WATCH FULL: Oklahoma City Thunder championship parade opening ceremony
The Oklahoma City Thunder kicked off their championship celebration on Tuesday with an opening ceremony at the Paycom Center.
You’re 2025. champion. mother. So Number 2 The Number 3, Dylan. Oh Never Do Yeah. Now they Oh No. Isaiah Joe. as well. That’s what he was 3 That Number 22. who are. Oh. So No Well Never been I Right. Number 7. Oh. Oh And now Paris Lawson. OK, see how we feeling? Welcome everybody to the opening ceremonies of the biggest celebration in this city’s history, *** championship parade. My name is Paris Lawson. I’m the sideline reporter and studio host for the Thunder, but today I have the extreme honor of serving as your MC for this unforgettable moment. I want to take *** moment to acknowledge some special people up on stage. We heard the players. Let’s also give it up for the assistant coaches and the support staff of this team. Such *** special group with us today and we wanna welcome you all. Thank you all so much for being here in Paycom Center here just 36 hours ago on this very floor we witnessed history. This team winning an NBA Finals, *** Game 7 in our city, and hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy right here at center court. This year we witnessed more than just an incredible title run. We watched this team put together one of the most dominant seasons this league has ever seen. This team is now one of just 4 teams in NBA history to ever win 84 games in *** single season. The 2nd youngest team in NBA history to hold *** #1 seed, that’s 2nd only to last year’s Thunder team. And after that win on Sunday right here in Paycom Center, this team became the 2nd youngest team in NBA history to win an NBA championship. For those of you with us today, what *** moment we all get to experience an unprecedented occasion in this city, and it’s so fitting that we all get to experience this together. Because this isn’t just an incredible win for this team and this organization. This is *** massive win for the city as *** whole. This wouldn’t have happened without all of you and your constant support all season long. Every OKC chant, every clap of that fan bammer, every roar of this crowd, all of that comes together to make Oklahoma City the best fan base in this entire league. Of course, this also wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the people up on stage with me right now, this team, this staff. This front office. And I wanna take *** moment to recognize the leadership that we have with us for this Thunder organization here with us today. Let’s recognize the ownership group of your 2025 champion NBA Oklahoma City Thunder. This group has provided resources necessary for the organization to have *** transformative impact in our community. Please recognize George Kaiser, Jeff Records, Bill Cameron, Bob Howard, Jay Scaramucci. Everett Dobson. And representing the ownership group on stage this morning, Chairman and CEO Clay Bennett. I also want to recognize the man who has been the architect of building this team both on and off the court. Let’s hear it Executive vice president and general manager. And of course, I wanna make some noise for the head coach of your Oklahoma City Thunder, Mark Techno. And now, what do you say? Let’s hear from some of the guys. Please join me in welcoming to the podium. First up, Erin Wiggins. OKC OC OKC OKC OC. Man Oh man, what *** journey, what *** journey. Was it worth it? Uh, to start off, we gotta show love to the greats and the legends who wore Oklahoma City across their chest and set the foundation before us so that we can celebrate today. I came in as the fifty-fifth pick. Nick Collison. The Where’s that guy? I I came in as the fifty-fifth pick. In the 2021 draft. In my rookie season. We won 24 games. 24 games. But the best part about coming from that that year is that the same people in this arena today celebrating this championship were the same people there when we were winning 24 games. It was *** point where they tried to call us the black hole of the NBA. Uh But 4 years later. When they mention the Thunder organization, when they mention Clay Bennett, when they mention Sam Prey, when they mention Mark. Every single one of you in this arena, they gotta mention you as NBAC. Hey, Can we give it up one more way. We gotta get one more right. Where’s Lou at? I gotta ask you some questions. Lou I got you. Lou, you’ve been with this team for 6 seasons. The start of this run. When you think of the journey of what it took for this team to get to where they are right now, what it take? It took *** lot, uh, *** lot of hard work, um, like *** lot of sacrifice. I mean it was, they weren’t easy. I mean, like, like Wigg said, those, those years was tough, and now look at us. You’re *** great example. You’re *** great example of just grit, fight. You had to scratch and claw for everything you got in this league, undrafted, started as *** two-way player and now first team all deep. Yeah. What does this mean for you, Lou? It means *** lot. I mean, for my people, uh, for my family, I mean, and the whole city, I mean we really deserve this and now look at us, we’re here now. Lou, tell me about this team. And how special it is to experience this with them. They’re my brothers, my brothers. They’re all dogs, all dogs, huh? No, I mean it’s, it’s, it’s crazy. I mean, we, we really fought hard. I mean this whole season it weren’t easy, but you know, we really didn’t. Lou, thank you so much. Congratulations. Let’s walk up. AC Alex Caruso. Yes sir You got questions for me too? I don’t want some questions I got you. Yeah. You joined this team in the offseason. Coach Dagnell said it feels like you and Isaiah Hardstein feels like y’all have been *** part of this team for 3 years. How were you able to integrate so fast with this group? Yeah, I mean, it’s just *** great, it’s *** great group of guys. Like I got to go to work every day and uh when I showed up here in September, uh, just getting to hang around the dudes and playing like pick up before training camp, I, I figured out quickly that like. It’s *** special group of players, you know, just from like *** sense of competition and like and like showing up to work every day and going to work and uh that’s what I’m about that’s why I’m here, you know, 9 years later, uh, we won *** championship like now we’re standing up here on the stage talking about this is crazy. It’s crazy. I don’t know if you guys know this, but this is Alex Crusoe’s 2nd NBA title. But, but, but it’s just his first championship parade. How much have you been looking forward to this? I just told, I just told Dove and Lou, I said this is the first thing I’ve gotten to celebrate for like do do for the first time with this group like this is my first experience. I’m so hyped. I’m ready to go on the, I’m ready to go on the bus. Last thing for you, AC, this crowd has been so endeared to you. What does this mean? What has this crowd meant to you since you’ve been here? Man, y’all are the best. I tell you what, like I showed up. Yeah, give it up for yourselves. Give it up for yourselves. Give yourself *** hand. Y’all deserve it. Y’all, you know, I, I, I, I, uh, like we said, I was here 9 years ago as exhibit 10, and I got to, I got to just experience it from the outside looking in, um, and to come back here, uh, I knew, you know, playing here over the years this place always gets juiced no matter how good the team was, how bad the team was, what was going on, um, you know, they had the they had the electric electricity thunder thing going on, everybody’s excited y’all are doing your thing. And so I knew when I, when I got traded here just to to be *** part of this and to get to play in front of this type of arena like this type of fan base, this is what I live for like this is what I feed off of. I think there was *** great uh mutual energy shared between me and the crowd this year and uh that’s, that’s *** big reason why, you know, we, we talked about it as *** team 2 game sevens at home like y’all are the difference, you know, y’all are y’all are part of the reason why we won this thing, so thank you, thank you everybody. AC, congratulations. *** appreciate it y’all. Can we get Cao to come up to the stage? Yeah How you feeling, Cao? I feel good, you know. Everybody always saying that I look like *** rapper, so I was gonna, you know, drop *** few bars or something. No, I’m gonna chill, I’m gonna chill. I feel good right now. Cason, I think it’s hard for everyone to remember that this is just your 2nd NBA season. What has this journey been like for you? You know, I came in to *** great team already so just learning from these guys from the first day that I stepped in the door, um, it actually started before that, you know, when I came out here for my little interview or whatever, my job interview, uh, they showed they treated me like I was *** part of the team already and you know, ever since I got drafted, the guys, you know, hit me up, you know, saying they were ready to get to work and all that so I’m just glad that I’m *** part of this team and. Um, I’m I’m able to experience this with these guys. OK, so tell me about what it’s like to experience this alongside your brothers right here. Uh, it’s great, you know, I’ve seen them put the work in. They see me put the work in, so all of us being able to live out our dreams, um, at *** different point in our career, something that not everybody gets to accomplish, so it’s just great. Cason, congratulations. Thank you so much. Thank you. Where’s Kenny Hustle? OK, see what’s up baby? What’s up? Is some noise, man. I some noise. I’m gonna just say *** few things. Hey, God is good for sure. Hey, I wanna say this too, we have played in every arena in this, in this league, and you guys are the best fans in the world, man. I promise you that. That’s all I gotta say. Thank y’all. Check Come on down. Oh Heavy. No, I got it. I got it, we’re good. Chet, your journey has been far from easy. You have experienced broken bones, bruises, ups, downs, high, lows. What did it take for you to get here in this moment right now? Took everybody that’s in here. I It, it started, it started with Clay, Sam, and Mark for believing in me enough to bring me here in the first place because without them I’m never even here. All right, let me lock in. Do you want, we want, should we put you on the mic right now? Do that yeah. But yeah, I just gotta say thank you to those three first and then after that it’s all my teammates uh without them none of this is possible it’s really *** *** full team effort, uh, and then from there it takes the fans in the city they bring it every single night so we gotta do the same thing and I’m. And I’m sure y’all gonna bring it today too. Congratulations, Jen. Jay What have the last 48 hours been like for you? Um, for me, alcohol for the first time, so that was cool. Uh, Um, I’m pretty sure there’s gonna be pretty more of that coming up, so. Um, but it, it’s been surreal. God is good, um, to be in the position I’m in. Looking back, literally 3 years ago today I got drafted here, so. That’s It’s been crazy to to come into the team and the organization that I have you, you can’t make this up and we got it done kinda quick, I would say for the most part. So it’s been, it’s been dope. We saw you. With *** wave of emotion, once you realized that what this team had accomplished when you realized that what was going through your head. I realized the cameras were looking at me, so I, I had to hurry up and stop crying. Um, but now, this is, it’s crazy just for me in 3 years how much has changed and how good we got from the moment I stepped in until now. Um, the fans have always been consistent whether we’re winning or losing. You guys are seriously the best fans in the NBA. But no, it’s, it, it was crazy so many emotions, almost like *** little bit of relief too just to finally get the job done and you know, now we’re gonna enjoy this moment for sure. Last thing for you. You make the All-Star team for the first time this season. All defensive 2nd team. And now you add NBA champion to that list of accomplishments. What has this season been like for you? Pretty successful. Yeah. I J well Oh It’s hot or it’s just me. Well, you’ve been one of the loudest voices on this team. You might not even need the microphone to talk right now. What has it been like to do this with this group? Tell me about the camaraderie, the chemistry. What makes this team so special? Uh, yeah, these are my, these are my brothers. Um, I know y’all see us as *** team. We’re at Oklahoma City Thunder, but. Like we’re *** family first and when I look at these line of guys line of coaches, Sam, Mark, uh, everybody up here, we’re, we’re *** family, we’re family, and y’all see the postgame interviews, y’all see the TikToks, y’all see the social media but like that’s just scratching the surface of what we are as *** team and um like these are my dogs we these are my dogs, that’s it. What was this like for you to experience winning an NBA championship and be able to do it in this building on this home court in front of these fans? Yeah, um, it was incredible. We don’t get it done without y’all so, so y’all, y’all y’all, y’all should wore *** jersey. But We don’t get it done without y’all. Um, the home court advantages we have the best home court advantage in the league, um, being able to be here, have my family here with me, um, being able to share this experience, I’m sure all the guys feel the same sharing this experience with their family like there’s nothing in the world that tops this, so, um, you dream of it as *** kid and it’s everything I ever dreamed of. Congratulations, Joe. Yeah. Isaiah Harenstein, ladies and gentlemen. OK, see what’s up man? Y’all good? Yo, yep, love y’all. Uh, my son didn’t wanna be here today. He would rather watch Elmo at home, so, um, I kinda let him do his own thing, um, so yeah. I think everyone wants to know, is he well rested now slept through the entire trophy presentation. He slept through the whole night and then we came back. He was like, No, Dad, now you’re getting up. So I got, I’m on like 0 hours of sleep. Um, I gotta appreciate my wife, she helps me all the time, so I got *** little rest in every now and then, but yeah, he, he took the show for sure. Isaiah, how special has this season been for you joining this team this year? That’s amazing. I mean, I think just being with these group of guys, um. Being *** part of this community um was something really special and that’s what we do it for I mean um. Every every day we go out there we just don’t play for ourselves we play with what’s on front of the jersey and um without y’all we wouldn’t, we wouldn’t be here for sure. I gotta ask you *** similar question. I asked AC what made it so easy to just jump in with this group and fit in so easily? I know they be annoying sometimes, but, but. No, it’s just *** great group of guys. I mean, um, I think Sam does *** great job just building *** great culture. So, um, just coming in it was easy, easy to fit in, um, so yeah, Isaiah, congratulations y’all. And now I wanna woke him up. Your MVP of the league. Your Western Conference Finals. And your finals MVP Shane Gilous Alexander. Mm. Louder Go. Shay would have been sorry, sorry, something doesn’t feel right. Everybody come on. I like it. I like it, get up, get up. Come on. Come on, come on. Look, it’s, it is terrible. Come on this way, guys. Come on. Let’s act like we’ve been here before. Come on. We’re the town. Shay, what have been the emotions going through your head over these last two days? Just thankful, very grateful, very blessed. So many things go into this, um, and some of the things are out of your control and uh we’ve all been very lucky to to make it this far in the season, be this healthy um and ultimately be this happy you don’t ever wanna take that for granted. You’ve also been with this team from the start. 6 years ago you joined this organization. Now NBA champions. For those who don’t know, you’ve just been stacking days every single day. What don’t we see the work that’s done in the dark that leads to *** Larry O’Brien trophy. *** lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Uh, *** lot of the world doesn’t see it like you said, but everybody in this arena in this city that has been with me for the last 6 years, they were chanting MVP when I was averaging 19 points on *** 20 win team. They understand, they know exactly what it takes and what it looks like and without them we are not this. Here you’re surrounded by this team. You’ve always been team first. Tell me about this group and what what they mean to you. So many guys have said it, but this is like family, um, we do everything together. We, we need each other out there we want each other out there. uh, we win because we have each other we lose because of each other, probably because of me sometimes, um, we have, we, we do everything together and guess what guys we won an NBA championship together. Yeah, we did mic drop moment. Shay, congratulations. Thank you. Let’s hear it one more time for your NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. To but
WATCH FULL: Oklahoma City Thunder championship parade opening ceremony
The Oklahoma City Thunder kicked off their championship celebration on Tuesday with an opening ceremony at the Paycom Center.
Updated: 10:50 AM CDT Jun 24, 2025
The Oklahoma City Thunder kicked off their championship celebration on Tuesday with an opening ceremony at the Paycom Center. Several players answered questions and addressed fans during a special event at the Paycom Center. The opening ceremony wasn’t open to the public, but season ticket holders as well as team staff and arena staff were invited to attend. Like during each postseason game, Thunder-themed T-shirts were placed on each seat inside the arena. The opening ceremony kicked off the parade festivities in Oklahoma City, as countless fans lined the streets to see their favorite players and the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Video Below: Thunder players introduced ahead of championship parade opening ceremony
OKLAHOMA CITY —
The Oklahoma City Thunder kicked off their championship celebration on Tuesday with an opening ceremony at the Paycom Center.
Several players answered questions and addressed fans during a special event at the Paycom Center. The opening ceremony wasn’t open to the public, but season ticket holders as well as team staff and arena staff were invited to attend.
Like during each postseason game, Thunder-themed T-shirts were placed on each seat inside the arena.
The opening ceremony kicked off the parade festivities in Oklahoma City, as countless fans lined the streets to see their favorite players and the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Video Below: Thunder players introduced ahead of championship parade opening ceremony