Patches will be worn by all individual award winners, including MVP (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) and Clutch Player of the Year (Jalen Brunson), as well as team awards such as All-NBA, All-Defensive and All-Rookie.

Every offseason provides a chance to reset and reload, though, and plenty of teams have done just that in hopes of stopping OKC from going back to back. Ahead of the 2025-26 season, here are four teams who are the biggest threat to dethrone the Thunder and call themselves NBA champions when all is said and done:

The Champions Collective and celebrity jeweler Zo Frost collaborated to design the Oklahoma City Thunder's first-ever NBA Championship ring, which is a blend of craftsmanship, culture, and innovation.

Players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Evan Mobley will have their respective trophy icons sown above the Nike swoosh on the front of their uniform.

Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers face mounting injuries ahead of their anticipated NBA Finals rematch.

New signage installed at the OKC airport and along state highways make sure visitors know they've entered the "Home of the 2025 NBA Champions."

The Thunder would like to be the ones to put at least a temporary halt to parity, and with basically everyone back from a 68-win team that won the crown last season, it's easy to see why BetMGM Sportsbook lists the Thunder as favorites to win the 2026 title.

Thunder vs. Pacers predictions and NBA picks for Thursday, October 23. Pascal Siakam is front and center with Tyrese Haliburton sidelined.

Can the Oklahoma City Thunder become the first team to win back-to-back NBA championships since the Golden State Warriors? They're talking about it.

Ahead of the season's start, some major extensions got done, while some players and teams couldn't make a deal