The Oklahoma City Thunder are not just favorites to repeat as NBA champions. They are now virtually the only choice to win it all.
ESPN recently polled a mix of 20 coaches, executives, and scouts on some big-picture questions. When asked which team would raise the 2026 Larry O’Brien Trophy, a whopping 18 of those respondents rolled with OKC.
Shrug this off as an inevitable development if you are so inclined. The Thunder are built to exist at the tippy top of the championship discussion for years to come. But given the rise in parity around the league, receiving 90 percent of any sample size’s title equity is hardly assured.