How OKC Thunder Earned Distinction as the NBA's 'Model Franchise'

Since arriving in Oklahoma City, the Thunder have had an impressive stretch.

OKC won 50 games in just its second season, reaching the NBA Finals in the team's fourth season calling the Modern Frontier home. Since then, the team has produced a trio of MVP winners and a number of additional playoff appearances.

In 2024-25, 16 years after the team's inaugural campaign, the Thunder took home their first NBA championship behind a historic defense and a Finals MVP performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

In less than two decades, the Thunder acheived what many teams have been chasing for their entire history, churning out a number of exciting players and reaching the mountaintop.

Now, Oklahoma City is preparing to move into a new arena. The Thunder have started building the new stadium, which is set to open in the summer of 2028. With solid success both on and off the court in a short time frame, OKC has earned praise from national media members.

"This is a Thunder group that has dealt with so many injuries," said ESPN insider Shams Charania. "Still, they're the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and yeah, there's going to be San Antonio. There's going to be other people in the field, but everyone looks at Oklahoma City as the model franchise, as the team to beat in the NBA."

“Everyone looks at Oklahoma City as the model franchise.”

—@ShamsCharania on whether SGA is the best player in the NBA ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/vfeuhyeEs5
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 16, 2026

OKC has earned the aforementioned distinction after winning the NBA Finals in 2024-25 with one of the league's youngest rosters. The Thunder still have just two players over 30-years-old, and have accumulated a stockpiled a number of draft picks in the coming seasons.

With those picks, Oklahoma City should be able to continue replenishing its roster with young talent as the team is forced to move on from its current role players due to increasing costs.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, among others, have agreed to long-term contract extensions, and as pieces like Cason Wallace and Isaiah Hartenstein are up for contract extensions, the Thunder will have to make roster changes.

Where other recent champions have been disbanded for the same reasons, making it harder to repeat, the OKC has positioned itself well to continue competing for titles with solid young players. For that reason, the Thunder is viewed as the "team to beat" according to Charania.

The Thunder may be in a solid position, but OKC still has competition. The San Antonio Spurs reached 50 wins on Monday, and appear to also have the tools to be a contender for years to come.

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