The NBA Still Doesn't Trust the OKC Thunder's Marketability in Marquee Matchups

After getting left off Christmas and opening night, it's clear the Oklahoma City Thunder still isn't perceived as a ratings draw for the NBA.

Mar 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) moves the ball ahead of Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to the NBA's Christmas Day matchup announcement on Thursday, it seemed that the Oklahoma City Thunder was a lock to receive a gift from the league's schedulers. It just came off a 57-win season that led the Western Conference, and for teams that reach that mark, they nearly always receive the nod.

To the dismay of many, the Thunder still isn't suiting up to play on Christmas. Instead, it's staying home for the sixth straight year.

How could that be? A previous No. 1 seed hasn't been left from Christmas since the San Antonio Spurs in 2012, and Oklahoma City has a talented roster that would be appealing to watch for anyone tuning in during holiday festivities. If you want star power, it has it with an MVP frontrunner in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and second-year Chet Holmgren.

Even with that, the likes of the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors beat the Thunder out, even with considerably worse records last season. There's a lesson here, and it's that the NBA just hasn't put faith in the marketability of what Oklahoma City has built, at least for now.

The Thunder has an obvious disadvantage in the attention of national media compared to most other organizations: Oklahoma City ranks as one of the smallest markets in the entire league. It certainly does not have the widespread notoriety of Los Angeles or New York, so it bringing the NBA high ratings is a little tougher. When it was under a rebuild just a couple of years ago, getting any national TV spots was out of the question.

It's still only been a year of the Thunder being back in championship contention, and even if it seems to only be improving with the additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, the longevity that a Lakers or Warriors have wins over its relative newness. Plus, the star power of LeBron James or Stephen Curry should be expected to get a team a Christmas Day game or any other marquee matchup.

As great as Gilgeous-Alexander is, his name doesn't have that widespread appeal. He may be etching his name amongst the best in the NBA, but his personality and mainstream appeal haven't reached the heights of some of his peers, even compared to Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards.

San Antonio is probably the team that has the least effective case to be over Oklahoma City on Christmas, but the small market argument doesn't exactly apply. Instead, Victor Wembanyama's generational talent and expectations to be a face of the league gave the Spurs the edge. It's a little troubling for a team coming off a 22-60 campaign to get that spot, but few players have that sort of gravity.

Frustration mounting over the Thunder is warranted. It felt it deserved a spot on one of the NBA's most cherished days of the season, but instead, teams that didn't perform near its level got it. The constant doubts and lack of attention are going to be fuel for its roster as motivation, eyeing to finally get the recognition it hasn't been receiving.

If the NBA wants to put the talent of the future on display and help shape Gilgeous-Alexander into a recognizable face across the world, it has to start marketing Oklahoma City. And to do that, it has to be given the trust to have games on the biggest days of the season to prove its worth. The only thing it can continue to do to solve that is to keep winning.

For this season, Oklahoma City will continue to fall by the wayside of the national spotlight. But, that isn't going to stand for much longer.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.