The Oklahoma City Thunder fell short of their goal of winning a second straight NBA championship, and star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a blunt assessment for the team’s 2025-26 season.
While speaking to reporters on Sunday after losing to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander described this year as “a failure” for the Thunder.
Gilgeous-Alexander did his best to carry Oklahoma City back to the Finals, recording game highs of 35 points and nine assists in Saturday night’s Game 7 against San Antonio. Unfortunately, no other player on the Thunder reached the 20-point mark, and the defending champs suffered a 111-103 loss to end their season in front of disappointed home fans.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named NBA MVP for the second straight year, averaged 27.6 points during the playoffs. Second-year guard Ajay Mitchell was the team’s second-leading scorer at just 15.6 points per game. Star guard Jalen Williams was limited to just five postseason appearances due to multiple injuries.
Despite the disappointing end to the year, Gilgeous-Alexander added that he’s confident that he will be able to come back even better in 2026-27 as he tries to lead the Thunder back to title contention.
“Through those experiences, I learn the most about myself and make the greatest amount of increases in my career when I fail at my goal and don’t get what I want, and I look at this no differently,” he said. “I didn’t get where I wanted to go this season. There’s a reason for that. Now I have to look at that reason and try to make sure it never happens again.”
