The Oklahoma City Thunder established themselves as the best team in the league after winning the 2025 NBA championship. Coming off an inspired title run, their first in franchise history, the Thunder seem primed to win it again next year. However, two-time NBA champ Mario Chalmers is against this notion.
On the “No Limits!” podcast with Iman Shumpert, Chalmers revealed why he did not want the Thunder to win back-to-back NBA titles.
“I ain’t gonna lie. I’m hating. I don’t want them to win,” said Chalmers, denying any claims of failed betting endeavors as a reason. “It’s like, it’s a small market. Business-wise, it’s like, what are we going to do, right? Yeah, they’re the best team. They got it all. But we need a big city to win.”
Shumpert added to Chalmers’ statement by saying, “I think they definitely go to the chip. But you’re right. I want to see who else-I’ve gotta see it. But they definitely lead.”
Both agreed that the Thunder were still the favorites to win it all again, especially after the investment the franchise made in retaining key rotation players.
However, Chalmers made a solid point regarding the need for big-market teams to win, especially with the impact it can have on the business side of things.
The 2025 NBA Finals serve as a case study in this regard. The Thunder, while favorites, are still a small market. Similarly, the Indiana Pacers, even with their illustrious franchise history, are also a relatively small-market team.
The precedent of both teams vying for their first NBA titles made for a good foundation to build upon. But the results, as impressive as they were on the court, were not as beneficial from a business point of view.
The NBA has already been struggling with ratings. With events like the All-Star weekend losing traction with each passing season, the league needed a big push from the postseason.
In this regard, the playoffs still delivered a 10% increase in viewership compared to the season before. Game 7 also generated 19.3 million viewers at its peak, making it the most-watched Finals game in six years, per NBA reports.
However, the average for the series was less impressive. Another report suggested that with an average of 10.2 million viewers, the 2025 Finals were among the lowest-rated Finals series in recent history. Meanwhile, even with the impressive ratings from Game 7 this year, it was still one of the lowest-rated Game 7s ever, claimed another.
Although Chalmers’ statement seems to hold, it doesn’t necessarily factor in the changes in audience behavior. But that responsibility doesn’t lie with the franchise.
For all intents and purposes, the Thunder presented the best product available. With the best team in the league led by one of its top players, OKC retains its position at the top. After offering extensions to key players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams, the Thunder will look to run it back next season.
