The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the cusp of their second straight NBA Finals appearance and are quickly becoming one of the most hated great teams in recent league history.
The combination of their relentless dominance, their physical defensive style, and the foul-drawing abilities of star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes nearly every rival fanbase dread playing them and hate the team.
This hatred and villainy have become the driving force in the media narrative around the Thunder this postseason. Commentators have begun to sort themselves into either pro- or anti-Thunder camps and have staked their positions on whether Gilgeous-Alexander bends the rules or is actually unimpeachably great.
Go ahead and count Barstool’s Mark Titus as firmly anti-Thunder, as well as their fans.
In the latest episode of his Mostly Sports podcast, Titus called Oklahoma City fans “the dumbest motherf*ckers we’ve got in basketball” over the chip they carry on their shoulder and their fervent defense of Gilgeous-Alexander.
“Mike Tirico last night, after being crowned as the play-by-play sports Emmy winner, in the very same broadcast, called Oklahoma City Thunder fans ‘high IQ basketball fans.’ And I just thought that was a funny situation,” Titus said. “He was like, ‘These fans are high IQ.’ And I was like, ‘No they’re not. These are the dumbest motherf*ckers we’ve got in basketball.'”
Titus also questioned whether OKC fans are actually as dedicated as they are made out to be. Despite the Thunder being the only pro team in town, Titus doesn’t think the fanbase was actually bought in “four years ago,” when the team was still rebuilding.
And while others on Mostly Sports tried to give the OKC fans’ perspective, Titus stated, “They’re all morons.”
“If I’m an OKC fan, I’m going to the f*cking mat defending my guys. I have to, that’s my team,” said guest host T-Bob Hebert.
“I live there, I’m born into it, we’re passionate about it. It’s the most fun that we have. It’s everything, it’s our world. We’re dominant. Even if when I lay my head down at night I have some, kind of self-doubt, I’m still all-in saying ‘f*ck you all’ this is ethical and bada**.”
Titus disagreed, comparing the Thunder to Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel trilogy — a character he wishes would just go away.
Producer Evan Bosanko agreed, arguing that Thunder fans have lost the right to claim that the rest of the league is biased against them because they play in a small market.
“Oklahoma City Thunder fans are doing … ‘People hate the small market,'” Bosanko said. “The Oklahoma City Thunder used to be the most revered, young core out of the league. They were the darlings.”
Another obvious reason the Thunder fanbase has a chip on its shoulder is that it has to deal with the backlash from the team leaving Seattle. In truth, most of the perception around this OKC team seems to be traceable back to their style of play, which is fueling the larger discussion around the city, supposed bias, and beyond.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.