The opening night of the 2025-26 NBA season marked a special occasion for the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The night featured a banner-raising and ring unveiling ceremony to celebrate the team’s historic breakthrough in the NBA Finals, where they triumphed over the Indiana Pacers in a thrilling seven-game series.
In today’s NBA, team cores rarely remain intact for long, especially with hefty tax penalties looming over superteams. However, championship rings endure, immortalizing the contributions of every player involved in a title run. Before their opening night contest against the Houston Rockets, the Thunder’s championship rings were officially unveiled.
Brett Siegel, an NBA insider for ClutchPoints, shared insights into the ring’s intricate design. Crafted from 14-karat white and yellow gold, the ring features blue and orange sapphires, with each player’s number engraved in diamonds. The details extend further: the Thunder’s dominant regular-season record from last year (68-14) is engraved on the ring, along with the markings of every playoff series the team conquered on their path to the championship.
Beyond the material value, the true significance of the ring lies in its exclusivity. No one else on the planet owns this ring except the members of the 2024-25 Thunder squad, making it a unique and priceless symbol of their achievement.
As glittering as the new rings are, they serve as added motivation for the Thunder to pursue even greater success. Many experts now rank Oklahoma City as the number one favorite to claim the 2026 title, confident in their championship-caliber roster and team chemistry. However, repeating as champions is no easy feat, particularly when the Thunder carry the biggest target on their backs in the league.
### Thunder Poised for Repeat Championship Run
No team in the NBA has managed to repeat as champions throughout the 2020s. The last to accomplish this was the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, a superteam of historic proportions. The Oklahoma City Thunder are as close as it gets to a modern superteam today.
The Thunder returned every key player from last season’s roster, maintaining a powerful lineup and seemingly primed to sustain the league’s best defense once again. Head coach Mark Daigneault has instilled a culture of relentless effort, ensuring the team competes at 100 percent night after night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, freed from the pressure of chasing a title for the first time, is expected to deliver another MVP-caliber season. With talent, coaching, and championship experience all aligned, the Thunder look ready to chase back-to-back championships and establish a new dynasty in the NBA.
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-first-look-okc-championship-rings-will-have-fans-wanting-another-one