Oklahoma City Thunder Showed Up to a National TV Spurs Game With Just Eight Active Players and Now the NBA Wants Answers

The NBA has launched an investigation into the Oklahoma City Thunder after a nationally televised game against the San Antonio Spurs featured an unusually high number of player absences due to injury.

According to reporting from Dan Woike, the league is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the Thunder ruling out 10 players for the matchup, which aired nationally last week.

“According to a league source, the NBA is investigating the Oklahoma City Thunder for player absences due to injury during their nationally televised game last week against the San Antonio Spurs,” Woike wrote.

Oklahoma City entered the game with only eight available players and ultimately lost 116-106. Three of those active players were on two-way contracts, leading to a rare and jarring visual late in the third quarter. As substitutions were about to be made, the Thunder bench was nearly empty, with no reserve players seated next to the coaching staff.

“I don’t recall seeing this before: a bench devoid of spare players,” Michael Stone posted on social media during the game.

Hours before tip-off, Shams Charania reported that reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would be re-evaluated following All-Star Weekend after suffering an abdominal strain. Gilgeous-Alexander was later ruled out of the All-Star Game.

Several core players including Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, and Alex Caruso missed the Spurs game but returned three days later against Houston. Jalen Williams and several younger players remained sidelined.

The review falls under the NBA’s Player Participation Policy, approved in 2023, which allows fines when star players miss nationally televised games. Under league rules, recent All-Stars and All-NBA selections are classified as star players.

Sources told ESPN that penalties begin at $100,000 for a first violation, increase to $250,000 for a second, and could rise to $1 million.