Seventeen years of waiting. One defining night in Game 7. Oklahoma City Thunder captured their first-ever NBA championship with a gritty 103-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers, capping a fairytale rise and a season for the ages.
From 22 wins just three years ago to 68 this season, the Thunder’s transformation has been nothing short of spectacular. And at the heart of it all stood Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the newly crowned MVP, Finals MVP, and NBA champion, who delivered 29 points and 12 assists in a commanding performance.
The night, however, was shadowed by heartbreak for Indiana. Just five minutes in, star guard Tyrese Haliburton went down clutching his leg. His father later confirmed it was an Achilles injury, a cruel blow for a player who had lit up the postseason.
Indiana rallied bravely, even taking a one-point lead into halftime. But the Thunder emerged from the break with purpose, unleashing a trademark third-quarter blitz, outscoring the Pacers 34-20 to seize control.
The Pacers, as they had all playoffs, refused to quit. Andrew Nembhard’s late three cut the deficit to 10, but Oklahoma City’s poise held firm. No miracle comeback this time.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s brilliance capped a journey that began in 2019, when GM Sam Presti traded Paul George and Russell Westbrook to ignite a rebuild. In came Shai, Lu Dort, and eventually Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, all now central figures in the Thunder’s title run.
Williams, especially, came alive in the Finals, notching a career-high 40 in Game 5. Holmgren, despite injury setbacks, imposed himself defensively and on the glass. Together, they’ve formed a young, hungry core that looks built to last.
At just 25, Shai joins a rare group of MVPs to win it all in the same season, the first since Steph Curry in 2015. That Warriors team launched a dynasty. Whatever the future holds, Oklahoma City can finally celebrate its first NBA crown.
