Thunder receive NBA championship rings, raise banner before season opener against Rockets

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma City Thunder received their NBA championship rings Tuesday night before their season opener against the Houston Rockets.

Oklahoma City beat the Indiana Pacers in the Finals last season to win their first title since the franchise moved from Seattle in 2008. The Thunder won it all after a 68-14 regular season that earned them homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.

Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the crowd before awarding rings to Thunder chairman Clay Bennett and team president Sam Presti. After that, the players came through a tunnel one by one, first hugging Silver, then Presti before receiving their rings from Bennett.

League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the last to receive his ring. He recieved M-V-P chants as he stood in the tunnel in the moments before he stepped onto the court. After he received his box, he opened it, looked at the ring and shimmied before joining his teammates.

“It was surreal," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I don’t know how to describe it besides that. It was super fun, though. Seeing the banner raised was cool too, knowing that it’ll be up there forever. And we’re the first group to bring the city a championship. It’s a pretty special feeling.”

The rings, designed by Jostens, are set in 14-karat gold with more than 800 custom-cut, hand-set gemstones.

The front of the rings have the letters OKC in diamonds on top of the team's shield with the championship trophy outlined in gold around it. Forty-six taper-cut genuine blue sapphires encircle the logo. The rings have the letters NBA on the upper part of the front in diamonds with a gold background and the word champions on the lower part, also in diamonds with a gold background.

The rings have a ring within a ring feature, allowing recipients to wear the inner band as an alternative to the outer ring. There are 94 diamonds along the top and bottom edges of the inner band with the player’s signature engraved and their jersey number in diamonds. The numbers of each teammate wraps around the band.

The outer palm side of the main ring includes a tribute to the Gates of Time and the Reflecting Pool at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

After the rings were handed out, the championship banner was raised.

The stars from that winning team — Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and rising star Chet Holmgren — are back with the Thunder after signing extensions in the offseason. Coach Mark Daigneault and most of the bench return to make Oklahoma City one of the favorites again.

Houston’s new star is Kevin Durant, the ex-Thunder forward. His presence has put Houston on the short list of teams considered capable of dethroning Oklahoma City. Durant, 37, signed a two-year extension on Sunday.

Durant won four scoring titles and the 2014 MVP award with the Thunder before leaving to join the Golden State Warriors in free agency in 2016. Many Thunder fans felt betrayed after Durant joined the team that beat Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals months before he switched teams.

Those fans got one more thing to celebrate on Tuesday — a 125-124 double-overtime win over the Rockets.

“Definitely the night was different,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “A little out of rhythm for us on a usual game day, but it’s not an excuse. It was for the Rockets as well. We just found a way to gut out a victory on a night that was a little funky, but I’ll do it all over again the same way if we win, so I’ll take it.”

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams, right, greets NBA commissioner Adam Silver during the championship ring ceremony before an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams wears his championship ring during a ceremony before an NBA basketball game against thee Houston Rockets, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right, hugs NBA commissioner Adam Silver during the championship ring ceremony before an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

The Oklahoma City Thunder pose with their championship rings in front of the 2024-2025 NBA Champions banner during a ceremony before an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks at his championship ring during a ceremony before an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder center/forward Chet Holmgren (7) celebrates during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Gerald Leong)

Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach Mark Daigneault yells to his team during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives against Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles the ball against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, right, during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.

The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.

But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.

“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”

U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.

But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.

The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.

Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.

Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.

Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”

About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.

The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.

But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.

At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.

Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.

Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”

Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)