season in franchise history.
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