The NBA has seen a plethora of talent roll through the league since 2000. With the Oklahoma City Thunder making their debut in 2008, they’ve been able to contribute to that, having plenty of talent roll through the franchise in its short history.
Four players who have gone through the Thunder’s franchise at one point or another were listed as top 25 players in the NBA since 2000 — a list created by ESPN.
Former No. 2 overall pick Kevin Durant was the first former Thunder mentioned on the list, being ranked No. 9 among the talents — which is an incredible honor for one of the best scorers in the history of the NBA and one of the best players to represent Oklahoma City.
“I’m Kevin Durant. You know who I am. Y’all know who I am.’ That was Durant’s conclusion to a lengthy answer about pesky Patrick Beverley’s defense against him (with a whole lot of help, as Durant noted) early in a 2019 playoff series,” ESPN’s Tim McMahon wrote. “Durant’s point: He had proved himself as one of the best scorers to ever play the game, a four-time scoring champion who had won the previous two NBA Finals MVPs, a blend of size and skill that had never been seen before. Then he averaged 41.5 points the rest of that series as the Warriors finished off the Clippers. As he has bounced from team to team, there has been one constant about KD’s identity: When he’s healthy, he has always been impossible to guard.”
Durant spent the bulk of his prime years in Oklahoma City, winning an MVP and leading the team to the NBA Finals in 2012. He’ll forever be a franchise legend, no matter how he’s regarded by fans or anyone else. The jersey No. 35 will be hanging in the rafters when it’s all said and done.
Next — though he spent a short time of his career as a young player in Oklahoma City — is James Harden. The No. 13 player since 2000 won an MVP award once landing in Houston with the Rockets after playing with the Thunder.
“Harden will go down as one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, but The Beard and his step-back were nearly unstoppable from 2017 to 2020. He started his scoring spree with an MVP season in 2017-18, averaging 30.4 points, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds. And he was even better the following season, averaging 36.1 points in 2018-19 — the eighth-highest average in NBA history,” ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk wrote.
Harden will always be remembered as one of the best scorers in the league during his era — though for a different reason than Durant.
Now-San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul was slotted No. 15 on the list, and he had a memorable season during the 2019-20 campaign in Oklahoma City. In an unlikely year that saw a shortened season with covid, Paul led the young, rebuilding Thunder to a playoff berth. Still, he’s most known for his time with the LA Clippers during the Lob City era.
A franchise favorite, Russell Westbrook, was ranked No. 23 in the era. He was a force to be reckoned with while wearing a Thunder jersey. Like Durant, Westbrook won an MVP award while in Oklahoma City, though his meant just a bit more.
“He became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a season when he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists during his MVP season in 2016-17. He then would go on to accomplish that feat four times in five seasons,” ESPN wrote.
Having four players in the top 25 players since 2000 goes to show the level of talent the Thunder have brought to Oklahoma City during the era — even though they weren’t established until 2008.
READ MORE: Former OKC Thunder Guard Josh Giddey Dominates in Olympic Debut
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Publish date : 2024-07-27 15:59:15
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