'Guess what?': Jaylin Williams, OKC Thunder can no longer be denied after NBA championship

Yahoo

2 days ago

Believe Aaron Wiggins' conviction. His bottled-up defiance, which spilled into the microphone without the aid of liquid courage — that would come later — and into the veins of the Thunder faithful.
He didn't practice Tuesday's speech of champions. This blurb instantly destined for immortality, a toast that'd warm the hearts of Vikings. He sought the words earlier that morning, when the Thunder boarded its ceremonial bus to the Paycom Center, aiming for something that might resonate. The words left his mouth but weren't his alone. He translated the heart beats of those in the building who endured what he did and more.
Advertisement
From his lips to Oklahoma City's ears, this place could no longer be denied.
'My rookie season we won 24 games. Twenty-four games,' Wiggins reflected. 'But the best part about coming from that year is that the same people in this arena today, celebrating this championship, were there when we were winning 24 games.
'It was a point where they tried to call us 'the black hole of the NBA.' But four years later, when they mention the Thunder organization, when they mention Clay Bennett, when they mention Sam Presti, when they mention Mark Daigneault, and every single one of you in this arena — they gotta mention you as NBA champs.'
Get your Thunder championship keepsakes
Advertisement
MUSSATTO: Why Thunder parade for NBA championship is symbolic of Oklahoma City's rise
Before the sun rose, Oklahoma City lined the barricades outlining Walker Avenue. By the time it beamed, water bottles hot to the touch and pavement sizzling, thousands shed pounds in sweat. They waited hours to share this moment, even if brief.
Large families and those solo. Young, babbling fans and wrinkled ones. A snake rested in a cart outside the Omni. A proper cowboy, with tattered suede boots, sat atop a horse amid the Scissortail Park crowd.
There were vintage Sooners tees. So, so many Sooners. There was a Buc-ee's umbrella. A hand-drawn poster of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's fall SLAM Magazine cover. A Josh Giddey shirsey. A couple retroed Oklahoma City Hornets jerseys. There were thousands more of the members of this championship team, from Dillon Jones to Jalen Williams.
Advertisement
Tuesday morning, they all woke up fulfilled.
The team that proudly played for them during a title season could speak for them, too. Triumphant. Chests out. Don Julio equipped. Their last day at work was the conclusion of the NBA season.
And the coronation of a city that's long felt deserving of gold.
Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shared the gratification with everyone possible. Midway through Tuesday's parade downtown, he hopped off one of the team's buses to walk the streets in his signature gold Converse.
More: How OKC Thunder won first NBA title: Relive playoff run by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Co.
Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) holds the Larry OÕBrien Championship Trophy for the crowd as the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate their first NBA Finals title win with a champions parade throughout downtown Oklahoma City on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
He waltzed shirtless, his shorts to his shins and a Canadian flag tied around his waist. He gripped a blue flag donning the Thunder's logo, proudly raising it like an Olympic torch bearer, waving the way to Oklahoman bliss.
Advertisement
He lifted children. He borrowed phones for selfies. He pinned fans to his breast and sweaty embrace. He let them palm the Larry O'Brien, their hands patting the trophy like a golden doodle.
A man of the people. His people. Marching through his streets, a path he earned by sticking with them through 20-win seasons and the anguish of rebuilding, only to later help lead the way to one of the quickest organizational turnarounds in NBA history. Without the blockades, these thousands might've parted his path like Moses and the Red Sea.
Jalen Williams, days after his alleged first sip of alcohol, hit the ground running. He left the Paycom Center with a bottles of Moet and tequila in one hand, 'feeling good, feeling loose.'
Later, the Larry occupied that hand as he prompted the Scissortail crowd to grow louder. He gave them his vocal chords for a season. He only hoped for a return.
Advertisement
Before they left the park, Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander posed together. Williams clung to the trophy, an image of a crowned Kobe Bryant on his shirt and Bryant's original Adidas on his feet. This partner-in-crime was now vindicated himself.
Gilgeous-Alexander, whose arm wrapped around his 24-year-old co-star, dangled a championship belt over his shoulder.
More: Jaylin Williams' speech and our favorite moments from OKC Thunder NBA championship parade
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams celebrates during as the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate their first NBA Finals title win with a champions parade throughout downtown Oklahoma City on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
Center Isaiah Hartenstein lifted the trophy reflexively. His hoists of Larry synced with 'O-K-C' chants. He hardly needed a reason. That he could lift it sufficed. He emceed this antsy crowd with a magnificent prop.
Advertisement
Twice Wiggins looked back on the history this Thunder team picked up. The predecessors who neared this dream and fell short. Whose jerseys still lived in the crowd, whose legacy lived in their facilities, whose remnants occupied the staff and front office, and whose foundation helped this crew climb and do what they never could.
Those memories were relevant on this day. Wiggins ensured they amplified this celebration, not died.
'Where Nick Collison at?!' Wiggins screamed amid his morning speech. 'Where Nick at?'
Collison, a member of the Thunder front office, rose to an ovation.
Mayor David Holt introduced SGA as 'the greatest player to wear the uniform.' If there were smacked lips among the crowd, they went unheard beneath the deafening cheers, a park full from the stage to those who stood atop the hills.
Advertisement
It's a heavy mantle considering Kevin Durant's talent and Russell Westbrook's dedication. SGA's crown, with neatly stitched braids, felt fitting. And this crowd, which stomached rebuilds and the shortcomings of the first potential dynasty, didn't refuse the title Holt so freely passed along.
Gilgeous-Alexander was who allowed them to scream from the mountaintops. To stand atop the globe, even if the braggadocio is only this potent for the next calendar year.
More: What to know about OKC Thunder offseason: Draft picks, contracts after winning NBA title
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt reacts after Jaylin Williams cursed at Scissortail Park as the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate their first NBA Finals title win with a champions parade throughout downtown Oklahoma City on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
What SGA and his Thunder brought home lasts forever. A win that allows it to fill Oklahoma City's streets with unabashed glee. That golden, 30-pound representation of belonging.
Advertisement
As the afternoon neared its end, Jaylin Williams took the stage seemingly with the blood alcohol level of Homer Simpson and the crowd control of Steve Austin. His words, more profane than Wiggins', held the same pride.
'They said we was too young,' Williams shouted.
WHAT?
'They said Oklahoma shouldn't have a team.'
WHAT??
'But guess what?'
WHAT???
'We the f—n champs!'
That much was undeniable.
Pre-order our new Thunder championship book
REQUIRED READING: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is just getting started after winning first NBA title with Thunder
Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at [e-mail] or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder arrival in full effect after NBA championship parade