“There’s no silver platters in Oklahoma. But I would say anything is possible… We as an organization and as a team have to earn our arrival.” Before the season began, GM Sam Presti made it clear that bringing a title to OKC would not be easy. He had come awfully close to tasting victory once before, with the young core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden in 2012, but fell short in the NBA Finals. So, Presti understood that a team could have everything they need to win, yet be far away from reaching their ultimate goal.

With that mindset, he initiated a Thunder rebuild in 2019, with the blockbuster Paul George trade. In exchange, he received several draft assets along with a sophomore named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who at the time was nothing more than a promising young talent. Little did Presti know that six years later, that sophomore would become the MVP of the league and lead Thunder to their first championship since relocating to OKC. And turns out, it was the GM’s private locker room message that helped SGA and Co. reach this level of success.

Highlighting Presti’s impact on Thunder’s incredible journey, Shai said during the postgame presser, “Throughout this whole process, Sam has done a really good job of being honest and upfront, not only to myself but rest of the group. Two years, three years ago, like he came into the room and said, I think this is just when Chet got hurt in the summer time, he was like ‘All the noise is we’re gonna tank again cause Chet got hurt’ and he said like ‘our destiny is what we make it and no one else can control that.’”

At the time, the franchise was going through a dark period, struggling to even make it to the postseason. And Holmgren’s season-ending foot injury only raised more concerns about their credibility. During that rough phase, it was Presti’s inspirational words and focused vision that kept Shai and the crew motivated.

Moreover, it built a mindset that was required to win the championship this year, “That message stuck with me. Ever since that like we can do whatever we wanna do out there. Just like how we have all got to the NBA no matter what anybody says, no matter who’s hurt or who’s not. That talk stuck in my head and I think few of the other guys as well and it’s a big part of why we’re here.”

Within no time, Thunder ended their three-year playoff drought, and this year, they continued that momentum to finally win it all. And Shai used this platform to give OKC’s leadership their flowers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander commends OKC’s leadership after winning first NBA title

Being the face of the franchise, SGA has gotten majority of credit for his team’s success throughout the season. From regular season MVP to Finals MVP, he has bagged all the accolades, solidifying his greatness. But OKC’s unsung heroes, owner Clay Bennett, GM Sam Presti, and head coach Mark Daigneault, have not gotten enough credit for their contribution in this win.

So, Shai made sure to give the team leadership their flowers following their dominant Game 7 victory, “Yeah, I’m so happy for them. They put in so much work behind the scenes that not everybody sees. They don’t always get the credit but they’ve done an amazing job of building an environment, a winning environment. And it’s no fluke why we are here and why we have so much success and why we’ve grown so quickly.”

While most franchises spend decades trying to find the right formula for success, Presti and Bennett managed to achieve that feat in just six years. “Those guys have done a great job of just giving us a platform to be ourselves and be great, and we did so.” Shai added. Had it not been for their smart and visionary front office decisions, going against the usual norm of forming super teams, Thunder might never have reached this stage.

So, all credit to them for trusting young unproven stars and building a winning team instead of a star-studded lineup. As Sam Presti said before, “We’re trying to be the exception to an age-old rule in sports that you cannot win at the highest level with young players. We recognize in order to be that team, you have to be willing to be an exception.” The GM has finally achieved his goal. What are your thoughts on OKC’s incredible journey?