Former OKC Thunder Forward See Ring Night Homecoming Early in Season

The Oklahoma City Thunder have spent the last few months partying. Deservedly so. In June, the Thunder captured their first NBA Championship, hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy following a Game 7 win against the Indiana Pacers.

From there, it was an all out celebration with a parade in downtown Oklahoma City that brought the community together, late night TV appearances, overseas tours, hometown parties and plenty of extensions shelled out to the Thunder's top trio Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren as well as key reserves Jaylin Williams and Ajay Mitchell.

This celebration will continue into the season with not only the Thunder uniforms including the gold tabs at the top of their nameplates as is tradition for every team to capture a championshp, but opening night will be a historic event.

Not only is opening night the first game back on NBC under the NBA's new media rights deal, one of a league-best 34 National TV dates for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Bricktown Ballers will drop its championship banner and hand out rings to their title team pregame.

Oklahoma City has retained 14 of their 15 standard rostered players from a year ago, making this a great –– and lengthy –– opening night presentation with Branden Carlson also returning from last year's club on a two-way pact.

The lone departure? 2024 first-round pick Dillon Jones, who was traded to Washington to make room for 2025 first-round pick Thomas Sorber.

Jones was a flyer for Oklahoma City a year ago, trading five second round picks to go up and get the Weber State product at the end of the first round. He didn't necessarily progress to the degree the Thunder had hoped for the 23-year-old rookie.

With the chance to select Sorber at No. 15, Oklahoma City jumped on that opportunity and were forced to make room by moving on from Jones.

The swingman has a long training camp and preseason process ahead of him to soldify his spot on the Wizards, but should he make the club out of camp, the Thunder's title celebration will continue a few more weeks.

On Oct. 30, Jones is projected to return to Bricktown as a member of the Wizards where it is tradition for teams to hand out championship rings to departed players pregame when they return on a road trip with their new squad.

This will be a special night to once again remember the Thunder's historic season and appreciate a youngster who bounced back and forth from the NBA and G League last year.