Former University of Maryland basketball star Aaron Wiggins says culture is behind Oklahoma City’s championship team.
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in seven games in June to give the franchise its first championship since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008. The Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves before taking on the Pacers in the NBA Finals.
The team was led by playmakers like point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and forward Jalen Williams. Another key to the Thunder’s success was Wiggins, who says the organization has created a culture focused on inclusion and belonging that helped pave the way to the team’s championship.
“Our organization does a good job of just creating an environment where everybody can kind of be welcomed and feel like they can be themselves,” Wiggins said on Glenn Clark Radio July 15. “That allows for each individual to put forth their best effort and come to work every day with a positive attitude. … [It’s] a fun environment, an entertaining environment and one where guys are still obviously focused on what it takes to succeed. When it all comes together, we have a run like we did this season.”
“The togetherness that exists within our team, it’s something special,” Wiggins added. “It’s something that when you get a certain taste of it and a feel for it, you’re understanding that this isn’t something you’re going to see often and you want to be a part of it.”
Following Oklahoma City’s play-in appearance in ’23 and postseason run in ’24, Wiggins knew that the team could make a deep postseason push in ’25.
“We lost to Dallas in the second round [last year] and that kind of gave us a little more experience and a little more fuel to learn and see what we could be better [at] going into the postseason,” Wiggins said. “This year, we were able to put it together. … We went to Game 7 against Denver. That was one where our competitiveness and togetherness was tested, and we were able to come out of that alive.”
Wiggins, 26, signed a five-year, $47 million contract with the Thunder last summer after being taken 55th overall in the 2021 draft. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound wing had the best season of his four-year career in 2024-25, averaging 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in about 23 minutes per game. Wiggins’ best game this season came against the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 2, when he scored a career-high 41 points.
Wiggins has shown he can find success and last in the NBA, even coming off the bench.
“The guys who find success are the ones who are able to withstand whatever ups and downs they go through,” Wiggins said. “Even the highest of highs … being able to control and keep yourself from getting too high in those moments, and being able to have a balance so that also when the lows exist, you’re not too low. You’re also ready for whatever opportunity presents itself later on.
“Just being able to understand that and have that mindset allows me to stay grounded and trust that my work is going to get the opportunity to show.”
Wiggins played an important role for Oklahoma City in the Finals. He tallied 18 points and went 5-for-8 from 3-point range in 21 minutes in Game 2. He also had a standout performance in Game 5, with 14 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes.
“There are regular-season games where I could have really good games … but we’re talking about the NBA Finals, and where we won the championship,” Wiggins said. “There were two really big games where I think my contribution really contributed in a big way to uplift our team and get wins. It just makes it that much more sweeter.”
For more from Wiggins, listen to the full interview here:
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