Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made a prediction about the Oklahoma City Thunder that came true in 2025.
The Canadian guard just had the season of his life, winning the NBA title, MVP and scoring title in the same season. He led the Thunder to their first championship in the franchise’s history alongside young stars Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
The Thunder acquired Gilgeous-Alexander in 2019 after they traded Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers. They then developed him into one of the brightest talents in the NBA.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
And in his introductory press conference six years ago, Gilgeous-Alexander would make a prediction about the Thunder that has just come to fruition.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander predicts OKC Thunder would draft their way to the NBA title
When Gilgeous-Alexander was traded, the Thunder looked to the future. They acquired a host of draft capital and took on the young guard to develop into a title-contending team.
And when he spoke to the media for the first time as a Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander said he trusted the team to do exactly that, given their history.
He said, “I feel like this organisation’s in a good spot to get better. Obviously, they got a lot of picks through their work in the summer, and then having guys on the team that are talented and have something to prove is a good thing.
It’s SGA Day.
SGA called his shot when asked about OKC’s uncertain future at his first Thunder presser.
“This organization, they’ve done it in the past with guys like Russell, Kevin and James.
They know what it takes and they know how to do it. It’s only a matter of time.” pic.twitter.com/7aBKKcWh5o
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) July 30, 2025
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“They’ve done it in the past with guys like Russell [Westbrook], Kevin [Durant] and James [Harden]. They know what it takes and they know how to do it. It’s only a matter of time.”
The Thunder went to the NBA finals in 2012, losing to LeBron James and the Miami Heat with the young trio of Durant, Westbrook and Harden. They couldn’t get the title over the line, and their trio broke up when they traded Harden to the Houston Rockets.
Gilgeous-Alexander clearly knew they could do it again, and do it better. And they did, drafting Williams and Holmgren as their core, which ultimately led to the Thunder winning the 2025 NBA title. And they’re favourites to do it again.
OKC Thunder need to take advantage of their championship window
After winning the title, the Thunder have paid their stars, and the clock is ticking. They are set to pay Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren over $120 million in just the 2026-27 season.
It’s an unsustainable model to keep this much talent on your roster, so the Thunder need to take advantage of the final years of Williams and Holmgren’s rookie deals to stack the deck and win the title again.
That’s no small feat in this Western Conference. Former Thunder Kevin Durant is now a Rocket, Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets, and their new roster are always a threat, and they took the Thunder seven games in the playoffs last year.
The Golden State Warriors push for one more title with Steph Curry. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers are led by a rejuvenated Luka Doncic.
It’s going to be a battle to get through the West next season, but by paying their young stars, the Thunder are showing confidence in their ability to do exactly that.