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Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti has long been regarded as one of the greatest executives in the history of the NBA. He has architected plenty of contending Thunder teams in the past, however, they have not gotten over the hump — until now. On Sunday night, the Thunder overcame one last gasp from the Indiana Pacers as they took a 103-91 victory in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals — winning Oklahoma City its first NBA championship.
What makes the Thunder so scary of a team is just how young their core players are. The oldest player on the roster is Alex Caruso, who is 31 years of age. The roster's average age is 25.6 years old, making them the second-youngest championship team in NBA history and the youngest to win it all since the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers.
The Thunder are the youngest NBA championship team in more than 40 years pic.twitter.com/iWtAJ0W42t
— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) June 23, 2025
Simply put, it's not too often that a team that hasn't gone through multiple playoff heartbreaks ends up winning it all. But this Thunder squad only ever faced a painful playoff exit last year, when they fell short to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round.
Nonetheless, this Thunder squad that Presti built showed so much poise, well beyond their years, and there's nothing he is more proud of than the characteristics that members of the roster showed that illustrates just how sustainable of a contending team OKC has for the foreseeable future.
“Age is a number. Sacrifice and maturity are characteristics. It's a privilege to work with these guys,” Presti said on the Larry O'Brien trophy presentation podium, as recalled by Brett Siegel, NBA insider for ClutchPoints.
Sam Presti can now rest easy after Thunder get over the hump
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The Thunder's decision to trade away James Harden in 2012 haunted them like a malevolent entity for years. Instead of building off of an NBA Finals appearance in 2012, they never got back. Instead, they had to blow it all up in 2020 and start from scratch.
Presti, however, deserves so much credit for the work he's put in building this roster. Sure, the Paul George trade was a gift that continues to give (who knew Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would end up being both a regular-season and Finals MVP?), but his decisions since then have been on point (other than, perhaps, the Gordon Hayward signing).
Drafting two incredible young players in 2022 was a stroke of genius. Chet Holmgren was a defensive wall in Game 7, while Jalen Williams is always going to have that 40-piece in the NBA Finals. Williams was selected 12th overall, and in his third season, was already an All-Star and an All-NBA talent.
The acquisitions of Isaiah Hartenstein and Caruso this past offseason were invaluable. Aaron Wiggins and Jaylin Williams were draft steals. Isaiah Joe was plucked off free agency and turned into one of the best shooters in the league. Heck, Lu Dort was undrafted and was a true developmental win for the Thunder.
Building a powerhouse on paper is one thing. But to actually see it bear fruit in the form of a championship? That takes so much heart, so much resiliency, and so much unselfishness to pull off, and for this young team to have all of that is a rarity.
