NBA All-Star Weekend Puts Bigger Spotlight on OKC Thunder

The 2023-24 season has served the Oklahoma City Thunder well.

A year removed from a season where it was making a run at the Play-In Tournament, the Thunder is currently at the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference with a 37-17 record. The period of rebuilding is no longer, as a roster headlined by All-Star starter Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has stepped into championship contention sooner than most expected.

Even with the success and excitement building in Oklahoma City, the widespread NBA audience hasn't gotten as accustomed to it as other teams, due in large part to its small market nature. 

The large-scale stage of All-Star weekend gave an opportune time for the Thunder's respective players to represent the organization and themselves on one of the biggest audiences of the entire NBA cycle, and that they did. 

Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace all participated in the weekend festivities, which makes up the most of the Oklahoma City core. Williams and Holmgren won the Rising Stars challenge as part of Team Jalen Rose, while Gilgeous-Alexander was the West's second highest scorer with a statline of 31 points, four rebounds and six assists on 12-of-16 shooting, including seven made 3-pointers. 

The energy and talent that each player has shown throughout the season came through over the weekend, and plenty of praise was directed towards them by familiar faces across the league. 

It included LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant each naming Gilgeous-Alexander as a young player that they are passing the torch to, as well as Charles Barkley clamoring for viewers at home to watch Thunder basketball more.

"If you guys get that DirecTV package, y'all gotta go see Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder," Barkley said ahead of the All-Star game. 

Even if All-Star weekend may not have the same feeling and excitement as it has in past decades, the spotlight still shines brightly on the players that participate in it. It's even more important for small market players to showcase their talent, and by doing that, it gets people talking.

Gilgeous-Alexander may be one of the 10 best basketball players in the entire world, but compared to others on that list, his name is likely the least known across it. Getting the opportunity to start allowed him to show the world why he is one of the best, helping cement himself as one of the brightest young stars in the NBA. 

"It's one of those things I expected to happen as I [became] a better basketball player...it comes with it. It's fun. It's stuff I dream about...I've been dreaming about this moment, this point of my career, I know what comes with it," Gilgeous-Alexander said on gaining more national recognition. 

More recognition will come once the playoffs roll around, where Oklahoma City has the chance to seriously compete for an NBA championship for the first time in several seasons. This year's All-Star weekend might be considered the first step into the upper echelon of the league for the Thunder, and if so, it will have plenty more moments to remember in future weekends.

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