Stephen A. breaks down how SGA winning it all shifts the Thunder legacy rankings: "It makes him the greatest player in the history of the franchise"

Stephen A. breaks down how SGA winning it all shifts the Thunder legacy rankings: "It makes him the greatest player in the history of the franchise" originally appeared on Basketball Network.
This could be the closest the Oklahoma City Thunder has come to winning a championship. Relocating from Seattle to Oklahoma in 2008, the Clay Bennett organization has enjoyed reasonable success over the years. Home to some of the finest talents and former MVPs in the NBA.
Advertisement
The architect behind assembling the Thunder roster, GM Sam Presti, has helped the franchise draft standout players like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. However, the people of Oklahoma have yet to call themselves champions.
Making their second Finals appearance since 2012, OKC is not far away from capturing the elusive title. Finishing as the top seed in the West for the last two seasons, the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander team is on the verge of creating history for the franchise.
Recently, appearing on Patrick Bet-David's "PBD Podcast," Stephen A. Smith shared his honest assessment of OKC winning the 2025 championship. The ESPN personality also addressed how Shai could impact the legacies of Durant, Westbrook and Harden.
Advertisement
"It makes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander clearly the greatest player in franchise history. Harden, it doesn't affect at all cause he was a reserve playing behind Russell Westbrook. He was young at that time, and they moved him to Houston. Russell Westbrook, I don't want to say, it hurts him because he was a star player, Mr. Triple-Double, three years in a row, but never delivered a championship," stated Smith.
"The one that really does hurt is KD because if KD stays, you likely win a championship. Remember, they were up 3-1, they let Golden State come back. Golden State eclipses them, wins the series 4-3, and then three weeks later, he goes and signs with Golden State," he highlighted.
Durant's 2012 Finals run with OKC
A young Thunder team showed a lot of promise by finishing as the second seed in the West during the 2011-12 season. Punching their ticket to the Finals, the Oklahoma-based franchise was battling it out against the Miami Heat's Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
Advertisement
The Heatles dominated the series, crushing the Thunder's title aspirations in five games — a heartbreaking moment for the OKC trio. The roster underwent significant changes after the 2012 Finals loss, but continued with the KD-Russ duo as its core.
Making the WCF in 2014 and 2016, the Thunder were handed elimination in both cases. Exercising his free agency, Durant signed with the Warriors, who had just overcome a 3-1 deficit against him. Joining the Dubs in 2016, "The Slim Reaper" won two titles in the Bay Area and pushed OKC out of the title contention.
Related: "Hey, Duke boy, shut the fu*k up and sit in the corner!" - Battier reveals what really happens during players-only meetings in the NBA
The face of the franchise: SGA
Suppose Shai manages to bring the city of Oklahoma its first-ever championship, his name will be etched in history. The 6'6" guard has been instrumental in the franchise's newfound success. Recently crowned 2024-25 MVP and scoring champion, winning a title would make for one of the greatest individual seasons of all time for the 26-year-old.
Advertisement
SGA has been a game-changer for the Thunder. His numbers have been off the charts. The three-time All-Star has a certain poise and craftiness to his game. Traded from the Clippers in 2019, the Canadian native's career graph has only displayed an upward curve. Making a case for one of the greatest scorers of all time in only his seventh year in the league and the championship would be icing on the cake.
Related: "Every game is a reset" - SGA doesn't think the Thunder have the momentum heading to Game 3
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

16 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Former WNBA Star Gets Ripped For 'Nasty' Hailey Van Lith Message

Former WNBA Star Gets Ripped For 'Nasty' Hailey Van Lith Message originally appeared on The Spun. Chicago Sky rookie Hailey Van Lith is trending on social media this weekend because of something she didn't even do. Advertisement The Sky selected Van Lith with the No. 11 overall pick in this year's WNBA Draft. She helped out her stock tremendously by averaging 17.9 points and 5.4 assists per game at TCU. Not only was she named Big 12 Player of the Year, she took the program to the Elite Eight. Van Lith is still trying to figure out her role in Chicago, but that hasn't stopped her from making an impact. The TCU product is currently averaging 5.2 points and 1.3 assists per game for the Sky. Despite getting off to a respectable start this season, Van Lith has been publicly called out by a five-time WNBA All-Star. During an appearance on the "Let Her Shoot" podcast, Angel McCoughtry questioned if Van Lith is in the WNBA because of her social media following. Advertisement "Hailey Van Lith, she's a decent player," McCoughtry said, via Sporting News. "Are there players out there who may be better than Hailey Van Lith? I believe so. They're not popular... If Hailey Van Lith had 10,000 followers, would she be in the league? Just her true talent, take away the followers." May 6, 2025; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith (2) warms up before a WNBA game against the Minnesota Lynx at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesKamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images It didn't take long for WNBA fans to rip McCoughtry for this message. "That's so nasty man," one fan said. "HVL had a successful college career and lead TCU to an elite 8 in the '25 NCAA tourney after they were a 2nd round exit in the WBIT the szn prior. It's normal for rookies to struggle, most take an adjustment period. Sucks to see old ppl be so hateful." Advertisement "The way the WNBA media covers their league is so toxic," a second fan wrote. "It's fair to ponder Hailey Van Lith's upside as a player. It's also reasonable to debate her fit with the Chicago Sky. But to suggest she would not be qualified to be in the WNBA if she didn't have a large social media following is…an asinine stretch of a take," another fan replied. "This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard," a fourth person commented. Van Lith has not responded to McCoughtry's claim. At this point, she wouldn't gain anything from it. Fans will get to see Van Lith in action this Saturday against the Phoenix Mercury. Advertisement Related: Hailey Van Lith Looks Amazing In Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Digital Cover Former WNBA Star Gets Ripped For 'Nasty' Hailey Van Lith Message first appeared on The Spun on Jun 21, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.

Yahoo

18 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Braves' Chris Sale goes on 15-day IL with fractured rib cage suffered on diving catch

Chris Sale made an excellent diving stop on a grounder by Juan Soto for the first out of the ninth inning to finish off his start against the New York Mets on Wednesday night. Yet going hard to the ground cost the veteran left-hander a trip to the injured list. The Atlanta Braves announced on Saturday that Sale is going to the 15-day IL with a fractured ribcage. The injury occurred as Sale pitches his best game of the season, with 8 2/3 scoreless innings, five hits and one walk allowed, and seven strikeouts. Advertisement The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner has a 2.52 ERA (third among NL starting pitchers) and 5-4 record in 15 starts, compiling 114 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings. With Wednesday's 5-0 win, the Braves (34-40) had victories in six of their past eight games, part of a stretch during which Atlanta won seven of 10. Perhaps more importantly for the NL East standings, For the Mets, the defeat was their fifth straight in what's become a seven-game losing streak that's knocked them out of first place (45-31) in the division. Sale's IL stint is backdated to Thursday, which would make him eligible to return on July 3. However, a rib injury could keep him out for a longer period. Sale suffered a stress fracture in his right rib cage before the 2022 season that sidelined him for more than three months.

Washington Post

21 minutes ago

• Washington Post

Dortmund beats Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3 in blistering hot Club World Cup group stage match

CINCINNATI — Borussia Dortmund was gifted an easy goal to start the match and held off a strong response from the Mamelodi Sundowns on a fiercely warm day to win 4-3 in the Club World Cup group stage on Saturday. Both teams and the crowd of 14,006 at TQL Stadium sweat through high temperatures that forced a heat advisory and cooling breaks, called at the referee's discretion. Temperatures approached 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius).