ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
It was time to celebrate in Oklahoma City today. The Thunder won its first ever NBA Championship Sunday night, defeating the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game series. So fans hit the street in a parade, and Robby Korth with member station KOSU was there. Tough assignment, Robby.
ROBBY KORTH, BYLINE: Yes, Ari. It was...
SHAPIRO: How was the parade?
KORTH: It was a very hot parade, but it was a very exciting parade. Just listen to this crowd.
(CHEERING)
SHAPIRO: A good day in Oklahoma City. What does this championship mean to people there?
KORTH: Well, I mean, this has really been a 17-year journey that started when the Oklahoma City Thunder played their first game as the state's only major professional team. And they still are the only one. Since then, fans have honestly been a little spoiled. Their teams have made a bunch of NBA playoff runs, but they were never really able to get over the hump until now. And this was big for fans, and they showed up, lining the streets with kids in tow. I spoke to one fan, this OKC guy named JK King. He was there for the Game 7 victory, and he was at the parade, handing out mimosas to his fellow fans.
JK KING: It's incredible for Okies to finally have a top dog. And so to see them make it over the mountaintop in Game 7 - it means everything. You know, to see the championship banners here and a bazillion people out here, I mean, it's amazing. Yeah, it's really cool.
SHAPIRO: We don't typically do crowd counts, but I guess bazillion must be authoritative and accurate. So the fans were pretty hyped. What about the team? They must have been excited too?
KORTH: Yeah, the team was riding high in double-decker buses, but they all came down on the street, and many of them were not wearing shirts, and they were just high-fiving people, having a good time. Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander even took the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the NBA Championship to the fans, and he let them touch it. And the fans love him. After all, 26-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander was the first player since 2000 to win regular season MVP, finals MVP and the scoring title for the most points scored in a season all in the same year. And he was great. But at the parade, he was quick to give credit to his teammates.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER: So many guys have said it, but this is like family. We do everything together. We need each other out there. We want each other out there. We win because we have each other. We lose because of each other. Probably 'cause of me sometimes.
(LAUGHTER)
GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER: But yeah, we do everything together. And guess what, guys? We won the NBA Championship together.
(CHEERING)
KORTH: So one little tidbit - this was actually the youngest team to win a title since 1977, and that's decades before any of them were even born. When it came time to pop the champagne in the locker room, their oldest player - and he's only 31 - had to show them how to do it.
SHAPIRO: Aw. So what does the future hold for them?
KORTH: Well, there's a very bright future. They have a new arena that should begin construction soon. It will be funded by almost a billion dollars in public money, and it received overwhelming support in a vote from the people. On the court, national pundits are already making comparisons to past dynasty runs by the Golden State Warriors in the last decade and the Chicago Bulls in the '90s. But for now, people will just take this first-ever title, and they enjoyed the parade.
SHAPIRO: That is Robby Korth of member station KOSU. Thank you.
KORTH: Thank you, Ari.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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