(OKLAHOMA) — Oklahoma City turned out Tuesday to celebrate the hometown Thunder’s first NBA title.
The celebration began inside the Paycom Center, where Thunder players and fans gathered for the Champions Opening Ceremony.
In addition to the players, the star of the opening ceremony was the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, which the Thunder earned Sunday night with a 103-91 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
From the opening ceremony, the championship celebration continued with a parade through downtown Oklahoma City.
Thunder players including Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and All-Star Jalen Williams rode in open-top buses as thousands of fans cheered them on.
Oklahoma City has waited since 2008 — the year the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City — for their first-ever NBA title.
Gilgeous-Alexander said Monday on “Good Morning America” that winning the championship was “everything” he imagined it would be.
“The opportunity has been amazing and I’m happy and blessed to be a part of it,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who became the fourth player in NBA history to win MVP and top scorer titles during the regular season and MVP of the NBA Finals.
“It’s hard for me to even wrap my head around, but it just goes to show that when you work hard, when you focus on the right things, when you take care of the right things and you stick with that program for a certain amount of time, you can achieve anything,” he added. “And most importantly, when you dream and go after it, that anything is possible.”
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