Oklahoma City Thunder fans to celebrate NBA title with a parade after years of heartbreak
Oklahoma City 's unwavering fans finally get to celebrate a championship after suffering through several close calls and heartbreaking moments the past two decades.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers on Sunday to clinch the NBA title, and the city will hold a parade on Tuesday morning to honor its first major professional championship. Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and their teammates will pass through downtown for an event that is scheduled to last 90 minutes.
Oklahoma City first hosted an NBA team during the 2005-06 season, when the New Orleans Hornets temporarily relocated after Hurricane Katrina. Oklahoma City's fans fell in love with the team and a young point guard named Chris Paul who would be named rookie of the year.
The Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in time for the 2008-09 season, and fans feverishly supported the team, despite its early struggles. The Thunder became contenders with young stars Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
Even with all that talent, they couldn't break through. They lost to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals in 2012, and Harden left for Houston. A possible run in 2013 was derailed when Westbrook was injured during the playoffs. The 2015-16 team led the Golden State Warriors 3-1 in the Western Conference finals before losing the series in seven games.
Durant left to join the Warriors after that season, ending that version of the Thunder. Westbrook was the league MVP in 2017 and averaged a triple-double for three straight seasons, but the Thunder never got out of the first round those years.
But with its new set of superstars, finally, Oklahoma City has its moment.
___
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Live Benfica vs Chelsea: Team news and build-up from Club World Cup
Welcome to live coverage of the Club World Cup, where Chelsea are taking on Benfica at the Bank of America Stadium for a place in the quarter-finals. Chelsea have made several changes to the side that beat Esperance de Tunis last time out, with Robert Sanchez returning in goal for the Blues, Moises Caicedo restored to midfield and Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer back in a front line spearheaded by new signing Liam Delap, who has been impressive so far in the United States. There is no Nicolas Jackson in the line-up as he is serving a two-match suspension after receiving a red card.
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Tom Brady lifts the lid on his Las Vegas Raiders role after NFL skepticism
The addition of Tom Brady to the ownership board of the Las Vegas Raiders led to many raised eyebrows across the league. Now, the former champion is clarifying his role. Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion, had a deal finalized last year to join the team's ownership group under majority owner Mark Davis. However, it came after Brady agreed to being a color commentator for Fox Sports - which would typically give him access to privileged information from players and coaches to use on broadcasts. This could, in theory, have given Brady an unfair advantage. But now, in an interview with Paul Gutierrez on the Raiders' team website, Brady downplayed his role within the organization. 'Well, I'm just a limited partner, so Mark's the boss,' Brady said in an interview with Paul Gutierrez of the team's website. 'And then [head coach] Pete [Carroll] does his job and Spy [GM John Spytek] does his job and, I think, we trust them to make the right decisions. 'I'm there as a great sounding board for anything they want to do.' What remains to be known is Brady's day-to-day with the team, with the former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback not revealing what he does daily. Brady re-iterated that he is 'just trying to contribute in the ways that I can to help the team be the best they can be, on and off the field' while praising the staff in the franchise 'We've got a great group of people. I love Mark. He's done an incredible job getting the team to Vegas, getting the stadium built. 'Pete is new this year; he's got a big role to play,' Brady added. 'And so does John Spytek. And we're trying to do the right things every day. So that's what we're trying to do.' He also gave insight into the working relationship between Carroll, a Super Bowl winning coach with five decades of experience, and Spytek, a longtime scout and executive in his first GM role. 'They've worked together very well, and there's a lot of decisions that are made,' Brady said. 'Winning games in September starts with what happens in February, March, and April, when no one's really watching. They've been hard at work. 'And our goal is to, you know, win a lot of football games. You've got to work hard at it, and it's all earned, and we've got a tough division. There's a lot of good opponents we face. But it's going to be up to the guys and their daily commitment to doing the right things.' Last season, the Raiders went 4-13 in a hyper-competitive AFC West division.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Paulinho's extra-time goal sends Palmeiras into Club World Cup quarters
PHILADELPHIA, June 28 (Reuters) - Paulinho came off the bench to score a dramatic extra-time winner as Palmeiras edged out fellow Brazilians Botafogo 1-0 on Saturday to book their place in the Club World Cup quarter-finals. The match, played in Philadelphia's sweltering summer heat, remained goalless after 90 minutes of cagey and ill-tempered football. In the 100th minute, Paulinho delivered the decisive moment, cutting in from the right, dribbling past two defenders and firing a low angled shot into the bottom corner, beyond the reach of Botafogo keeper John. Botafogo pushed for an equaliser but failed to capitalise, even after Palmeiras were reduced to 10 men when Gustavo Gomez received a second yellow card for a tactical foul. Palmeiras held firm and will next face the winners of the clash between Benfica and Chelsea on Friday in Philadelphia.
