Oklahoma City fell short of a title last season.
No, not the Larry O’Brien—they won that, and for the first time in franchise history. But before they got there, the Thunder couldn’t quite close the deal in one of the NBA’s newest in-season additions in the Emirates NBA Cup.
An in-season tournament, commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA implemented this annual competition involving all 30 NBA teams to boost interest within the regular season. And thus far, heading into the third year of the tournament, it’s done just that.
Winners receive the NBA Cup trophy, as players on the winning team receive individual cash prizes.
And despite the recent, abundant success of the Oklahoma City Thunder, this team has yet to claim an NBA Cup trophy in the three years of the tournament’s existence. Last season, the Thunder took out the competition en route to the title game, where they took on the Milwaukee Bucks.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo dropping 26 points and Damian Lillard having 23, the Bucks would go on to claim the NBA Cup trophy and prize money, booting out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. Oklahoma City would have the last laugh in ultimately winning the NBA Finals and garnering its first-ever Larry O’Brien trophy, but Thunder players would be lying if they told you they didn’t want to win the NBA Cup as well out of pure competition—and the extra cash of course.
Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates after winning the Emirates NBA Cup championship game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Now heading into the 2025-26 season, Oklahoma City will be competing against some different competition in the tournament this year as details were recently released. In West Group A, the Thunder will be lumped in with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz.
Oklahoma City handed all of these teams at least two losses a year ago, sweeping every team but the Timberwolves.
As the Thunder heads into this season, running through this tournament and claiming the NBA Cup trophy will be another statement the team can make—staking their claim as the best team in the league.
