The OKC Thunder Championship is Gen Z's Non Drinking Moment

If the Thunder are dry, why can't that be embraced?

Every now and again I’d read about some survey that revealed younger people are drinking less. The 2023 US Gallup survey on the decline of youth drinking might have been the most prominent example.

I didn’t necessarily disbelieve the findings, but also didn’t internalize them either. I figured this was one of those societal shifts that was perhaps happening, but not in a way that marked a palpably visual shift in how society functions. I’d analogize it to how, if you watch a month of baseball, your brain can’t visually process the difference between a good or mediocre batting average. The numbers matter, in a cumulative way, but you can’t really see the difference without the aid of math. If the young are really drinking less, it’s under society’s surface, tucked away from where someone my age might notice.

At least I felt that way until the Oklahoma City Thunder won the 2025 NBA Finals on Sunday night. Right there, right then, we were treated to a generational shock.