'Moving Great Wall': China unleash towering teen basketball star
Zhang Ziyu shakes the hand of an umpire prior to the game against Japan (-)
China look set to unleash their 2.26m (7ft 5in) "moving Great Wall" at the Women's Asia Cup after teenager Zhang Ziyu put in another towering display days after her debut.
The 18-year-old centre scored 18 points as China beat great rivals Japan 101-92 on Wednesday in Xi'an in a warm-up for the regional tournament next month on home soil.
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It was her third appearance for the senior Chinese squad, having helped them to blowout victories over Bosnia and Herzegovina over the weekend.
Chinese state media dubbed her and gangly centre Han Xu the "Twin Towers".
Zhang's looming presence on court -- footage showed her barely needing to jump to make a basket -- seemed to stump Japan head coach Corey Gaines.
Asked if he had figured out a way "to deal" with the teenager, the American ex-NBA guard told reporters: "We'll just say: Interesting. Very interesting."
Zhang hails from northern China's Shandong province and had reached 2.10m by the end of primary school.
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She has been likened by Chinese fans to Houston Rockets great Yao Ming.
Yao, who at 2.29m was one of the tallest NBA players in history, was known as the "moving Great Wall" before retiring from basketball in 2011 and Zhang has now taken on the nickname.
Both of Zhang's parents played professional basketball.
Her father, Zhang Lei, turned out for the Chinese Basketball Association's Jinan Military Region while her mother Yu Ying played as a centre for Shandong, according to local media.
The teenager may have a distinct height advantage but she has been told she needs to sharpen up.
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Experienced centre Yang Liwei said after Wednesday's win that Zhang "could have been tougher on some shots".
"I think she played at her normal level," added Yang, who helped China win the Asian title in 2023.
China meet Japan again on Friday at home for another warm-up.
Both will play at the Women's Asia Cup in Shenzhen from July 13.
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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
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The entertainment value has been high throughout the United States and Canada, despite the two small-market teams. Advertisement Basketball isn't as welcome on the other side of the globe. It is England's second-most popular team sport behind soccer, according to Basketball England. There has been talk of establishing a London and/or Manchester franchise in the developing European league coordinated by the NBA and FIBA, which is good news. But British basketball is bitterly divided, and when it comes to U.K. funding for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, basketball is behind badminton, weightlifting and shooting. 'I'm tired of basketball being s— in this country,' Sam Neter, who runs the website and foundation Hoopsfix, told The Athletic. 'At some point, it has got to change, and it's not going to change by all of us sitting around saying how bad it is.' Neter has been on a mission to 'change the game' since Hoopsfix first launched in 2009 and has been involved in refurbishing two basketball courts in May alone — one on the south coast in Brighton, often referred to as 'England's Miami,' and the other at Turnpike Lane in north London. But can these colorful designs help awaken a country considered a sleeping giant of European basketball? Emerging from the London Underground, Turnpike Lane has a bustling shopping area in either direction: cafés, supermarkets and takeaways with plenty of people mulling about. At first glance, the central location can be any suburb in the English capital. But a stone's throw away from the station is Ducketts Common, home to recently renovated courts. Highlighting the extent of their transformation, an old, concrete-gray court sits horizontally behind two revamped courts that are awash with color. The turquoise, orange and yellow add extra vibrancy to a red-hot summer's day. 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'I'd always made my own videos, designed my own artwork, and I started in COVID this brand, Half Decent Day, making clothes. The basketball courts were a tag onto that in the beginning, and now they run side by side,' Sure said. 'I just love art on any level, and I totally make art for art's sake. It was never supposed to be something I made money out of. … It's much more of a passion project than anything else.' A post shared by Basketball Courts Near Me (@ Sure plays basketball regularly and uses his knowledge to ensure his designs are playable and functional. 'I come and play at the court, meet the locals, talk to everybody and try and find out what they want and what represents the area,' he said. 'I try to be unique each time and try to give each community its own identity. 'If they feel like they have ownership of the court, then it becomes part of the fabric of the area, and they look after it more. There is pride there.' Court refurbishments usually take a year minimum, Sure said. Brighton took 12 months, and Turnpike Lane took 18 months. Costs range roughly from £50,000 ($67,465) to £100,000 ($134,937). But the benefit to the community can be priceless. 'I'd spent my life working in music and performing, and the buzz I get from this is way bigger,' said Sure, adding that renovations 'really impact the areas' in question. 'These areas that I have done (court refurbishments) are all deprived areas.' Hoopsfix's first court renovation was Clapham Common in south London, one of the city's largest public spaces. Featuring a full court and two side-by-side half courts, Clapham was completed in November 2021. The court has SBB's seal of approval. Denzel Kazembe and Behrad Bakhtiari, who first started reviewing basketball courts online in college, gave Clapham 10 out of 10, with top ratings on the backboards, rims and court competition. Advertisement 'It was kind of a milestone for British basketball,' Kazembe said. 'I'm from east London, but the fact that someone from east London now knows about Clapham Common and is traveling there to join that community speaks volumes. You can see the nuggets of the community from beforehand, from the people that turn up with a speaker and mic to the rules specific to the court.' Renovated with the assistance of the NBA, Foot Locker and Hoopsfix and designed by Pete Simmons of creative agency 5or6, Clapham took three years to finish. The 280 seats that surround the main court are the highest number of any outdoor court in the country, according to Neter. Situated near a comparatively humdrum skate park in the 220-acre common, the black and blues of Simmons' creation stand out. 'When we did it, it wasn't just about renovating it. We produced a 5,000-word guide on how to renovate a local basketball court with everything we'd learned in the process,' Neter said. 'We released an hour-long video on YouTube that vlogs the entire process, showing everything we did along the way. 'That's where I see the foundation being able to have an impact. Ultimately, we're never going to have the impact on British basketball if it's just us.' Getting a project like Clapham over the line came with various challenges, such as realizing a common has stricter guidelines than a park. Funding is also a challenge. An annual basketball game helps Hoopsfix with its funding goals. The Hoopsfix All-Star Classic, held since 2014, spotlights some of the best under-19 talent in the country. Some former participants have made it to the NBA, including Jeremy Sochan (San Antonio Spurs) and Tosan Evbuomwan (Brooklyn Nets). The event has allowed Hoopsfix — its social media accounts combined feature nearly 100,000 followers — to fund court refurbishments, in addition to collaborators. For Clapham, this was a £5,000 contribution; the rest of the funding fell into place. 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2 hours ago
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Everyone's going to talk about the motor. I thought he was more a hard-playing defensive guy, and what he's able to do as a playmaker, passer, and obviously the way he shot the ball was way better than anybody thought he was going to. His ability to fit in with anybody is gonna be his greatest asset. He's going to be a star because he's just elite in his role. His defensive tenacity and ability to cover ground on that end is something that separates him. He's got the star qualities about him, probably an all-NBA ceiling. Does he have competitive juices of a Jimmy Butler type of dude? Is that somebody that he could be comparable to down the line, in terms of impact in the game? He's going to have to tighten up his handle. He's going to have to become a much better catch-and-shoot guy to be the number one on an NBA team, but the ceiling is extremely high. He's got a great body, great body control, great finisher at the basket. Obviously has to work on his jump shot, but he can make it. Scores at all three levels. I don't know how well he'll do with the ball out of his hands. I can see him playing a role like a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander type. I know that's the MVP. I'm not saying he's going to be Shai, but I can see his ceiling being that, because he's really, really good with the ball in his hands, really good getting downhill. He can make plays for others, and he can make plays for himself. Good size for a point guard in the NBA. Advertisement Dylan is a worker, man. I felt like he kept getting better and better and evolved as a player, which speaks to why he's such a coveted pick. Those guys are picked apart, and on that team, he had to do so much and was the focus of our scouting report and probably everybody else's. Tip of the cap to him and the guys at Rutgers for getting him better. Got pedigree. Dad was in the NBA. Mom was the one who really worked him out a lot. He's going to have a head start ahead of every one because of his dad and his mom. Huge upside. Has the potential to be a 3-and-D guy at a high level. Big time athlete. Straight-line driver. Can make corner 3s. Love the joy that he plays with. His best basketball is in front of him, but I think he's talented and athletic enough he'll be able to find some spot minutes early. His comp is Victor Oladipo. Ceiling, if he figures it out, he's Dwyane Wade. My bet is he's a good pro that probably plays eight to 10 years. I don't think he is ever going to be a centerpiece like Wade. When he gets downhill, the length will bug him. We were s— defensively, and he didn't really hurt us. I don't know if he has enough offensive firepower to be a centerpiece. But he could have a good career where he's an Oladipo type, a good player for a couple years and then one of the better players on a team for a couple years. He wasn't as tall as they say he was. He has some special flashes and seems to enjoy playing. He had a great motor and a good spirit about him. He has the capability to play defense and probably didn't defend as well as he could at Rutgers. Some might wonder why they didn't win more with two lottery picks, but those guys were freshmen playing against older teams. When you invest a lot of money, like Rutgers did, in two guys, your supporting cast is not great. That's not their fault. The upside for Ace is his shooting. He's a big-time shotmaker. He makes NBA type shots. He makes tough shots. If he can find a niche and take care of his body, he should have a good career. Advertisement One of the most naturally gifted scorers as a freshman that we've seen in our time in the league. I don't know if he's big enough to be a wing, but I think he can be combo. He can come off a ball screen. He can get separation on his shot. His shotmaking ability and his bad shotmaking ability is elite. They kind of just gave him the ball and let him go, and you don't see many people in college, much less freshmen, being able to make those types of shots. His comp is probably Jamal Crawford. But how much better does he make his team? I do think winning has to come into play at some point. Not to say he's not a winner, but it wasn't enough to be able to take them over the hump. When Markelle Fultz went number one, Washington won nine games that year. Not sure why you would think that would be your franchise guy. And I know that (Rutgers') Dylan Harper is gonna go second. I understand it's not everything. His whole thing is going to be how is he going to continue to develop defensively and impact winning on that end of the floor. How much can he improve in being able to physically guard one through four, one through five in the NBA, that's going to be the biggest question mark. But he's a dynamic scorer and somebody who I think should have a really long career in the NBA. If nothing else, he's gonna be somebody who's gonna give you a great punch off the bench for a long time. He'll be able to play right away because of the shooting and IQ. He can post up a mismatch. We tried to play him off the line, because he is an elite shooter. Great release. Great footwork. If he drives left, he wants it to his pull-up. Drives right, he's more getting to the basket. I didn't have him as a natural passer, but he knows how to make the right play. We tried to stay attached to him. He was able to get in the paint and he's so fundamental playing off two feet. He bullied our wings a couple times at the basket. Very even-keeled personality. What everyone's gonna say is, what's he gonna do defensively in space? Duke kind of masked and hid that a little bit. He had Khaman Maluach behind him, and they were switching a lot. I don't think we quite got to see that. It wouldn't surprise me if that's the fourth-best player on a championship team. He's an upside guy. He's dynamic off of a ball screen. He's got great speed, really good change of direction. He's got good moxie. He is the size of a modern NBA point guard. I think that's pretty evident just in terms of what he was able to do against SEC defenses this year. Reminds me of Jordan Clarkson. What would help him is if he went to an established franchise where he can kind of blend in versus going to a losing team. I don't know if he's gonna turn your franchise around. He's gonna need a lot of other pieces to go along with him. He's a talented kid, but is he a consistent winner in the NBA? I don't know that answer. He only shot 28 percent from 3. With how much he turned the ball over and some of his on-the-court antics, I'd have some hesitancy taking him as a first-rounder. Think he'll be in the G-League a lot next year. Advertisement I love his size. He's the opposite of Ace Bailey. He was bigger in person than I thought he was on tape and played bigger. I love his length. I love his pace. I'd seen him play as a younger kid in some of the other events, and I loved how he adjusted to the college game and speed. He was really good early on, especially shooting the ball, and tapered off some as the season went along. It'll be interesting to see how the speed of the game at the NBA level affects him from the point guard position. That's a tough position to play in the NBA. There's not many foreign point guards in the NBA. But he has a big-time skill set. The thing that stood out when he played us, they were kicking our ass — up 20 — the defensive possession at the end of the game where the game is basically done, he was just communicating at one of the highest levels that I've seen and that's impressive for a freshman. Empowering some of the guys who weren't playing as much to get over screens because he was there to help. His mouth was continuously moving. I think that type of maturity is going to really help him early in his NBA career. He wasn't able to show he could shoot at Duke, but that's something he's done well in workouts. He's got the size and is a great lob threat and shot blocker. He's probably not switchable at that level. And so now in drop coverage, is he able to protect the rim and impact the game defensively at a high enough level to stay on the court? I don't think he's as good as Dereck Lively was coming out. Dereck moved so well laterally and could really change ends quickly. I don't get that same feel from Maluach. But I was high on him after seeing him play against us, just because of the intangibles. Physically, one of the more impressive players that we've had in our league. Able to get to his spots. Exceptional low-post scorer. Finishes at a pretty good clip around the rim. I don't think he took a step back last year, but his team did take a step back, which I think hurt him a little bit as far as just his productivity and his numbers. But he was still pretty efficient on the offensive end. He made nine 3s this past season, so has shown the ability to shoot it. Obviously needs to improve on that consistency to have a chance to play some four in the NBA because he's too small to play the five. Turns the ball over a little too much. That'd be the one other area that he really needs to improve, but as far as going and getting rebounds, even though he's 6-8, he's got really long arms and you would think that you'd have a rebound and he would just go and get it. If we were talking about drafting somebody in the late 80s to 90s, I would think he looks like a top-10 guy. I don't know how well his game is going to translate in today's NBA. Obviously he's going to get drafted and he's a talent. But what's his position going to be? Who is he going to defend and can he defend on the perimeter consistently enough to justify keeping him out there? It would have to be the right team. If he's able to handle the ball better and knock down open shots, he's got the other pieces to make it work. Advertisement Love him. I think he plays as long as he wants if his 3 ball goes in consistently, which I think it will. And then defensively he can guard perimeter-oriented guys, which is his next step. Feels like there's a ton of guys like him at 6-8 to 6-9 that can make 3s and just be out there, you know? I don't think he's a franchise guy, but I think he plays for a while. He fits a prototype. Size, length, shooting. And he's a good athlete. Each team in the NBA has a guy like him. I was a big fan of his. Love the skill. Big. A mismatch nightmare. Could do a lot on the basketball floor. He's a Nikola Jokić type with his skill set and the way he uses his body. Great hands, great feet and a better defender than he was given credit for. I don't worry about the speed of the game with him anymore. They had a really good team, but he was the anchor of that thing. So I think he'll be just fine. His skill set is phenomenal and his IQ is better than what a lot of people give him credit for. He's working on his body. If he can figure out how to get his body in elite shape and play every single night, I think he's an All-Star. The path he took to get here is pretty remarkable — starting at a Division III school and basically being an unknown player. I think he's a mid-first-round pick and probably still inching his way up. Instantly gonna fit the 3-and-D prototype that the NBA values so much. I don't think he's close to being where he can get to either, which is kind of what they're looking for too. As he develops, he'll have a chance to be a pretty good scorer, but he has immediate stock in terms of his ability to make shots and defend with his positional size. He's a winning player. In addition to his shooting, he can post, gets to the basket and plays through contact. His character is probably the greatest thing he's got. Just a great guy. I think he is going to be somebody in the NBA that really brings a lot of value to the locker room. He's obviously got a high level of skill. Plays with a really great motor for a young guy, great length, great hands. The worst-case scenario for him would be Thomas Bryant. Best is way, way, better than that. He just plays the game the right way. Has the physical tools, skill with the ball in his hands. He'll be better with better shooting around him because he has the ability to post but also has the ability to catch lobs. Could be used as a hub in some ways in the offense because he is a pretty good passer. Their team was significantly different without him. Against us, he was more of a post player. I thought if he were to come back another year, he would be an absolute load to deal with once he added strength, added everything. He was one of those guys that — this is kind of a tell of a good player — you feel like you do a good job against him, but then you pick up the stat sheet and there's still a lot of production. He still has to work on decision making, but he's just so young for his class that I would bet on him. He could be an All-Star. Man, that one's hard. He's a guy that's really intriguing just because of his positional size and being able to play the point and play in pick-and-roll. The spacing in the NBA may be better suited to his game. But I don't trust his jumper. I know he's worked at it. Does that develop? And how's he gonna score 2s? So if you can't score 2s, then you don't put two on the ball, and if you don't put two on the ball, you can't pass. That's my question. I don't know how he's going to do that. I don't think he can create his own. But damn, he can really, really pass. Like, elite, elite. Both hands, both corners. Love Wolf. He was better than I thought he would be. He played at his pace and never got sped up. I think he needs to work on his shooting to be a floor spacer. But he's tremendously skilled. He could have a tough time guarding, but he's probably the most ready to find a way into a role on an NBA team among Big Ten prospects just because of his age. I'm not sure what exactly that looks like. It's probably depending on the franchise. Advertisement Versatile. Tough. He was a lot bigger in person than I realized. His rebounding seemed like he had a level of confidence as a freshman that was impressive. Obviously got hurt during the year, but he's a guy that impacted them a ton because of his ability to get to the foul line. Will that translate as well or will he be just more of a guy that's making catch-and-shoot corner 3s? Because at UConn he was a decision maker, and I don't know if that's going to translate as well as it did in college. I wouldn't call him an elite shooter, but a very good shooter. Defensively, he's not better. Better than I thought he'd be. I think he has a high ceiling. Physically has to get stronger, but I think with his feel, his knack for getting fouled and his competency defensively, he's an NBA starter at some point. It's a bit funky with him because he's 6 feet and he's not a point guard. His measurements were not great. Small. He would have to be a Lou Williams type guy. I think he'll struggle a little because he is not a very speedy guy. He's not tricky with the ball. Obviously had a great freshman year. But he would be one that I would worry about because of his size. Very, very, very talented. I love his size, his pace. Shotmaker. Scoring mentality. Before our game against Illinois, he was getting in a full sweat workout in warmups, like pro style. That was his routine. I was super impressed. The physicality of the NBA game is what I worry about with him, but he wasn't rattled by the moment. In the guts of the game, he was really, really good. He's so young. If he gets in the right situation where he gets a vet to take him under his wing, he's a phenomenal talent, he has a chance to be really good. Great skill set. Makes big plays, passes well, rebounds, tips, deflects, gets to the ball. And those are huge transferable skills at the next level. You look at the score and you're like, he got the quietest 20-and-8 ever. He's not a high-volume guy. Super efficient. Just knew his game, played to his game, really rebounded from the guard spot, which I think is so valuable. And the thing to me that translates the most is work ethic. He has really, really transformed his body. We've seen the fruits of his labor at a period where he's not exhausted by the process of it. Will he be a superstar? I don't know. But he's a guy that just ends up sticking in the league because of all the things that it seems like he's about in terms of his work ethic and his competitiveness and just the willingness and impact on winning. Their other guys were good, but he made those guys way better than what they were, in my opinion. I think that's what makes him special. Advertisement Grateful he's gone. He's for sure a long-term NBA guy, especially with the NBA game trending back to bigger guys. You watch the playoffs, and these teams are playing 11 to 13 guys. They're just mixing combination lineups. I just don't see how he can't be in those games. He has an incredible feel and IQ for the game. His size is real. His ability to execute the drop coverage that a lot of NBA teams utilize with their big is elite. He's got a great feel for it. He has a motor. Sometimes you hear motor and it's guys who are just fast running around. But that dude does not get tired. He came out like four minutes a game maybe? And he's sprinting up and down the floor. And then offensively, man, I think he's just gotten better and better. He finishes well with both hands around the paint. He's about as consistent as they can be. He actually can shoot and he improved and showed his 3-point shooting a bit where you had to guard him. He's got to speed up the mechanics some, but his ability to protect the rim and then his IQ at being able to play pick-and-roll defense and catch lobs, he'll be a guy that will be on a roster for a really long time and could anchor a second team as a five man with the upside to be a starter down the line. Elite shotmaker. His ability to go from playing off the ball to being their point guard and showing the ability to not only take over games offensively shooting it but also facilitating it while cutting down on his turnovers speaks to his ability to find a place to play at the next level offensively. Defensively, he's got a lot of work to do. He gets lost out there on the floor. He's a bit of a liability, but there's not many people that I've ever seen play that can immediately make up for their defensive mistakes by knocking down three straight 3s in a row. He's so elite offensively that you're almost willing to put up with his inability to defend because he's that good on that end of the floor. But for him to be able to play consistent minutes, he's got to get better defensively. Obviously has the size and the frame. Was a very efficient player, really didn't take bad shots, which I think is a positive. He works his tail off. And quite honestly, even playing in the SEC, he was a lot tougher than I thought he was going to be when he first got into the league. He's just a good-natured, soft-spoken, nice person. Better skill level than what you think. Still not consistent enough as a shooter, but when it comes to upside, athleticism, being able to slide his feet, guard multiple positions, make a standstill 3, I like his upside. He should be in the lottery consideration. You can plug and play him and put him in a rotation as your second-unit guy and keep developing him with other really good players around him. Big and can really shoot. Really good rebounder. His shooting numbers were excellent. He took some really bad off the dribble 3s. If you take his off-the-dribble 3 out of his overall percentage, then the numbers just skyrocket. (Raynaud was 2 of 18 on off-the-dribble 3s and 65 of 110 on catch-and-shoot 3s.) He would take a lot of tough shots at the college level. But as a secondary guy and a big that can shoot, I think there's a lot of offensive value. Good athlete, but not like elite. The physicality of the NBA game, curious to see how he makes that transition. He averaged over three offensive rebounds a game, so there isn't a motor issue. Defensively, can he drop or can he switch? Is he good at either of those? Not a great rim protector. His defense will determine his upside, but at a minimum, he's pretty skilled, a good passer and can really shoot. He averaged 20 and almost 12 and made some big, big shots in big moments. That's pretty darn good. He'll find a way to make it. Advertisement I think he's going to be a better NBA player than he was a college player. His game just translates better to the NBA as a 3-and-D guy. I've had 20-plus people in the NBA reach out. He's got all the tangibles. He's 6-9 with a 7-foot plus wingspan. St. Joe's could have utilized him a little bit more, but it's just hard to do that when you've got arguably the best point guard and the best shooting guard in our league with Xzayvier Brown and Erik Reynolds. They didn't run a fancy system. They just kind of just balled out. He probably didn't rebound it as well as you would think given his size and athleticism inside of the A-10, but he's one of those guys that fits in with the modern day NBA. He's not great putting the ball down. But as a 3-and-D, versatile swing, he can guard up or down with his size and lateral quickness and ability to make spot 3s. He's got to improve his ability to shoot off movement, but he can make catch-and-shoot kickout 3s as a really good complementary piece. I don't love him. I think people get to the point where they kind of throw out that 3-and-D label pretty loosely just because he's got the size and athleticism that that prototype has. But I think he's got a ways to go to kind of realize that. I didn't see the super high-level defense. He shot a good percentage from 3 (37.9 percent), but he was the guy for UNC who you helped off. We were daring him to shoot and he made some shots. But nothing really stood out about his offensive game. I didn't see a legit handle, and I didn't see a guy that was overly aggressive either. He would have been better served coming back playing a bigger role offensively to show that he can do a little bit more. Is he worth a shot because he has the attributes they're looking for? Yes. He'll probably carve out a role in the NBA. I just don't know if he's an impactful player. (Top illustration photos: Joe Buglewicz, Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Why the Oklahoma City Thunder haven't let market size stunt their potential
INDIANAPOLIS — As the Oklahoma City Thunder sit one win away from their first NBA title, there is no shortage of reasons that serve as the backbone for their success. From the franchise-altering Paul George trade to the similarly significant 2022 NBA Draft, Sam Presti and the front office have nailed a lot of big decisions. Advertisement But there is one other thing that has helped the Thunder outrun the rest of the league: Oklahoma City, despite being in the third-smallest media market in the league, acts in many ways like a big-market team. The NBA's collective bargaining agreement sets a salary cap for all 30 teams and has made the new second apron, essentially, a de facto hard cap in the eyes of many executives and agents. That puts an opportunity cost to every dollar spent on player salary, but there is no such limitation to money spent on the rest of the organization. Team executives around the league believe the Thunder have one of the largest front offices in the NBA and are among the league's biggest spenders on its basketball operations staff. The Thunder have 88 employees in their basketball operations department, according to a publicly available media guide. As a comparison, the New York Knicks have 92. The Los Angeles Lakers have just 56. Oklahoma City also offers its top executives a kind of job security rarely seen around the league and is able to keep them for longer. That stability is a credit to the franchise's prosperous path over the last two decades but also to its ability to retain front-office talent. Thunder general manager Sam Presti has been in Oklahoma City for 18 years. Wynn Sullivan has spent 13 years with the team and Jesse Gould has been there for 16 years — both are now VPs of basketball operations. Rob Hennigan, another VP, is in his 12th season with the Thunder, bookending a stint as Orlando Magic general manager. Despite the team's success, only a few of its top front-office members have departed over the last decade. Hennigan left in 2012 and returned five years later. Troy Weaver had a 12-year run as a top Thunder executive before he left to be the Detroit Pistons GM in 2020. Michael Winger, now president of basketball for the parent group of the Washington Wizards and Mystics, spent eight seasons as Thunder assistant GM before he left for the LA Clippers in 2018. Wizards GM Will Dawkins spent 15 years in Oklahoma City, working his way up from intern to VP of basketball operations. Advertisement The organization isn't just about winning on the margins; it spends money when it needs to. The Thunder have paid $106.44 million in luxury tax since 2002, according to Spotrac, which is the 12th most among all teams in that time. By comparison, the Memphis Grizzlies, the NBA's smallest media market, have only paid the luxury tax in two seasons and not since 2005; the New Orleans Pelicans, the second-smallest market, have never paid the tax. San Antonio, the fifth-smallest market, has paid $17.51 million since 2002. The only outlier in that group that could compare is the Milwaukee Bucks, who are in the fourth-smallest NBA market and have paid $188.67 million in tax over the last four seasons. All of that spending was concentrated in a six-year period at the end of last decade, when the Thunder chased a championship during the end of the Kevin Durant era and during the last few seasons Russell Westbrook remained in Oklahoma City. When the Thunder paid $61.62 million in luxury tax during the 2018-19 season, it was the second most any team had ever been taxed up until that point. That willingness to spend big could soon become an issue as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren become extension-eligible this summer. How the Thunder navigate that may decide how long their reign could last. But if the past is any indicator, Oklahoma City won't be afraid to outspend its market size. What is the financial benefit of an NBA Finals appearance for a team? Look no further than Indianapolis last week, where the Pacers hosted a finals game for the first time in 25 years. There was plenty of energy for the team all across the city, with Pacers signage, shirts and fandom visible everywhere downtown. Maybe that's because the Pacers team store was doing such brisk business. The store had roughly $200,000 in sales on the day before Game 3, which is about 100 times the amount it usually has on a similar day in the calendar when the team is not in the finals. (Photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Sam Presti celebrating after the Thunder won the Western Conference finals: David Sherman / NBAE via Getty Images)
