The Oklahoma City Thunder have one goal this offseason, and it is revenge.
After winning the 2024-25 NBA championship, Oklahoma City's bid to repeat came to a heartbreaking end when the San Antonio Spurs eliminated them in Game 7 of the 2025-26 Western Conference Finals. Now, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren are spending the offseason preparing for another run at the title and a chance to take back control of the Western Conference.
However, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal believes the Thunder still have one major problem standing in their way.
During an appearance on Stephen A. Smith's show, O'Neal made it clear that his concern has nothing to do with Oklahoma City's talent, coaching, or championship experience. Instead, it comes down to one player.
"It depends on one guy in the West. The guy that beat them," O'Neal said. "Every time they go up against that guy, if he can have two or three dominating performances, OKC has no answer for him."
The player O'Neal was referring to is Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama was the biggest reason San Antonio advanced to the NBA Finals, and his performance against Oklahoma City only strengthened the belief that he is becoming the most unstoppable force in basketball.
At 7-foot-4 with elite ball handling, perimeter shooting, and generational defensive instincts, Wembanyama creates matchup problems that very few teams are equipped to solve.
The scary part for the Thunder is that they are one of the few teams with legitimate size and defensive versatility. Holmgren is already an elite rim protector, Isaiah Hartenstein brings toughness and physicality, and Oklahoma City's defense remains one of the league's best.
Yet none of those advantages were enough when Wembanyama took over stretches of the conference finals.
That is exactly why O'Neal remains skeptical. He is not saying Oklahoma City cannot beat San Antonio. He is saying the Thunder have not yet proven they can consistently limit Wembanyama's impact in a seven-game series.
If Wembanyama delivers two or three dominant performances, as O'Neal suggested, the Spurs become incredibly difficult to beat.
Oklahoma City still has one of the brightest young cores in the NBA and every reason to believe another championship is within reach.
But until the Thunder show they have an answer for Wembanyama, Shaq clearly is not ready to pick them over the team that sent them home last spring.
What the Thunder didn't have in that series was a fully healthy roster. Injuries played a significant role, and if Ajay Mitchell and Williams had both been available at full strength, the outcome may have been very different. That's something Oklahoma City will have the opportunity to prove this upcoming season as it looks to get back to the NBA Finals and settle the score with San Antonio.
