Winning an NBA championship is a monumental achievement, often capped by the iconic locker room Champagne shower. But for the Oklahoma City Thunder, securing their first title since relocating the franchise to OKC was met with a touch of hilarious uncertainty when the bubbly came out. This moment perfectly encapsulated the defining characteristic of this historic team: its extreme youth.
The Thunder became one of the youngest teams ever to hoist the NBA trophy, averaging a mere 25.33 years old. Only the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers were marginally younger when they won it all. This lack of championship-level experience was never more apparent than amidst the flying corks and spraying foam.
Champagne Struggles Highlight Inexperience
According to observations from the locker room, the traditional post-Game 7 celebration seemed surprisingly brief and hesitant at first. The culprit? Many of the young players simply didn’t know how to properly pop and spray Champagne bottles.
Cameras captured moments of players seeking guidance from veteran guard Alex Caruso, one of the few Thunder players with a championship ring (earned with the Lakers in 2020). Young stars were reportedly heard asking, “AC, how we do this?” and “AC, teach me though!” before the celebration fully kicked into gear.
Center Isaiah Hartenstein corroborated the inexperience during postgame interviews. When asked about the initial awkwardness and why many bottles remained unopened, Hartenstein admitted, “First of all, none of us knew how to do it. We were just asking AC how to do it… it was kinda not really in sync because no one knew how to do it.” He humorously contrasted it with his previous championship experience playing in Lithuania, where “hard liquor, straight,” like tequila, was the norm rather than Champagne.
Even the taste of victory was a novel experience for some. Appearing on NBC News the morning after the win, rising star Jalen Williams confessed he had never even tasted Champagne before that night. “I had never drank up until last night, so the Champagne was new. I didn’t know what I was doing. It was cool, though. It tastes gross,” Williams candidly remarked. Chet Holmgren echoed the sentiment, adding, “Not easy to do the Champagne showers. We weren’t used to, you know, doing that celebration.”
More Than Just Bubbly
The Champagne fumbles weren’t the only sign of the team’s youth navigating adult traditions. During his press conference, Chet Holmgren innocently mispronounced the beer brand “Michelob” (“mish-a-lobe” instead of “mick-a-lobe”) while mentioning the goggles provided by Michelob Ultra for eye protection during the spray. It was a small, endearing mistake that further underscored their youthful perspective.
Adding to the unique story of this young team’s win is rookie Nikola Topic, who remarkably became the first player in NBA history to win a championship before playing a single game in the league. Sidelined all season with an injury after being drafted, Topic remained on the active roster, participated in team activities, and earned his championship ring – another unusual twist in the narrative of this youthful squad’s historic run.
While the Champagne awkwardness provided a humorous glimpse into the Thunder’s youth, it ultimately highlights that this championship is likely just the beginning for such a talented core. As they gain experience, both on and off the court (perhaps even becoming Champagne-popping pros), this young Thunder team is poised for future success.
