This story is part of FanSided’s Fandoms of the Year, a series spotlighting the teams, athletes and cultures that defined sports fandom in 2025.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have always been ahead of the curve. Sam Presti has guided the franchise through multiple chapters defined by fruitful results, with an eye on balance and an unrivaled understanding of the trends of the NBA. So, perhaps it was only a matter of time before the Thunder won a championship.
After all, it was Presti who drafted three MVPs and scoring champions in a span of three years — Kevin Durant in 2007, Russell Westbrook in 2008 and James Harden in 2009. As superteams took hold, however, even Presti's draft-night magic seemed unlikely to measure up to what teams were doing through free agency and the trade market.
Thankfully, when the NBA took a stand against the competitive imbalance that made a vast majority of its franchises obsolete in the championship picture, the Thunder were ready to capitalize.
The Paul George trade changed everything
Presti had already completed a 2019 trade that sent All-NBA First Team honoree Paul George to the LA Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round draft picks and an additional two pick swaps. In hindsight, it was one of the greatest hauls in NBA history. But at the moment, Presti was effectively trading one of the best players from the 2018-19 season for a guard who was drafted outside of the top 10 just one year prior — and finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting.
Gilgeous-Alexander has since joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal as the only players in NBA history to win a championship, MVP, Finals MVP and scoring title in a single season.
This superteam wasn’t built around one star
The Thunder's dominance wasn't built on just one player, however, as Presti built the deepest and most complete team in the NBA. In many respects, he constructed a superteam that didn't require trades for household names or the combination of players who previously comprised the crux of a conference's competitive balance.
Instead, Presti did what he's always done: Drafted with unrivaled success. The difference between the Gilgeous-Alexander era and the Durant era is that he learned from past mistakes by taking chances on veterans who could put Oklahoma City over the top.
Presti drafted franchise cornerstones Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams 10 picks apart in the same class. It was one year after he selected Josh Giddey — whom he'd later trade for All-Defense honoree and two-time NBA champion Alex Caruso — and Aaron Wiggins.
Oklahoma City also traded up to draft Cason Wallace at No. 10 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, brought in Ajay Mitchell with the No. 38 selection in 2024, and found undrafted gems in Luguentz Dort and Isaiah Joe. Joe was actually signed by the Philadelphia 76ers, but was waived and later signed and invested in by the Thunder.
The latter development is perhaps the most significant of all. Oklahoma City isn't just finding talent and benefiting from a strong scouting department. It's taking calculated risks and paying above market value to invest in its talent's future and thus make the leap from promising to dominant.
The Thunder built a deep roster that always makes sense
Joe was signed to a four-year, $48 million contract despite never previously averaging more than 19.1 minutes per game. Wiggins signed a five-year, $45 million deal, prior to his negotiating window, after averaging 15.7 minutes per contest the season prior. Oklahoma City even tuned out the noise as critics swore that signing a then non-shooter in Dort to a five-year, $87.5 million deal would be a mistake, even if he was already elite on defense.
Compounded by the decisions to sign Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $87 million contract and trade a 21-year-old triple-double threat in Giddey for a 30-year-old Caruso, the Thunder went all in on their vision of being the deepest and most balanced team in the NBA.
The results have been remarkable. Oklahoma City has an endless rotation of wings who can pass, dribble, shoot and defend. They complement an organically developed star trio of Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Williams, who are either just now entering or still far off from their respective primes. It even paid early on Ajay Mitchell, who's emerging as a Most Improved Player candidate in 2025-26 — and will average just $2.9 million per season through 2027-28.
Oklahoma City didn't listen to how those around the NBA felt about what it means to properly build a contender. It didn't go all-in on big names in hopes of talent being enough. And it certainly didn't respect an arbitrarily decided version of players' market value, when fit will always triumph over raw abilities.
Instead, the Thunder built the early makings of a dynasty by refusing to sell their souls, committing to a long-term vision and accepting that the NBA Draft and calculated risks on the perfect veterans have always won out when parity is permitted.
Thunder fans are finally being rewarded
As a result of Presti's blend of patience and risk analysis, fans can finally reap the benefits of nearly 20 years of turbulence. They've remained supportive as the Thunder chose money over a dynasty by letting Harden walk. They've attempted to be understanding as Oklahoma City decided a downhill playmaker in Westbrook shouldn't have shooters at his disposal. They've even endured the heartbreak of Durant joining a rival and the dynasty that should've been crumbling in the process.
Thunder fans have created an almost unrivaled home-court advantage. They're finally being rewarded with the early realization of the dynastic dream they painfully lost.