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Published Dec 12, 2025 • 3 minute read
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Bulls-of-the-Week
There’s no one or nothing in the business of sport that’s hotter going into the weekend than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The reigning Larry O’Brien Trophy holders as NBA champions are 24-1 as they prepare for what should be an intriguing matchup against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday evening. They are only the second team in NBA history to get to 24-1 or better. The last? The Golden State Warriors in 2015-’16 on their way to the 73-win season that broke the long-standing mark of 72 wins set by the 1995-’96 Chicago Bulls.
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With a salary of $38.33 million US this year, SGA is being widely recognized for how clearly he’s dominated the NBA the past 15 months. He added the Northern Star Award as best Canadian athlete earlier this week and should add a few more of those year-end credentials to his symbolic mantle case over the next couple of weeks.
Make no mistake: The television numbers and video downloads for SGA-Wemby on Saturday will be among the season’s best given that the NBA itself is in a strong bull market with television ratings up 66 per cent year-over-year. It doesn’t hurt that Spurs-Thunder represents the Emirates NBA Cup semifinal in Las Vegas, so it will carry considerable betting volume and the additional exposure and fan engagement that comes with that. If they both make it to Tuesday’s Cup final, OKC and the New York Knicks should set a high-water mark for television impressions to date in this regular season.
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On the subject of hot teams in the business of sport, the Toronto Blue Jays have made their presence felt at the Major League Baseball winter meetings this week. And it’s not only because of the free agents they’ve already signed (most notably pitchers Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce), but also related to how they continue to be in the running for the two biggest bats left in free agency: Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette, the latter of whom has seven seasons in Toronto under his belt.
After crushing several domestic, North American and global television records for baseball as runners-up to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series Nov. 1, the Jays continue to demonstrate their remarkably strong international media position. According to a global survey, they are the third most-searched professional sport franchise in the world in 2025, behind only Paris St-Germain of Ligue 1 soccer and S.L. Benfica of the Portuguese upper tier. Also on the list of the top-10 in search engine magic are the OKC Thunder and Indiana Pacers of the NBA and the Seattle Mariners, the Jays’ 1977 expansion cousins in Major League Baseball.
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Bears-of-the-Week
There should be nothing too surprising about stadium or arena construction at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics coming up in two months. It’s more noteworthy when there is no construction delays or budget over-runs at an Olympic Games. The drama of venue completion is as much a part of the Olympics as are the gold, silver and bronze medals awarded on the podium. Having said that, the concerns around construction and potential safety issues due to improperly tested ice-making at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan are a legitimate headline for those who have a strong vested interest in the 12-team men’s tournament. That includes the IIHF, NHL and NHLPA, especially coming off the Four Nations Face-off in January. If everything goes according to plan, Milano Cortina will be the first best-on-best Olympics hockey tournament since Sochi in 2018.
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[The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to roll in one of the fastest starts to a regular season in NBA history. They go into the weekend with a record of 18-1.
Bulls and Bears: Fast starting OKC Thunder, North Vancouver's Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini highlight week in sports](https://vancouversun.com/sports/basketball/nba/bulls-bears-north-vancouvers-connor-bedard-macklin-celebrini-nhl)
2. [A.J. Ouellette (45) of the Saskatchewan Roughriders celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown in the 112th Grey Cup game between the Montreal Alouettes and the 'Riders at Princess Auto Stadium on Nov. 16 in Winnipeg.
Bulls and Bears: Grey Cup game, women's pro sports highlight the week](https://vancouversun.com/sports/football/cfl/bulls-and-bears-grey-cup-game-womens-pro-sports-highlight-the-week)
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