Ahead of the champion's Opening Night, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addressed the impact of Serge Ibaka, who attended practice. As head coach Mark Daigneault and the Thunder open the season by raising the franchise's first championship banner, Gilgeous-Alexander explained the significance of having Ibaka around. And what it means to Oklahoma City.
Ibaka, who played the first seven seasons of his NBA career with the Thunder, was the defensive anchor of a team led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook that reached the Finals in 2012. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recalled that era of Thunder basketball and Ibaka's subsequent championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
“Super cool. He was part of the Thunder team that built a foundation here,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. I watched many of his games as a kid growing up. He's a tremendous basketball player. He's obviously not one of the budding stars and household names, but he's a guy that affected winning at a really high level. You saw that when he was in Toronto and won a ring. You saw that when he was here.
“Just one of those guys that's really good at basketball and a lot of guys might not know unless you're a junkie, but we respect him really highly around here.”
Serge Ibaka was an All-Defensive First Team center, including the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, for three consecutive seasons. He will be in attendance for the Thunder's historic Opening Night, where Oklahoma City will celebrate its first championship banner before facing Durant and the Rockets at the Paycom Center.
Mark Daigneault spares Thunder from Opening Night warning
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault understands the magnitude of such an emotional night to open the season. He didn't give his team the separate the emotions from the game speech, as Daigneault says he'll cross the bridge if he has to amid the Thunder's championship banner-raising season opener against the Rockets.
“It's just another distraction,” Daigneault said. “It's a great thing for everybody — for the fans and everything. But it is a distraction. You got to compartmentalize your distractions and be ready to compete when the ball goes up in the air. There's always distractions every game. But I don't overcook that. I just see how the guys are doing, and we'll see how we play.”
The Thunder kick off the 2025-26 NBA regular season on Tuesday.
