Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA); their home court is at the Oklahoma City Arena. The Thunder's NBA Development League affiliate is the Tulsa 66ers, who are owned by the Thunder. The Thunder are the only team in the Big Four North American sports leagues in Oklahoma.

Formerly the Seattle SuperSonics, the Thunder were relocated in 2008 after a dispute between owner Clay Bennett and lawmakers in Seattle, Washington. The SuperSonics qualified for the NBA Playoffs 22 times, won their division six times and won the 1979 NBA Championship. In Oklahoma City, the Thunder qualified for their first playoff berth during the 2009–2010 season. They followed this success by winning their first division title as the Thunder in the 2010-11 season.

Creation of the Thunder

In the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans, Louisiana and the surrounding areas, the New Orleans Hornets temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City, playing the majority of their home games during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons at the Ford Center. Consequently, the city showed it could support an NBA franchise such as the uprooted Hornets. Spurred by a reporter's question, NBA commissioner David Stern came to comment unequivocally that Oklahoma City could support a franchise of its own.

In 2006 the SuperSonics were sold for $350 million to a group of Oklahoma City investors led by Clay Bennett, a move approved by NBA owners the following October. Terms of the sale required the new ownership group to use a "good faith, best effort" for the term of 12 months in securing a new arena lease or venue in the greater Seattle area. Bennett spent much of 2007 attempting to gain public funding for a new arena or a major renovation of the KeyArena. After 12 months and numerous disagreements between local and state governments and the team, Bennett announced that the franchise would move to Oklahoma City as soon as the lease with KeyArena expired.

2008–09: Inaugural season

The Thunder participated in the Orlando Pro Summer League featuring their second-year players, potential free agents and rookies. The players wore generic black and white jerseys reading "OKC-NBA" against an outline of a basketball. The Thunder's temporary practice facility was the Sawyer Center at Southern Nazarene University, which had been used by the New Orleans Hornets when they relocated to Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina.

The Thunder played several preseason games before the 2008–2009 regular season, but only one of those games was in Oklahoma City. The Thunder made their first appearance in Billings, Montana on October 8, 2008 in an 88–82 preseason loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Thunder played their first Ford Center game on October 14 against the Los Angeles Clippers.

2009–10: The turnaround season

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 offseason, other than drafting James Harden from Arizona State University with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft. The Thunder selected Rodrigue Beaubois with the 25th pick in the 2009 draft before immediately trading him to the Dallas Mavericks for the 24th pick, C Byron Mullens from Ohio State University. The team then added veterans C Etan Thomas and G Kevin Ollie. The last major change to their roster occurred on December 22, 2009, when the team traded for Eric Maynor from the Utah Jazz. Maynor immediately supplanted Ollie as the backup point guard.

From the outset the young team looked determined and cohesive. The increasing leadership of Kevin Durant, along with the growing experience of the Thunder's younger players, were encouraging signs that the Thunder were improving. The 2009–10 season included several victories over the NBA's elite teams, including a 28-point blowout over the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic and a 16-point blowout of the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. Road victories over the San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks greatly enhanced their reputation. Though they hovered around .500 for the first half of the season, they eventually 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.

2010–Present : Rise to Prominence

Financially, the Thunder organization continued to build on the positive returns experienced from relocating from Seattle to Oklahoma City. In January 2011, Forbes Magazine estimated the franchise's worth at $329 million, up 6% from 2009–10 and ranking #18 in the NBA. The magazine also estimated the franchise's revenue at $118 million and operating profit at $22.6 million – up 6.3% and 78%, respectively, from the previous year. The Thunder finished the 2010-2011 season with 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.

In the wake of a highly anticipated fourth versus fifth seed matchup against the Denver 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 broke the record for most blocks in a playoff game (10, set by Dikembe Mutumbo) with 9 blocks. With the victory, the Thunder were able to pull through and win the series, 4 games to 1, set to face off against the Memphis Grizzlies who achieved an eight seed upset over the San Antonio Spurs just days later.

Home arenas

Note: All arenas used before 2008 were part of the defunct Sonics franchise.

Seattle arenas had hosted two NBA All-Star Games; the 1974 edition in Seattle Center Coliseum and 1987 in the Kingdome, where Sonic Tom Chambers grabbed MVP honors.

Seattle Center Coliseum 1967–1978 (occasionally used during the Kingdome years when the latter was unavailable due to either Mariners or Seahawks games)

The Kingdome 1978–1985

Seattle Center Coliseum 1985–1994

Tacoma Dome 1994–1995 (During KeyArena Remodel)

KeyArena (the remodeled and renamed Seattle Center Coliseum) 1995–2008

Oklahoma City Arena (formerly Ford Center) (2008–present)

Originally opened in 2002, the Oklahoma City Arena was built without many of the luxury accommodations ultimately planned for it. The arena had been designed to accommodate such luxury "buildouts" should a professional sports franchise locate to the city.

A plan for such buildout improvements began in 2007 in the wake of the acquisition of the Seattle Supersonics by an Oklahoma City-based ownership group the previous October. A city ballot initiative on March 4, 2008 - approved by a 62% to 38% margin - extended a prior one-cent city sales tax for a period of fifteen months in order to fund $101 million in budgeted improvements to the arena, as well as fund a separate $20 million practice facility for a relocated franchise.

Renovation work on the Oklahoma City Arena was delayed due to a sales tax-receipts shortfall during the 2008-10 economic crisis; eventual tax receipts totaled $103.5 million rather than the projected $121.6 million. The shortfall was accommodated by revising plans for certain features of the arena expansion project, including limiting the size of a new glass entryway and eliminating a practice court planned for above the delivery entrance of the arena. Major construction work on the arena expansion was also delayed from the summer of 2010 to the summer of 2011.

Similar revisions were made to the plans for the Thunder's separate practice facility, for a total cost savings of approximately $14 million. The Thunder's practice facility completion date was similarly pushed back to approximately March 2011.

Franchise history

The Thunder's previous incarnation, the Seattle SuperSonics, were formed in 1967. Early in their history they appeared in two consecutive Finals against the Washington Bullets (now the Wizards), losing in seven games in 1978 and winning in five the next year. Seattle's victory remains the only modern-era championship in that city's major-sports history. During the course of the next decade, Seattle had moderate success until they drafted the duo of Shawn Kemp in 1989 and Gary Payton in 1990. Alongside Nate McMillan, coach George Karl and other notable players, the Sonics rose up among the rank of title contenders in the early 1990s. The team qualified for the playoffs every year between 1991 and 1998.

In the 1995-96 season, the Sonics established the franchise mark for most wins with a 64–18 season (.780 winning percentage) and earned their third NBA Finals berth. Seattle met the record-setting 72–10 Chicago Bulls in the Finals and lost in six games. The Sonics' fortunes slowly spiraled after that season, with most of the core players retiring or departing from Seattle. The next decade did not fare better as the franchise, aside from a surprising 2004–05 NBA season in which the Sonics won 52 games, disappointed with playoff futility. The Sonics drafted cornerstones Kevin Durant and Jeff Green in the 2007 NBA Draft. Despite their talent, the club endured the worst season in franchise history in the 2007–08 NBA season, losing a team-record 62 games.

In their 41 years in Seattle, the SuperSonics compiled a 1,745–1,585 (.524) win–loss record in the regular season and 107–110 (.493) in the playoffs. The franchise's titles include three Western Conference championships and one NBA title.

Former players

Gary Payton won the franchise's only Defensive Player of the Year in 1996.

Ray Allen – An All-Star in all six of his years in Seattle. In the 2005–06 season, Allen broke the NBA record for most three-point field goals made in a regular season with 269. After being traded away after the conclusion of the 2006-2007 season, Allen won the 2008 NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics.

Shawn Kemp – The franchise's all-time leader in blocks and a key player in the Sonics' 1996 run to the NBA Finals. Although more known for his dunks, Kemp averaged nearly 16 points and 10 rebounds for eight years in Seattle.

Rashard Lewis – The club's career leader in 3-point field goals with 973. A proficient shooter while with the Sonics, averaging 39% from behind the arc. He gained a reputation as a solid forward and earned All-Star status in 2005.

Xavier McDaniel – A mainstay on the late '80s Sonics. Nicknamed the "X-Man", he was drafted 4th overall in 1985 out Wichita State University after an exceptional year in college. McDaniel came into his own as a scorer in Seattle before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in 1991.

Gary Payton – The Sonics all-time leader in most major statistics, including points, assists and steals. Payton played tenacious defense and earned the Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1996. "The Glove" has expressed his desire to have his jersey retired in Seattle, rather than Oklahoma City.

Hall of Famers from the Seattle SuperSonics era

Patrick Ewing – Center, best known for playing for the New York Knicks; traded from the Knicks to the Sonics in an early season trade during the 2001 season. Inducted in 2008.

Dennis Johnson – Under coach Lenny Wilkens, he took the Sonics to two NBA Finals; a seven-game series loss in 1978 and a win in 1979 in which Johnson was named Finals MVP. Inducted in 2010.

K. C. Jones – After being inducted in 1989, Jones coached the Sonics to two deep playoff runs in the 1991 and 1992 seasons.

Bill Russell – Notable for winning 11 championships for the Boston Celtics, Russell coached and led the Sonics to their first playoff appearances during his time in Seattle from 1973 through 1977. Inducted in 1975.

Lenny Wilkens – Played point guard in Seattle for four years, becoming a player-coach for his last three. He returned in 1977 for eight straight seasons, coaching the Sonics to their only championship in 1979. Wilkens held two notable NBA records for coaches - most wins (1,332) and most losses (1,155) - but he has since been surpassed in wins by Don Nelson with 1,335. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice, in 1989 as a player and in 1998 as a head coach.

Retired jersey numbers

As the Oklahoma City Thunder's original iteration, the Seattle SuperSonics retired six numbers and awarded an honorary microphone to longtime broadcaster Bob Blackburn, who had called the majority of the team's games from 1967 through 1992.