At first glance, one may think the Oklahoma City Thunder do not lead the NBA in any category in recent years.
They made one NBA Finals appearance back in 2012, but other than that, they have experienced many disappointing playoff defeats and a frustrating rebuilding process ever since Kevin Durant left in 2016.
But this season, they overachieved by reaching the play-in tournament, and it was largely because of the excellent play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
He was named to the All-NBA First Team on Wednesday, which came as somewhat of a surprise, but in doing so, he added to a surprising tally of All-NBA totals for the Thunder.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is OKC’s…
4th All-NBA 1st Team player.
5th All-NBA player.
9th All-NBA 1st Team selection.
18th All-NBA selection.
Thunder leads the NBA in each of these since becoming a franchise.
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) May 10, 2023
Since moving from Seattle in 2008, the Thunder have had several prominent NBA stars, including Durant, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Chris Paul.
Durant had long been a fixture on the All-NBA teams, especially during his time in Oklahoma City, as was Westbrook, who was named the regular-season MVP for the 2016-17 campaign.
After Durant departed, George was traded to the Thunder in 2017, and he was named to an All-NBA squad in both of his two seasons with the team.
Following George’s stunning trade to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, Westbrook was shipped to the Houston Rockets for Paul, who led Oklahoma City to a surprising playoff appearance in the 2019-20 season while making the All-NBA Second Team.
With Gilgeous-Alexander, as well as Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, expected back next season, not to mention a treasure chest of acquired first-round draft choices, the future is looking bright for the Thunder.
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Fans React To OKC Thunder Being Eliminated From Playoffs
