OKLAHOMA CITY – Thursday marks the unofficial start to the season for the Oklahoma City Thunder as GM Sam Presti delivered his annual preseason press conference.
Per tradition, he starts off his press conferences by addressing the fans with an opening statement and he gave one of, if not his best, opening statement he’s ever given. Conveying passion for the team, the city, and history of the game.
In the message though, one main thing stuck out.
Turning the page.
Coming off the franchise’s first NBA championship, Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti made it clear that last year’s triumph will not define this year’s identity. Speaking ahead of the 2025-26 season, Presti laid out his philosophy on sustaining success, underscoring humility, discipline, and the need to embrace a new beginning.
“Here in Oklahoma, inside those 80 chapters of NBA history, we’re embarking on our 18th,” Presti said. “It’s been well-documented that last season was a special year in our very, very brief organizational history. But the process of becoming a great team did not end last season.”
“Every team in the league has something in front of them that is their passage to the next stage of their growth and development. The next step in front of us, in order to become a great team again, is the discipline and humility to turn the page.”
“Effectively turning the page allows us the necessary renewal to treat this coming season with the respect it deserves. To maximize this coming season, we have to voluntarily divorce ourselves from the success of last season or it will hold us back.”
That message cuts to the heart of Presti’s team building approach. He acknowledged the uniqueness of winning a championship, but emphasized that Oklahoma City cannot live in the past. To him, the greatest competitive advantage is not chasing last year’s success, but committing to a new process of growth.
“Every team in the league has something in front of them that is their passage to the next stage of their growth and development. The next step in front of us, in order to become a great team again, is the discipline and humility to turn the page.”
“Effectively turning the page allows us the necessary renewal to treat this coming season with the respect it deserves. To maximize this coming season, we have to voluntarily divorce ourselves from the success of last season or it will hold us back.”
Presti’s words reflect a deep awareness of the challenges defending champions often face. History shows that repeating as NBA champions is rare. Especially in this new era of the NBA where we haven’t seen a team go back to back since the Golden State Warriors in 2018.
With the grind of a long season and the heightened target on their backs now that they’re the champions, creating constant hurdles. He pointed out that the odds are stacked against returning champions. Not only because of external pressures but because it is “very, very, very hard to win one time.”
But for Presti, Oklahoma City’s strategy has never been about duplicating the past. Instead, it’s about refining habits and maintaining flexibility.
“We’re not looking to imitate ourselves or get tied down to what has worked in the past. That’s really never been the way we’ve approached anything. It won’t be how we approach this season,” he said.
Central to his philosophy is the belief that improvement is a never ending cycle. Presti described this year as “a blank canvas,” as he always does. One that requires the team to enter with an open mind and resist becoming rigid or overly reliant on what worked before. The Thunder, still the sixth youngest team in the NBA, will lean heavily on learning and adaptability to navigate the challenges of the Western Conference.
“In order to get better, we have to remain flexible,” Presti said.
“We have to be open to where improvement comes from, and we can’t walk into the season pre-determining anything at all. We can’t become fragile or rigid because of the way we go about the season.”
The humility in his approach stands in contrast to the flashier narratives often surrounding championship teams. Presti admitted that focusing on the fundamentals of growth may not “light up social media” or make for engaging podcasts, but he believes these principles are what have positioned Oklahoma City for long term success.
From his perspective, sustaining excellence comes down to stacking days, maintaining emotional balance, respecting competition, and embracing discovery throughout the season. The Western Conference remains a gauntlet, but Presti expressed confidence that the Thunder’s depth, versatility, and rate of learning can outpace their relative inexperience.
As the franchise enters its 18th chapter, the championship banner will hang as a reminder of what was achieved. But it won’t dictate what’s ahead. Presti wants this Thunder team to treat 2025-26 as a fresh opportunity. One defined not by defending a title but by earning progress all over again.
Simply put, Oklahoma City’s focus is clear: repeat the process, not the outcome.
