The OKC Thunder received praise Tuesday during the debut episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast featuring LeBron James and JJ Redick.
When discussing the draft history of teams around the league, James cited OKC's front office as a team with a strong track record.
“Say whatever you want,” James said with a laugh. “If I get my team, a good team in the draft, they'll definitely work for me. OKC does an incredible job with that.”
“That's a fact,” Reddick repeated.
more:Ousmane Dieng found his magic in the G League. What does that mean for the OKC Thunder's future?
James has said many times that he wants to own an NBA team after he retires.
The Los Angeles Lakers star wants to own a franchise in Las Vegas, which is seen as one of two cities to land an expansion team when the NBA's current media rights deal expires in 2025. There is.
“Coming here after my career, my enthusiasm for bringing this team here hasn't changed,” James said after leading the Lakers to an in-season tournament title in Las Vegas last December. Ta. “The NBA will be another great addition to this city.”
He said it casually, but it's not hard to see why James would want to hire OKC's front office.
General manager Sam Presti and his staff have built the best collection of young players and draft capital in the NBA.
OKC hit home runs with draft picks like Chet Holmgren (2022 No. 2 overall) and Jaylen Williams (2022 No. 12 overall). In 2019, they also traded for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is currently a 25-year-old MVP candidate.
These moves were successful. OKC (47-20) is in first place in the Western Conference standings, and its front office is getting well-deserved recognition from people like James.
more:OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still trails Nikola Jokic on the latest MVP ladder
