The 6-Year-Old Note That Led To The Thunder’s Title
Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, and LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Some of the greatest players and teams in NBA history, all of whom won a championship over the course of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s rebuild, led by Sam Presti.
Now that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and company have made their own mark in the basketball history books, we can truly look back and marvel at one of the greatest rebuiled in NBA history.
Such an unprecedented team put together in a historic rebuild that was orchestrated by the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Sam Presti has already set records and is now on its way to the top of the mountain.
In this video essay, Royce Young breaks down how one letter kicked off a legendary season, followed by a memorable Playoff run through teams like the Ja Morant-led Memphis Grizzlies, Nikola Jokić led Denver Nuggets, Anthony Edwards led Minnesota Timberwolves, and Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana Pacers. The making of the NBA’s 2025 Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
0:00 Oklahoma City Thunder Lose To Indiana Pacers in Game 6
1:27 Sam Presti Writes A Letter
1:54 The Letter That Led To An NBA Title
3:40 How The Thunder Were Crafted
5:30 No Biggie in OKC
6:45 NBA Media Doubts The Thunder
7:28 Round 1 vs The Memphis Grizzlies
8:20 Round 2 vs The Denver Nuggets
11:30 The Rise of Lu Dort
13:37 Denver Nuggets vs OKC Thunder
15:08 Jalen Williams Playing Injured
16:16 Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets Game 7
17:08 The Rise of Jalen Williams
18:05 Round 2 vs The Minnesota Timberwolves
22:35 The Power of Team Through The Western Conference
24:00 The NBA Finals vs The Indiana Pacers
32:00 Thunder vs Pacer in a NBA Finals Game 7
33:00 Asterisks in The NBA Playoffs
34:45 The Greatness of The Oklahoma City Thunder
4 Comments
Thank you for this gem 💎⚡️🏆
The BEST basketball channel on youtube. My favorite
Phenomenal job, Royce! Phenomenal work on a piece describing the best sports run in Oklahoma history.
I am sure everyone has seen the featured news article but Sam was destined for this long before The Letter. To quote 16 year old Sam Presti in his OpEd piece about the Celtics needing to rebuild, "in order to rebuild, they need a solid nucleus, and that is a strong point guard to run the team."
Sam Presti was built for the ups and downs that come with running an NBA franchise. We Thunder fans love to spread the mantra, "In Presti We Trust," but the reality is the man has cultivated the mentality of what it takes to build a successful organization since he was a teenager. When you are afraid of getting onto an airplane, you will ultimately feel more at ease if someone assures you the pilot has been doing his job for over 30 years and has a history of excellence that testifies to his ability. It might not have helped everyone, but I certainly felt at peace going into OKC's rebuild because I put my trust in the tested experience of man who had been preparing for this moment ever since he was in high school.