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Defending champion Thunder looking to reign in era of parity
Los Angeles Times
|October 21, 2025
One title isn’t enough for Oklahoma City, which is aware that dynasties are a rarity.
The defending NBA champions aren't thinking of themselves in that way.
The 80th season of the NBA starts Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder — the “defending” champions, even though they don’t seem to like the term — will get their rings and enjoy one final moment of celebrating last season's seven-game triumph over the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals.
“Everybody is saying ‘defending,’” guard Jalen Williams said, “but we're trying to be on the offensive as well.”
Translation: One title isn’t enough for the Thunder. They want more.
They are fully aware that this is the NBA's parity era— seven different franchises have won titles in the last seven years, a run unprecedented in league history. Commissioner Adam Silver has seen nine different franchises win in his 12 seasons leading the NBA; his predecessor, David Stern, saw eight different franchises win in his 30-year run as commissioner. The Thunder would like to be the ones to put at least a temporary halt to parity, and with basically everyone back from a 68-win team that won the crown last season, it’s easy to see why BetMGM Sportsbook lists the Thunder as favorites to win the 2026 title.
This story is from the October 21, 2025 edition of Los Angeles Times.
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