The Oklahoma City Thunder is not the oldest team in the NBA, as it relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008. The team quickly found amazing young players like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. The trio got impressive success as they made it to the 2012 NBA finals. In the last decade, all three players left the team for the championship. Now the team is led by future stars such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and others. In this article, we will have a look at some of the best players in the history of the Thunder franchise.
10. Steven Adams
Steven Adams was selected by Oklahoma City in the 2013 NBA Draft. He was part of the team for almost a decade. Adams was great as a defensive center and a key player in the team’s playoff runs. Although his numbers are not notable, “Funaki” was an impactful player and an amazing teammate. Adams played seven seasons for the Thunder and became one of the most important players in the team’s history.
9. Kendrick Perkins
Kendrick Perkins was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2011 after winning a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008. As soon as he joined the Thunder, Perkins became a leader in a team full of young core players. Just like Steven Adams, his numbers were not highlighted, but he had a great impact on the team during the five seasons he played with them.
8. Serge Ibaka
Serge Ibaka was selected by the Seattle Supersonics in the 2008 NBA Draft, but they relocated to Oklahoma City within six days of the draft. He started playing for the Thunder in 2009 and emerged as a talented player. Most of his success came with the Thunder, as he spent seven seasons with the team. His skills and effort helped the team make several deep playoff runs and become one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joined Oklahoma City in 2019, which means he has not spent that much time with the franchise. However, within a short time, he has already established himself as one of the greatest players in franchise history. The 25-year-old shooting guard has already made it clear that he is in the franchise for a long tenure and has helped to rebuild in a big way. He has the potential to not only become a future star in the league but to become the best player in the Thunder’s history as well.
6. Jack Sikma
The Seattle SuperSonics have won only one NBA Championship during the franchise’s history. A key player for them during that season was Jack Sikma, who helped the team secure a 52-30 record in the playoffs. He was quite young in his career when the SuperSonics won the title, as Sikma had only been selected by the team two years earlier. Apart from his time as a player, Jack later became an assistant coach for the franchise from 2003–2007.
5. Spencer Haywood
Spencer Haywood was a fantastic player in the league and a huge asset to the Seattle SuperSonics. He is a four time All-Star and became a champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s. All of Spencer’s All-Star appearances came during his time with the SuperSonics franchise, where he had amazing seasons with records like 29.2 points and 13.4 rebounds per game. His jersey number 24 was retired by the franchise in 2007.
4. James Harden
Harden was the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder. James played only three seasons with the franchise, but his time there was definitely memorable. Harden, along with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, formed a strong trio. All three made it to the 2012 NBA finals but suffered defeat against the Miami Heat. After that season, James was traded to the Houston Rockets, which proved to be one of the worst trades in NBA history.
3. Gary Payton
Gary Payton was the second overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, selected by the Seattle SuperSonics. Payton proved to be a great decision by the franchise as he became a nine-time All-Star, most of which came from his time with the SuperSonics. During his time with the team, “The Glove” captured franchise records for assists and steals. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.
2. Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant was the second overall pick in the NBA Draft, selected by Oklahoma City. He went on to become one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise and one of the best players in the league. KD had a lot of success with the Thunder. However, he decided to leave the team in 2016 and went on to play with the Golden State Warriors. Because of this move, every Oklahoma City fan hates Kevin Durant.
1. Russell Westbrook
When Kevin Durant left the franchise in 2016, Russell Westbrook could have also joined him, but instead he gave some of the most entertaining seasons to the Thunder fans. Several people felt that the team would disintegrate, but Oklahoma City made the playoffs for the first three seasons following Durant’s departure. During that span, Westbrook also won an MVP before finally leaving in 2019. His departure from the team was not on good terms, but he is still loved in Oklahoma City.
Also Read: List of Best Players in the History of Houston Rockets
