60 Fun Facts About Oklahoma City Thunder

What name did the Thunder's home arena adopt when its naming rights were sold in 2021?

It opened in 2002 as the Ford Center and was Chesapeake Energy Arena before Paycom bought the naming rights in 2021.

The Thunder franchise was originally established in 1967 as which team?

The Sonics played 41 seasons in Seattle before the 2008 move.

In which year did the SuperSonics win their only NBA championship in Seattle?

They beat the Washington Bullets in five games, a year after losing to the same team.

Which Oklahoma City businessman led the group that bought the SuperSonics in 2006?

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz sold the Sonics and the WNBA's Storm to the group for $350 million.

Which former CEO sold the SuperSonics to the Oklahoma City group in 2006?

Schultz later sued unsuccessfully to block the move; Paul Allen owned the rival Trail Blazers.

How much did the ownership group pay Seattle to break the final two years of the KeyArena lease?

A further $30 million was promised if Seattle did not get a new team by 2013; it never was paid.

Under the 2008 settlement, what happened to the SuperSonics name, colours and banners?

The items technically remain the property of the Oklahoma City team until a new Seattle franchise arrives.

The 'Thunder' name references Tornado Alley and which US Army unit based in Oklahoma City?

The name, logo and colours were unveiled on September 3, 2008.

Which team played two seasons in Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina, before the Thunder arrived?

They even used the same practice facility, at Southern Nazarene University, that the Thunder later borrowed.

Which UCLA point guard did the SuperSonics take fourth overall in their final draft in 2008?

He became the franchise's cornerstone and the 2017 MVP.

Which player did the SuperSonics draft in their final Seattle season, setting up the Thunder for success?

He won the 2010 scoring title at 21, the youngest ever to do so.

Where did the Thunder play their first-ever game, a 2008 preseason loss to Minnesota?

Only one of their preseason games that autumn was actually played in Oklahoma City.

Which coach did the Thunder fire in November 2008 after a 1–12 start, promoting Scott Brooks?

The team started 3–29 but went 20–30 the rest of the way, and Brooks kept the job.

Whom did the Thunder draft third overall in 2009 to complete their young Big Three?

He was traded to Houston in October 2012 after refusing a four-year, $52 million extension.

The Thunder's young forward became the NBA's youngest scoring champion in 2009–10 by averaging how many points?

He played all 82 games; the Thunder went 50–32 and took the champion Lakers to six games as an eighth seed.

Which team eliminated the Thunder in the 2011 Western Conference finals on the way to the title?

OKC blew a 15-point lead in the last five minutes of Game 4 and lost in overtime.

Which team beat the Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals?

OKC won Game 1 at home, then lost four straight; it was the franchise's first Finals since 1996.

Which guard headlined the package the Thunder got from Houston in the October 2012 James Harden trade?

He filled Harden's sixth-man role for a season; Jeremy Lamb and two first-round picks also came to OKC.

Whose collision with the Thunder's point guard in the 2013 playoffs led to his season-ending knee surgery?

OKC still beat Houston in six but lost to Memphis in the next round.

The Thunder's 2014 first-round matchup with Memphis set an NBA playoff record for what?

OKC won in seven, then beat the Clippers before losing to San Antonio in the conference finals.

Which team eliminated the Thunder in the 2016 conference finals after OKC led the series 3–1?

Six weeks later Kevin Durant signed with that same team.

On which date in 2016 did the Thunder's superstar forward announce he was leaving for Golden State?

The move to a 73-win team drew comparisons to LeBron James's 2010 'Decision'.

How many triple-doubles did the Thunder's MVP record in 2016–17, breaking Oscar Robertson's record?

He also averaged a triple-double for the season and won MVP.

Which forward did the Thunder acquire from Indiana in July 2017 for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis?

He re-signed in 2018, then asked to be traded to the Clippers to join Kawhi Leonard in 2019.

Which ten-time All-Star did the Thunder get from the Knicks in 2017 for Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott?

He lasted one season before being sent to Atlanta in a three-way trade.

Which young guard joined Oklahoma City in the July 2019 trade sending Paul George to the Clippers?

The deal also brought a record haul of future first-round picks; SGA became the 2025 MVP.

Whom did the Thunder receive from Houston when they traded their franchise point guard in July 2019?

Paul made his 10th All-Star team in OKC before being flipped to Phoenix a year later.

Roughly how many draft picks over the next seven years had the Thunder stockpiled by summer 2021?

Eighteen were first-rounders and eighteen second-rounders.

By how many points did the Thunder lose to Memphis on December 2, 2021, the NBA's largest defeat?

The 152–79 rout came seven months after a 57-point home loss to Indiana.

Whom did the Thunder select second overall in the 2022 draft?

A Lisfranc foot injury suffered in a pro-am game cost him his entire first season.

Which coach, promoted from assistant in 2020, won Coach of the Year in 2024?

His 2024 team was the youngest ever to win a playoff series, at an average age of 25.

Whom did the Thunder trade Josh Giddey to Chicago for in the 2024 off-season?

The defensive guard became a key rotation piece on the title team.

How many regular-season games did the Thunder win in 2024–25, the most in franchise history?

They set the record with a 15-game winning streak along the way and passed the previous mark of 60 in March.

How many points did the Thunder score in the first half of a May 2025 playoff game to set an NBA record?

The previous record of 86 belonged to Cleveland in the 2017 Finals.

Which team did the Thunder beat in seven games in the 2025 NBA Finals for their first Oklahoma City title?

It was the first Finals to go seven games since 2016.

The 2025 MVP was the how-many-th player in franchise history to win the award?

Kevin Durant (2014) and Russell Westbrook (2017) preceded him.

Why do the Thunder's uniforms carry only one gold championship tab despite the 1979 Seattle title?

Under the 2008 settlement, Sonics history is meant to stay in Seattle for a future team.

What is the name of the Thunder's mascot, introduced in February 2009?

He won NBA Mascot of the Year in his debut season; Squatch and Wheedle were the Sonics' mascots.

Which player, with the franchise for his whole 2003–2018 career, is the only one with his number retired by the Thunder?

His No. 4 went up in March 2019; the Sonics had retired six numbers in Seattle.

Who was the Thunder's general manager when the franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2008?

He has had every new player visit the Oklahoma City National Memorial since the team arrived.

What is the name of the Thunder's G League affiliate?

The team owns the affiliate outright.

The Thunder's black-and-gold 2019–20 alternate uniform commemorated the 25th anniversary of what?

The 1995 attack is a touchstone of the team's culture; players visit the memorial on arrival.

The Thunder's turquoise 2018–19 'City' uniform was inspired by what?

It proved so popular it was recoloured in navy and gray for 2025–26.

For roughly how much was the Thunder's arena built in 2002, before any luxury 'buildouts'?

A 2008 sales-tax extension funded $101 million in improvements once the Sonics deal was done.

Oklahoma City voters agreed in December 2023 to fund at least how much of a new Thunder arena?

The team, valued at $3 billion, will contribute $50 million; one economist called it the worst stadium deal he had seen.

A 58-point game against Portland in 2017 tied a franchise record set by which SuperSonic in 1974?

'Downtown' Freddie Brown scored his 58 against Golden State.

Serge Ibaka set the franchise single-game record with how many blocks against Denver in February 2012?

He had nine in a 2011 playoff game, one shy of the postseason record.

Which two-word slogan do OKC fans put on T-shirts, most prominently during the 2012 playoffs?

Bill Simmons wrote during the 2012 Finals that with the possible exception of Portland, no NBA team means more to its city.

Which team eliminated the Thunder in seven games in the 2020 bubble?

It was Paul's former team, and the Thunder had received him from Houston a year earlier.

How many consecutive games did the Thunder win in 2024–25 to set a franchise record?

The streak ended against a Cleveland team riding a 10-game streak of its own, an NBA first.

Which team beat the Thunder in the 2024 NBA Cup final?

OKC lost 97–81 in Las Vegas but went on to win the title that June.

For how much did the Oklahoma City group buy the SuperSonics and the WNBA's Storm in 2006?

NBA owners approved the sale that October; a year later the new owners announced the move as soon as the lease allowed.

Who scored the Thunder's first regular-season points, a layup against Milwaukee in 2008?

They lost that home opener, won their first game three nights later against Minnesota, then lost ten straight.

The Thunder's 50-32 mark in 2009-10 tied which team for most wins by an 8th seed in the modern era?

They more than doubled the previous season's win total and matched Boston's record that year.

Which New Zealand centre did the Thunder take with the 12th pick of the 2013 draft?

The same night they traded for André Roberson at No. 26; the team went 59-23 the following season.

After one season, the Thunder traded five-time All-Star Al Horford for which four-time All-Star?

The rebuild flipped veterans for draft picks, and by mid-2021 the Thunder held 36 picks over seven years.

Whom did the Thunder select with the 12th pick in 2022, the same draft as their No. 2 choice?

Their second overall pick missed the whole 2022-23 season with a Lisfranc foot injury from a pro-am game.

Which SuperSonics forward was MVP of the 1987 All-Star Game, played in Seattle's Kingdome?

Seattle had also hosted the 1974 All-Star Game at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

By what margin did Oklahoma City voters approve the 2008 sales-tax extension to upgrade the arena?

The one-cent tax ran 15 months and funded $101 million of arena work plus a $20 million practice facility for a team yet to be named.

What did Forbes value the franchise at in December 2008, after its first months in Oklahoma City?

That was up 12 percent on its last Seattle valuation, and ticket sales jumped from 78 percent of seats to 100 percent.