In Oklahoma City, the Thunder qualified for their first playoff berth during the 2009–10 season. They won their first division title as the Thunder in the 2010–11 season and their first Western Conference championship as the Thunder in the 2011–12 season,appearing in the NBA Finals for the fourth time in franchise history and first time since1996, when the team was based in Seattle. The Thunder lost the series to theMiami Heat, 4–1. They returned to the NBA Finals in2025 and defeated theIndiana Pacers in seven games to win their first NBA championship since moving to Oklahoma City.[17][18][19][20][21][22]
Paycom Center began hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, then known as the Ford Center.
In June 2008, a lawsuit brought by the city of Seattle against Bennett due to his attempts to break the final two years of the Sonics' lease at KeyArena went to federal court. Nearly a month later, the two sides reached a settlement agreement.[27] The terms awarded the city $45 million to get out of the remaining lease at KeyArena, and would have provided an additional $30 million payment to Seattle in 2013 if certain conditions had been met. The owners agreed to leave the SuperSonics name, logo, colors, banners, trophies, and records in Seattle for a possible future NBA franchise;[28][29] however, the items would remain the property of the Oklahoma City team along with other "assets", including championship banners and trophies until a new Seattle team arrives.[30] On September 3, 2008, the team name, logo and colors for the Oklahoma City franchise were revealed to the public. The name "Thunder" was chosen in reference to Oklahoma's location inTornado Alley and Oklahoma City as the home of the U.S. Army's45th Infantry Division, the Thunderbirds.[31][32][33] The SuperSonics' final NBA draft was in2008, and they used the fourth overall pick to selectRussell Westbrook, a young point guard from UCLA, who would become the team's franchise player.
The Thunder played several preseason games before the 2008–09 regular season, but only one of those games was in Oklahoma City. The Thunder made their first appearance inBillings, Montana on October 8, 2008, in an 88–82 preseason loss against theMinnesota Timberwolves.[35] The Thunder played their first Ford Center game on October 14 against theLos Angeles Clippers.[36]
Oklahoma City defeated Minnesota on November 2, 2008, for their first win.
In their regular season home opener, the Thunder faced (and lost to) theMilwaukee Bucks.Earl Watson scored the first points of the season with a layup. Three nights later on November 2, the Thunder won their first game by defeating the Timberwolves, improving their record to 1–3. The team then went on a 10-game losing streak before deciding on November 22 to fire head coachP. J. Carlesimo and assistantPaul Westhead. Assistant coachScott Brooks then took over on an interim basis.[37] Oklahoma City lost its next four games to tie the franchise losing streak of 14 set in Seattle the previous season. But the team managed to prevent history by winning their next game on the road against theMemphis Grizzlies.[38]
As the season continued, the Thunder began to improve. After starting 3–29, the Thunder finished the regular season 20–30 for the remaining fifty games. Not only were they winning more often, they played much more competitively than in the first part of the season. The team brought their record to 23–59 and improved upon their record of 20–62 from the team's final season in Seattle. The late-season successes of the Thunder contributed to the signing of Scott Brooks as the team's official head coach.
After moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle, the team's operating situation improved markedly. In December 2008,Forbes magazine estimated the team's franchise value at $300 million—a 12 percent increase from the previous year's $268 million, when the club was located in Seattle.[39]Forbes also noted an increase in percentage of available tickets sold, from 78 percent in the team's last season in Seattle to 100 percent in 2008–09.[40]
2009–2012: Rise to contention and first Finals appearance
Westbrook, Harden, Durant and Ibaka were the main players in Thunder's revived contention for an NBA title
After an inaugural season filled with many adjustments, the Thunder hoped to improve during their second season in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City did not make any major moves in the off-season, other than draftingJames Harden fromArizona State University with the third overall pick in theNBA draft. The Thunder selectedRodrigue Beaubois with the 25th pick in the 2009 draft before immediately trading him to theDallas Mavericks for the 24th pick, centerByron Mullens fromOhio State University. The team then added veteran centerEtan Thomas and guardKevin Ollie. The last major change to their roster occurred on December 22, 2009, when the team traded forEric Maynor from theUtah Jazz. Maynor immediately supplanted Ollie as the backup point guard.
From the outset the young team looked determined and cohesive. The increasing leadership ofKevin Durant, along with the growing experience of the Thunder's younger players, including futureMVPs Westbrook and Harden, were signs of the Thunder's improvement. The 2009–10 season included several victories over the NBA's elite teams, including a 28-point win over theEastern Conference championOrlando Magic and a 16-point win over the reigning NBA champion, theLos Angeles Lakers. Road victories over theSan Antonio Spurs,Utah Jazz,Miami Heat,Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks further enhanced their reputation. Though they hovered around .500 for the first half of the season, they went on a 9-game winning streak that sent them into serious playoff contention. Kevin Durant became the youngest player in league history to win the scoring title, averaging 30.1 points per game while playing in all 82 games.
The Thunder finished 50–32, more than doubling their win total from the previous season. The 50–32 record tied the 2008 Denver Nuggets for the most wins by an 8th seed in the modern playoffs era. The Oklahoma City Thunder also had the same record as the Boston Celtics in this season.[41] They finished fourth in the Northwest Division and eighth in the Western Conference playoff standings, and earned a spot in the2010 NBA playoffs. On April 22, the team secured their first playoff win in Oklahoma City when they defeated the defending-champion Los Angeles Lakers 101–96. This was also the Thunder's first playoff win at the Ford Center. The Thunder would go on to tie the series at two games each, but the Lakers won the last two games in the series to win it 4–2.
Oklahoma City ranked twelfth in overall attendance in the NBA, and seventh in percentage of available seats occupied (98.9 percent, including 28 sellouts in 41 home games).[42] The team's operating situation also continued to improve in 2009–10.Forbes magazine estimated the team's franchise value at $310 million (an increase of $10 million over the prior year) with an estimated operating profit of $12.7 million (the first operating profit in years for the franchise).[43]
Financially, the Thunder organization continued to build on its profitable move from Seattle to Oklahoma City. In January 2011,Forbes magazine estimated the franchise's worth at $329 million, up six percent from 2009 to 2010 and ranking No. 18 in the NBA.[44] The magazine also estimated the franchise's revenue at $118 million and operating profit at $22.6 million—up 6.3 percent and 78 percent, respectively, from the previous year.[43][44] The Thunder finished the 2010–2011 season with a 55–27 record, a five-win increase from their breakout season the previous year. The team also captured their first division title since moving to Oklahoma City, and seventh in franchise history.[45]
In the wake of a fourth-seed versus fifth-seed match-up against theDenver Nuggets, Kevin Durant scored 41 points in game 1 to set a new career playoff high. In the final game of the series, he again scored 41 and forward Serge Ibaka nearly tied the record for most blocks in a playoff game (10, set byMark Eaton,Hakeem Olajuwon andAndrew Bynum) with nine blocks.[46] The Thunder won the series four games to one and were set to face off against theMemphis Grizzlies who achieved an eight-seed upset over theSan Antonio Spurs just days before. The Thunder advanced to the Western Conference finals with a seven-game series triumph over the Grizzlies. Durant was again the star, scoring 39 points in the clinching game 7, while Russell Westbrook also had atriple-double. Despite hard-fought battles with the eventual NBA champs, the Thunder fell to the Dallas Mavericks 4–1 in the conference finals. The Thunder had a chance to tie the series in game 4, but they were unable to hold a 15-point lead with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. They ended up losing in overtime, 112–105.
During the extended lockout, Thunder players played in exhibition games and even local pickup games to stay in shape.[47][48][49][50] When the abbreviated training camp began, Oklahoma City started with an intact roster and all players, except forRussell Westbrook. In addition,Kendrick Perkins lost more than 30 pounds during the lockout. The Thunder made their two preseason appearances, after the lockout, against the Dallas Mavericks, winning both games. They won their first regular season game against Orlando at home and went on a five-game winning streak. Kevin Durant became the sixth player to score 30 or more points in four consecutive games at the start of a season. In addition, the Thunder was the first to sweep their back-to-back-to-back games, winning a home-and-home series with theHouston Rockets, then routing theSan Antonio Spurs. Thunder players Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Perkins and Ibaka made it onto the2012 All-Star ballots. After the Thunder's win over theUtah Jazz on February 11, 2012,Scott Brooks was named as the head coach for the Western Conference All-Star squad for the NBA All-Star Game.
In the2012 NBA playoffs, the Thunder swept the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in the first round to advance and face off against their first-round foes from 2010, theLos Angeles Lakers. They defeated the Lakers in five games and advanced to play theSan Antonio Spurs in the conference finals. The Thunder lost the first two games against the Spurs but won the next three including a game 5 road win, to take a commanding 3–2 game lead in the series. In game 6, the Thunder defeated the Spurs 107–99 and advanced to the2012 NBA Finals. Durant led the way with 34 points, playing all of regulation time in the game. In the 2012 NBA Finals against theMiami Heat, the Thunder won the first game at home but then lost four in a row losing the series in five games.
2012–2016: Post-Finals appearance years and Harden's departure
In the2012 NBA draft, the Thunder selectedBaylor University forwardPerry Jones III with the 28th overall pick. The Thunder also signed free agentsHasheem Thabeet andDaniel Orton, and signedguardsAndy Rautins andDeAndre Liggins. They re-signedforwardSerge Ibaka to a four-year, $48 million extension. After failing to signJames Harden to an extension that was reportedly worth four years and $52 million, the team decided to trade Harden rather than having to pay the luxury tax penalty. On October 27, 2012, the Thunder traded Harden along withcenterCole Aldrich and forwardsDaequan Cook andLazar Hayward to theHouston Rockets forKevin Martin,Jeremy Lamb, first-round draft picks fromToronto and Dallas, and one second-round draft pick. Martin took over Harden's sixth-man role for the season. The Thunder finished with a 60–22 regular season, taking both the Northwest division title and top seed of the Western Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, they faced the 8th-seeded Houston Rockets and former Thunder star James Harden. In game two of the series,Russell Westbrook collided with Rockets point guardPatrick Beverley, and missed the rest of the playoffs after having knee surgery. Without the team's second-leading scorer, the Thunder, who had a 3–0 lead, lost the next two games to bring the series to 3–2. In game 6, the Thunder defeated the Rockets to meet the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round, creating a rematch of the 2011 second round. The Thunder lost the series 4–1, losing four straight games after winning game 1 at home.
In the2013 NBA draft, the Thunder selected 12th pickSteven Adams, traded for the 26th pickAndré Roberson, and selected 47th pickGrant Jerrett.Kevin Martin was not re-signed, and he opted to join the Timberwolves, while the team were only able to add free agentRyan Gomes and re-signDerek Fisher to conclude their off-season movements. The team finished second in the Western conference with a 59–23 record. They met the Memphis Grizzlies for the third time in the playoffs, which set a record for most consecutive overtimes in a playoff series, with four. Oklahoma City prevailed in seven games to play theLos Angeles Clippers in the semifinals, whom they defeated in six games. Their final playoff opponent, in the conference finals, was the San Antonio Spurs in a rematch of the 2012 conference finals, this time with the Spurs winning, 4–2.
With the 21st and 29th picks in the 2014 NBA draft, the Thunder selectedMitch McGary from Michigan andJosh Huestis from Stanford. "He brings energy, passion, and great basketball IQ and toughness what we value" said Presti on drafting McGary.[51] Oklahoma City also signedSemaj Christon after acquiring his draft rights from theCharlotte Hornets.[52] On July 3, the Thunder signedSebastian Telfair. But they lost shooting guardThabo Sefolosha as his contract expired and he agreed to a three-year, $12 million contract with theAtlanta Hawks. Several weeks before the season started, the Thunder suffered a setback as Durant was diagnosed with aJones fracture in his right foot and missed the first 17 games of the season. During the opening game against thePortland Trail Blazers, Westbrook scored 38 points, but found himself sidelined due to a small fracture in his right hand. He missed 16 games, during which Oklahoma City went 4–12. During the middle of the season Westbrook and Durant both came back, and similarly suffered more injuries. Durant was ruled out of the rest of the season in March, deciding to have foot surgery. Westbrook also had to undergo surgery in early March, to repair a fracture in the zygomatic arch bone of his right cheek. Several days later he returned and recorded several triple-doubles on his way to Western Conference Player of the Month honors from February to April. He also won the 2014–2015 NBA scoring title. However, despite the effort, the Thunder missed the playoffs due to a tiebreaker with theNew Orleans Pelicans, and Westbrook fell short of the MVP award, finishing fourth in voting. They finished with a 45–37 record. On April 22, 2015,Scott Brooks was fired as the Thunder head coach.Billy Donovan was hired on April 30, 2015. This was Donovan's first major NBA coaching job, after he initially accepted and then left theOrlando Magic job in 2007.[53][54] With the 14th and the 48th picks in the2015 NBA draft, the Thunder selectedCameron Payne from Murray State andDakari Johnson from Kentucky. With Billy Donovan as the team's head coach the Thunder won the Northwest Division and clinched the third seed in the Western Conference. The team reached the conference finals for the fourth time in a span of six seasons, but was eliminated by theGolden State Warriors in seven games, after blowing a 3–1 series lead.
After much speculation on the future of free agent superstar Kevin Durant, he announced on July 4, 2016, that he was joining the Warriors. The move to join the 73-win team from last season was heavily criticized by the public and sports media, with many comparing the move toLeBron James' 2010 off-season departure from Cleveland to theMiami Heat.[55] On July 7, Durant was officially introduced by the Warriors organization[56] and signed a two-year, $54.3 million contract,[57] with a player option after the first year.[58]
On August 4, 2016, Westbrook agreed to a three-year extension to remain with the Thunder.[59]With an average of 31.6 points, 10.4 assists and 10.7 rebounds, Westbrook became the first player sinceOscar Robertson to average a triple-double for an entire NBA regular season, and only the second in NBA history (the other being Robertson). On April 2, 2017, Westbrook tied Oscar Robertson's record for most triple-doubles in an NBA season (41); he broke the record on April 9 against theDenver Nuggets, marking his 42nd triple-double of the season. Westbrook, in that game, also hit the game-winning buzzer beater from 36 feet, ending the Nuggets' playoffs hopes and securing the Thunder's third-seed matchup with theHouston Rockets in the NBA playoffs. Oklahoma City lost the playoff series in the first round to the Rockets 4–1. Despite the team's loss, Westbrook averaged a +14 while on the court and a triple-double during the series and was named league MVP after the season.
In the 2017 NBA draft, the Thunder selected guardTerrance Ferguson with the 21st pick, and signed him to a four-year rookie-scale contract.[60]
To further bolster the roster and improve Westbrook's supporting cast, the Thunder's front office made a series of aggressive moves to reshape the team. On July 6, 2017, the Thunder acquired four-time All-Star forwardPaul George in a trade with theIndiana Pacers in exchange for guardVictor Oladipo and forwardDomantas Sabonis.[61] The team then signed veteran point guardRaymond Felton and sharp-shooting power forwardPatrick Patterson in free agency on July 10.[62][63] Finally, on September 25, the Thunder acquired ten-time All-Star forwardCarmelo Anthony from theNew York Knicks in exchange for centerEnes Kanter, forwardDoug McDermott, and a 2018 second-round draft pick they had previously acquired from theChicago Bulls in theCameron Payne trade.[64][65] On September 29, 2017, the Thunder signed its star point guardRussell Westbrook to a five-year extension.[66] The Thunder finished the 2017–18 season with a 48–34 record and lost to theUtah Jazz 4–2 in the first round of the playoffs.
After the George trade, general manager Presti sensed that the team could not seriously contend with Westbrook as the lone star. On July 16, the Thunder traded Westbrook to the Houston Rockets forChris Paul, two future first-round draft picks, and the rights to two future pick swaps with the Rockets.[78]
After the season,Billy Donovan's contract was not renewed, and both sides agreed to part ways.[80] On November 11, 2020,Mark Daigneault was promoted from assistant coach to head coach.[81]
Before the2020–21 NBA season, Chris Paul was traded to thePhoenix Suns forKelly Oubre Jr.,Ricky Rubio, two additional players and a 2022 first-round draft pick.[82] Oubre, Rubio and several Thunder veterans from the 2019–20 season, such asSteven Adams,Dennis Schröder andDanilo Gallinari, were traded away in the next several days as well, with the Thunder receiving draft picks as part of compensation in most of those transactions. Overall, the team executed 14 trades after the end of the 2019–20 season and before the 2021 trade deadline.
Five-time NBA All-StarAl Horford was one of the players acquired before the season.[83] After one season, he was also traded for four-time All-StarKemba Walker,[84] with Thunder acquiring first-round draft picks as well in both transactions.
By the summer of 2021, the Thunder accumulated 36 total draft picks over the next seven years, 18 in the first round and 18 in the second.[85] In the2021 NBA draft, Thunder draftedJosh Giddey,Alperen Şengün andTre Mann with their first-round picks, Şengün was then traded for two future draft picks. On August 6, 2021, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed a 5-year maximum contract extension worth $172 million.[86][87] On the same day, Thunder waived Kemba Walker after he agreed to a buy-out.[88]
On May 1, 2021, the Thunder lost at home to theIndiana Pacers by 57 points, 152–95, the largest regular season home loss in NBA history and one point less than the record-holding New Orleans Hornets home playoff loss in 2009.[89] During thenext season, on December 2, 2021, the Thunder lost on the road to theMemphis Grizzlies by 73 points, 79–152, the largest loss in NBA history.[90]
At the2022 NBA draft, the Thunder used their second overall pick to selectChet Holmgren and the twelfth pick to selectJalen Williams.[91] On August 25, 2022, it was announced that Holmgren would miss the entire2022–23 NBA season due to aLisfranc injury in his foot that occurred during a Pro-am game.[92] In the 2022–23 season, the Thunder finished regular season with the 10th-best record in the Western conference, qualifying for theplay-in-tournament. After defeating theNew Orleans Pelicans in their first play-in game,[93] the Thunder lost to theMinnesota Timberwolves and did not qualify for the playoffs despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's leap to superstardom, averaging 31.1 points per game.[94]
In the 2023–24 season, the Thunder acquired former All-StarGordon Hayward.Chet Holmgren returned from injury and made an immediate impact as a rookie, Jalen Williams improved and Gilgeous-Alexander made his second All Star team and would later place second in MVP voting. On March 31, 2024, against theNew York Knicks, the Thunder officially clinched a playoff berth with a 113–112 victory – their first playoff berth since the2019–20 season. The Thunder finished with a record of 57 wins and 25 losses, clinching the top seed in the Western Conference for the first time since2012–13.Mark Daigneault won theCoach Of The Year Award as the Thunder swept theNew Orleans Pelicans in the first round becoming the youngest team to ever win a playoff series at an average age of 25 years old, but would lose toLuka Dončić's Dallas Mavericks in six games, even though they were up 17 points at one point in the series-deciding game 6.
After 10 games of good play, Holmgren went down with a rare hip injury and was announced to miss at least eight weeks leaving the Thunder short-handed with Hartenstein also being out.[97] After missing the first 15 games of the season, Hartenstein returned on November 20, 2024.[citation needed]
Even without Holmgren, the Thunder beat theHouston Rockets to advance to theNBA Cup finals. They faced the Milwaukee Bucks, but lost the game 97–81.[98] Despite this loss, the Thunder achieved their longest win streak in franchise history, setting a record at 15 consecutive wins.[99] The streak ended when they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who themselves were on a 10-game winning streak. It was the first time that a team on a 15-game winning streak had played a team on a 10-game winning streak in NBA history.[100] Mark Daigneault was chosen as the head coach of one of the teams in the2025 NBA All-Star Game.[101] Gilgeous-Alexander was selected for his third straight All-Star Game and second start in a row and Jalen Williams made his first All-Star team as a reserve.[102] On March 27, 2025, in a 125–104 win over theMemphis Grizzlies, the Thunder set a franchise record for total wins in a season at 61, beating the previous record of 60 wins set in the2012–13 season on a 37-point outing from Gilgeous-Alexander and a double-double from Hartenstein.[103] They finished the season with the top spot in the league with 68 wins. On May 8, the Thunder scored 87 points, breaking the record for most points in first half of an NBA playoff game. The previous record of 86 points was held by the Cleveland Cavaliers, set during the2017 NBA Finals against theGolden State Warriors.[104] In May 2025, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named NBA's most valuable player, becoming the third player in franchise history to receive the award,[105] and was also named to All-NBA first team, while Jalen Williams made the All-NBA third team.[106] The Thunder advanced to theNBA Finals and defeated theIndiana Pacers in seven games to win their first NBA championship since moving to Oklahoma City.[107]
Seattle Center Coliseum 1967–1978 (occasionally used during the Kingdome years when the latter was unavailable due to eitherSeattle Mariners orSeattle Seahawks games)
Opened on June 8, 2002, as the Ford Center, Paycom Center was built without luxury accommodations but designed to accommodate luxury "buildouts" should a professional sports franchise make the Paycom Center their home arena. It was finished at a cost of $89.2 million.[109]
A plan for such build-out improvements began in 2007, afteran Oklahoma City-based ownership group bought the Seattle SuperSonics. A city ballot initiative, approved by a 62 percent margin on March 4, 2008, extended a one-cent city sales tax for 15 months to fund $101 million in budgeted improvements to the arena and a separate $20 million practice facility for a franchise to be moved from some other city.[110]
Renovation work on the arena was delayed by the 2008–10 economic crisis, which reduced the city's revenue from sales taxes.[111] Revised plans limited the size of a new glass entryway and eliminated a practice court to accommodate the shortfall.[112] Major construction work on the arena expansion was also delayed from the summer of 2010 to the summer of 2011. Seating capacity of the stadium is 18,203 for professional NBA basketball games.
Similar revisions were made to the plans for the Thunder's separate practice facility, for a total savings of approximately $14 million.[113] The Thunder's practice facility completion date was pushed back to about March 2011.[114]Chesapeake Energy, which had naming rights after 2011 filed forchapter 11 bankruptcy on June 28, 2020, with a debt of $9 billion, with the effect on the arena's naming rights not yet known at that time.[115] However, on April 20, 2021, the company terminated the deal as part of its corporate restructuring. The arena retained its name during the Thunder's search for a new sponsor.[116]
On July 27, 2021, it was announced thatPaycom will acquire the naming rights for the arena for a 15-year period, renaming it Paycom Center.[117]
On September 12, 2023, Oklahoma City announced they were planning on building a new downtown arena for the Thunder at the cost of at least $900 million and with an estimated 2029 opening.[118] The team's owner requested that Oklahoma City provide most of the funding for the stadium construction cost. Oklahoma City MayorDavid Holt, an avid supporter of the stadium subsidy, stated that he was confident that the team would leave Oklahoma City unless the city paid for the new stadium.[119] In a December 2023 referendum, Oklahoma City voters voted to pay for at least $850 million of the cost of the stadium while the team, valued at $3 billion, would pay $50 million.[120][121] Economics professor J.C. Bradbury, who specializes in the study ofstadium subsidies, wrote of the agreement, "It is by far the worst stadium deal I've ever seen negotiated from a public standpoint."[120]
On February 17, 2009, Rumble the Bison was introduced as the Oklahoma City Thunder mascot during halftime of a game against theNew Orleans Hornets.[122] Rumble was the winner of the 2008–2009 NBA Mascot of the Year.[123]
During the2012 NBA Finals, sportswriterBill Simmons published a piece on the team's fan base in hisESPN-sponsored Web outlet,Grantland.com, in which he noted the unusual enthusiasm of the city for its team:
With the possible exception ofPortland, no NBA team means more to its city. This goes beyond having the loudest fans. There's genuine devotion here. These people arrived a good 45 minutes early for last night's Game 1—and by "these people" I mean "everyone with a ticket"—then clapped their way through pregame warm-ups with such infectious enthusiasm that I remember saying to a friend, "No way these yahoos keep this up for three hours, they're going to burn out." Wrong. You know what burned out? My eardrums. My head is still ringing.[124]
Simmons speculated that theOklahoma City bombing played a major part in the team's culture, noting that Thunder general managerSam Presti has every new Thunder player visit theOklahoma City National Memorial, and encourages players to look into the stands and consider that many of the team's fans were personally affected by the event. He also noted, however, that the fact that the Thunder is the only team from Oklahoma City (or indeed the state of Oklahoma) in one of the nation's four major leagues contributes mightily to the city's devotion.[124]
Thunder fans are also reportedly much more likely to attend major home games than most other NBA fanbases. According to a source in the ticket industry, only five percent of tickets to the 2012 NBA conference finals listed for sale on secondary market sites such asStubHub were for Thunder home games, and for every ticket listed for a Thunder home game in the 2012 NBA Finals, 10 tickets for Heat home games were listed.[124]
The team and its fanbase regularly use the slogan "Thunder Up!" which was prominently displayed on T-shirts during the 2012 playoffs.
In the 2023–24 season, the Thunder ranked 23rd out of 30 teams in per-game attendance while filling under 96% of their arena on average.[125]
The Thunder hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. A drafted player, either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends.[126] This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.
Since moving from Seattle to Oklahoma City, the Thunder have officially retired one jersey number: 4, retired on March 20, 2019, to honorNick Collison, who played for the team from 2003 to 2018.[127]
The Seattle SuperSonics had retired six numbers and awarded an honorarymicrophone to longtime broadcasterBob Blackburn, who had called most of the team's games from 1967 through 1992.[128][129]
An alternate uniform was unveiled on November 8, 2012, featuring navy blue and white. Unlike their regular uniforms, the wordmarks on the alternate are written vertically.[137][138]
A second alternate uniform was unveiled on March 1, 2015. A white uniform with sleeves, it features the Thunder partial logo in the center of the chest, and the shorts have bolts in light blue and sunset colors.[139]
A third alternate uniform was unveiled on September 25, 2015. A sunset-colored uniform, it features the Oklahoma City abbreviation "OKC" in navy block letters trimmed in white. On the back of the jersey, player names sit below the numbers. The shorts display a sunset base with navy panels down the side with the Thunder partial logo on each leg. The Thunder wore the sunset alternates for 18 games in the 2015–2016 season, including all 13 of its Sunday games.[140]
Moving toNike in 2017, the Thunder kept their existing white ("Association") and blue ("Icon") uniforms almost intact with the exception of the "OKC" abbreviation on the beltline and truncated shoulder stripes.[141] The team also released a new alternate "Statement" uniform with italicized "OKC" lettering in sunset orange and a navy base with blue gradients intended to evoke the sound of cheering.[142]
The Thunder also collaborated with Nike to produce annual "City" edition uniforms intended to pay tribute to local cultures or team traditions. The 2017–18 "City" uniform had a grey base with sunset orange and blue lines that were inspired by the Thunder's uptempo style.[143] For 2018–19, the Thunder's "City" uniform had a turquoise base and bold white lettering with navy and sunset orange trim; the uniform was inspired byOklahoma's Native American heritage.[144]
Nike also released an "Earned" uniform starting with the 2018–19 season and were only given to the 16 teams who qualified in the2018 NBA playoffs. The Thunder's "Earned" uniform was a basic palette swap of the team's "Statement" uniforms, featuring a sunset orange base and navy letters.[145]
For the 2019–20 season, the Thunder unveiled new uniforms. The white "Association" uniform had the city name in front along with the outline of the state of Oklahoma on the beltline. The front of the blue "Icon" uniform had the team name in front while keeping the OKC acronym on the beltline. Their sunset-orange "Earned" uniforms from the previous season were the basis of their new "Statement" uniform, albeit with lighter blue lettering. A new "City" uniform for the season commemorated the 25th anniversary of theOklahoma City bombing and it featured a black and gold palette.[3][146]
The "City" uniform for 2020–21 had a black base with the Thunder's signature blue and orange splashed throughout. The uniform had the state name "Oklahoma" in front as homage to the state itself.[147] As in 2019, the Thunder's appearance in the2020 NBA playoffs gave them an "Earned" uniform for the 2021 season. The uniform featured a navy blue base with "Thunder" written in white with light blue drop shadows. Orange was absent on the uniform.[148]
The Thunder's 2021–22 "City" uniform mixed various elements from their previous and current uniforms. The white and gray uniform featured the vertically arranged "OKC" lettering on the right chest (taken from the 2012–16 navy alternates), the white and gray patterns within the "OKC" lettering (taken from the 2017–19 "Statement" uniforms), the white and gray sash on the left leg (taken from the 2018–19 "City" uniforms), and the generic logo the Thunder first used in 2008 on the waist.[149]
The Thunder's 2022–23 "City" uniform had a black base, blue letters and red, orange and white accents in honor of the people of Oklahoma.[150]
The "City" uniform for the 2023–24 season was a black and blue base with orange "OKC" lettering and gold numbers. The uniform also had sublimated images of various Thunder logos and wordmarks, and were meant to pay tribute to the city's renaissance.[151] This look was further developed for the 2024–25 "City" uniform, which like the 2022–23 "City" uniform had just the state name of "Oklahoma" in front. The black-based uniform had blue stripes with sublimated Thunder logos, along with gold letters.[152]
The "City" uniform in the 2025–26 season was a recolored version of their 2018–19 "City" uniform, using a navy blue and gray base.[153]
After winning the NBA championship in 2025, the Thunder added a gold tab on the back of their uniforms to signify their maiden championship victory.[154] The NBA championship tabs have been in use on all uniforms worn by teams who have won a championship since the 2014–15 season, but the Thunder refused to acknowledge the SuperSonics' 1979 championship as part of its history. As such, their gold tabs only denote the championship they won in Oklahoma City.[155]
All Thunder games are broadcast on theThunder Radio Network, fronted by flagship stationsWWLS-FM (98.1) andKWPN (640 AM) in Oklahoma City.Matt Pinto is the radio voice of the Thunder.[156]
For their first two seasons, the Thunder's TV broadcasts were split betweenFox Sports Oklahoma (a regional fork ofFox Sports Southwest), which broadcast most of the games, and independent stationKSBI (channel 52), with around 65 Thunder games airing during the season and more than half of the games available in HD on Fox Sports Oklahoma, along with other team-related programming such as pre-game shows. Around 15 to 20 regular season games were broadcast over the air on KSBI, which had a network of re-broadcasters spanning the entire state. All televised games are called byBrian Davis on play-by-play andMichael Cage as color commentator.[157][158] During the2009–10 season, KSBI telecast all Thunder games it aired in high definition (KSBI had previously aired in HD the first regular season game played at the Ford Center—against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 29, 2008—while all other games during the2008–09 season were telecast on KSBI in standard definition).
On August 3, 2010, the Thunder signed a new exclusive multi-year agreement with Fox Sports Oklahoma (since rebranded as Bally Sports Oklahoma as of 2021), beginning with the2010–11 season, ending the team's broadcasts on KSBI.[159] On October 22, 2012, the Thunder announced that Lesley McCaslin would be the new Thunder sideline reporter.[160] On July 21, 2014, the Thunder announced that Long would not return to be its TV color commentator on Fox Sports Oklahoma.[161] On September 17, 2014, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced that 15-year NBA veteran Michael Cage would be the new color analyst, joining Brian Davis on television and Matt Pinto on the radio when the game is exclusive to a national television broadcast.[162] Davis was replaced as the television play-by-play announcer by Chris Fisher before the 2018–19 season.[163]
^"Welcome to Paycom Center".OKCThunder.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. October 3, 2021.Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. RetrievedMay 2, 2022.
^McKechnie, John (May 5, 2025)."Oklahoma City Thunder's NBA Championships".NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. RetrievedMay 28, 2025.The Thunder franchise began in the 1968 season in Seattle where they were the SuperSonics until moving to Oklahoma City ahead of the 2008-2009 campaign.
^"This Date in the NBA: July".NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. September 13, 2021.Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. RetrievedJune 5, 2023.July 2, 2008–Professional Basketball Club LLC (PBC), led by Clay Bennett, reached a settlement agreement in the lawsuit filed by the city of Seattle, finalizing the move of the Seattle SuperSonics to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
^"Thunder Rolls Into Oklahoma City".OKCThunder.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures, LLC. September 3, 2008.Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. RetrievedApril 21, 2018.
^"This Date in the NBA: September".NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. September 13, 2021.Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. RetrievedJune 5, 2023.September 3, 2008–Oklahoma City team officials unveil the team's new name and logo. The former Seattle SuperSonics franchise is now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder.
^"Thunder Signs Raymond Felton".OKCThunder.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. July 10, 2017.Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. RetrievedJuly 10, 2017.
^Coon, Larry."NBA Salary Cap FAQ – 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement".Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. RetrievedApril 13, 2014.If the player is already under contract to, or signs a contract with a non-NBA team, the team retains the player's draft rights for one year after the player's obligation to the non-NBA team ends. Essentially, the clock stops as long as the player plays pro ball outside the NBA.
^"Nike NBA City Edition Uniform".Nike.com (Press release). Nike, Inc. December 27, 2017.Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. RetrievedDecember 26, 2018.
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