Inside The Thunder

Social Media Reacts to OKC Thunder Ring Night Ceremony

The Oklahoma City Thunder are taking on the Houston Rockets in their season opener which serves as a historic day in Bricktown as the Thunder will collect their championship rings on Tuesday as well as deploy a banner to honor the 2025 NBA Champions. Social Media reacted to the festivites inside the Paycom Center.
Rylan Stiles|
Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) celebrates after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) celebrates after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

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Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are set to embark on their 18th season in Bricktown. The 17th will never be forgotten. In less than 20 years of OKC hoops, the Thunder put out a contending team for all but three season's and after countless trips to the Western Conference Finals and a pair of Western Conference Championships, the Thunder hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time in team history last June. A feat that still eludes plenty of other franchise's that has been established well before the Bricktown Ballers.

Tuesday will go down as a special night in the state's history. Regardless if the Oklahoma City Thunder begin the season with a win over fellow Western Conference Contenders the Houston Rockets or not. It is all that leads up to the game.

Tonight, the Oklahoma City Thunder revealed their 2025 NBA Championship rings, dishing them out to a roster that retains 99% of last year's club. A ceremony that is a first for this state, a major professional sport's championship and celebration. A team that for as much as it has grown on the court, it has crown the city of Oklahoma City even more.

A team no one will forget and is already immortalized even just three short months later. They also flew a Championship banner to the rafters, one that will be displayed for the rest of time and make the trip across the street to the new arena in a half decade.

Tuesday also included closure. Serge Ibaka, the team's first pivotal shot blocking anchor, P.J. Carlesimo, the team's first head coach, Kevin Durant, the team's first superstar, Steven Adams, a cult hero in Bricktown and Jeff Green, who was part of the first-ever Thunder squad, as well as current front office member and the lone player with his jersey in these same rafters, Nick Collison, were each in attendance to see this monumental occasion.

It is also the final time that the Thunder organization will have an all out party for this Championship run before turning the page to the future. At least for another 10 - or more realistically even how young this roster is, 20 - years for a reunion that will sure to bring even more tears to fans eyes than even tonight did.

There are not many moments where you will never forget where you were, this was even more rare - a moment you knew going into the occasion you would never forget it.

Not only was it a frenzy in the arena, but NBC in their return to broadcast NBA basketball, showed the ceremony to a National audience. Leading to plenty of social media reactions.

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Rylan Stiles
RYLAN STILES

Rylan Stiles is a credentialed media member covering the Oklahoma City Thunder. He hosts the Locked On Thunder Podcast, and is Lead Beat Writer for Inside the Thunder. Rylan is also an award-winning play-by-play broadcaster for the Oklahoma Sports Network. 

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