A mixture of alcohol and adrenaline had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander saying things he’d usually never say. But hey, when you’re hours removed from winning an NBA championship, everything is fair game. Run as many victory laps as you want.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had one of the greatest seasons ever. A historic 68-14 regular-season record put them as the heavy title favorite ahead of the 2025 NBA playoffs. A pair of Game 7 blowout wins highlighted their quest for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

After being announced in the NBA superstar cast, Netflix executives lucked out. Gilgeous-Alexander turned into their top billing name for the ‘Starting 5’ second season. He won MVP, NBA Finals MVP and a championship ring to complete one of the best individual seasons ever.

As Gilgeous-Alexander’s journey was chronicled, the Netflix crew joined him in the Thunder’s Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers. The aftermath saw several players stay up the entire night to celebrate the career achievement of a championship ring.

In the late hours, Gilgeous-Alexander broke the fourth wall. He looked into the camera and said the rest of the league better get used to OKC’s dominance. It isn’t going anywhere anytime soon as the second-youngest NBA champion in league history.

“Guess what? The Oklahoma City Thunder is the best team in the basketball world,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I hope y’all understand that. I hope y’all know that. And we’re not going nowhere. So good luck.”

Even though Gilgeous-Alexander said that in the heat of the moment, it also makes sense from an objective standpoint. The Thunder enter the 2025-26 season as the heavy favorite once again. They signed Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to contract extensions this past offseason to keep their title window open.

Until proven otherwise, the Thunder should be viewed as the favorite. There’s a reason why every national pundit believes they could be on the verge of a historic run filled with multiple Larry O’Brien trophies. Perhaps no other team in NBA history has best positioned itself to contend with the young talent on its roster and draft haul in its asset collection.

SGA: “Guess what? Oklahoma City is the best team in the basketball world. I hope y’all understand that. I hope y’all know that. And we’re not going anywhere. So good luck.”
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— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) October 16, 2025