Gen Z is taking over the NBA Finals between Thunder and Pacers with youngest matchup in decades
When the Oklahoma City Thunder tip off against the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals Thursday night, it won't just be a battle for the title — it's a generational milestone.
Led by almost entirely Gen Z players born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are among the youngest teams in NBA history to make it to the championship games. The Thunder entered the season as the youngest team, with an average age of 24.148, according to the NBA. The Pacers came in slightly older at 25.263, but the number is still below the league average for teams that make it to the Finals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates with teammates after winning the Western Conference Finals MVP after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center on May 28, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
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The youngest team to win a championship was the Portland Trail Blazers nearly 50 years ago, with the average age of the team being just 25.03. They were led by then-24-year-old Bill Walton.
Now, a new generation of rising stars includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton, Chet Holmgren, and Bennedict Mathurin. The players themselves are aware of the shift this Finals represents.
After the Pacers punched their ticket to the NBA Finals with a win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals — their first trip to the Finals in 25 years — Myles Turner, who has been on the team the longest of anyone on the roster, reflected on what the 2025 playoffs could represent: "It's a new blueprint for the league, man … I think the years of the super teams and stacking, it's not as effective as it once was."
"Since I've been in the league, the NBA is very trendy. It just shifts," he said. "The new trend now is kind of what we're doing."
Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates with the Bob Cousy Trophy after the 125-108 win against the New York Knicks in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 31, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated this year's regular season, finishing with a 68-14 record and securing the No.1 spot in the Western Conference. With the leadership of 2024-25 MVP Gilgeous-Alexander, they were able to mostly cruise through the playoffs, taking down a tough Mavericks team in seven games but easily handling the Timberwolves and the Grizzlies.
The Thunder is the youngest team to have ever won 68 games in a single regular season, according to NBA statistics. If they win the 2025 championship, they would be the second youngest team to ever do so.
The Pacers finished the regular season with a record of 50-32, and the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Tyrese Haliburton, 24, has been leading the team alongside standouts Mathurin, 22, and 25-year-old Andrew Nembhard.
Both the Thunder and Pacers have built their rosters through strategic draft picks and trades.
Oklahoma City's Gilgeous-Alexander arrived via trade in 2019, when he was a rising prospect. While first-round picks Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren arrived in 2022 together. The Indiana Pacers had a similar blueprint, trading for Haliburton in 2022 and drafting Nembhard and Mauthrin in the following years.
Both teams are now in the finals without having signed any of the marquee veteran players when they were available on the market.
The generation that grew up fully with the internet is now reshaping NBA history. Together, these teams are carving out a new lane, bringing fresh energy and excitement to the younger fan base by connecting with their fans on social media.
Both teams have been posting more content related to games on platforms like Instagram, X and TikTok, where the younger generation is, drawing on OKC's "Loud City" and the Pacers' "Pacer Nation."
In a league where veterans like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry traditionally dominate the court, this year feels like a passing of the torch.
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