Oklahoma City Thunder

The predecessor Seattle SuperSonics were organized in Seattle. A March resolution of the Washington State House welcomed the NBA franchise and identified Eugene V. Klein and Samuel Schulman as its owners.⁠[1]

Jack Sikma and his teammates helped the SuperSonics win the NBA championship.⁠[2]

Gary Payton led the SuperSonics to the NBA Finals and won that year’s Defensive Player of the Year award.⁠[3]

Owner Professional Basketball Club LLC and the City of Seattle signed a settlement ending the KeyArena lease and providing for relocation to Oklahoma City. It restricted the relocated team’s use of Seattle names and marks, set conditions for a future Seattle team’s use of the marks and shared history, and kept memorabilia in Seattle’s custody.⁠[4]

Unveiled the Thunder name and logo.⁠[5]

A 50–32 record brought the first playoff berth in Oklahoma City.⁠[6]

Reached the NBA Finals as the Thunder.⁠[6]

Kevin Durant won his first NBA Most Valuable Player award after averaging 32 points and earning his fourth scoring title in five years.⁠[7]

Durant announced in a personal article that he had decided to join the Golden State WarriorsGolden State WarriorsThe Golden State Warriors are an NBA basketball team based in San Francisco, playing at Chase Center. The franchise began as the Philadelphia Warriors in 1946.Open the full entry, bidding farewell to his Oklahoma City teammates and fans.⁠[8]

Russell Westbrook won the NBA Most Valuable Player award, finishing ahead of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard in the media vote.⁠[9]

Trades involving Paul George, Russell Westbrook and others brought Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chris Paul and draft picks.⁠[6]

Mark Daigneault became head coach on November 11 after coaching the Oklahoma City Blue and then serving as a Thunder assistant.⁠[10]

The team and Paycom announced a 15-year naming partnership, immediately renaming the downtown arena Paycom Center.⁠[11]

Finished 57–25 as the West’s top seed.⁠[6]

The Thunder won their first NBA championship since moving to Oklahoma City, and the city announced a championship parade.⁠[12]

The team went 68–14 in the regular season and defeated the Indiana PacersIndiana PacersThe Indiana Pacers are an NBA basketball team playing at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The club began in the ABA in 1967 and joined the NBA in 1976.Open the full entry in the Finals.⁠[6]

Continental Coliseum broke ground. The city targeted a late-summer 2028 opening, with the Thunder remaining at Paycom Center until then and committing to stay locally for at least 25 years after moving in.⁠[13]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his second consecutive regular-season MVP as the team posted the league’s best record at 64–18.⁠[14]

Lost 4–3 to San Antonio.⁠[15]

Paycom Center is in downtown Oklahoma City. The city-owned arena opened in 2002 and has hosted the Thunder since the 2008–09 season.⁠[16]

Oklahoma City Thunder: Official website: https://www.nba.com/thunder/ (opens in a new window).⁠[17]

Oklahoma City Thunder: X: https://x.com/okcthunder (opens in a new window).⁠[18]

Oklahoma City Thunder: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okcthunder/ (opens in a new window).⁠[19]

Oklahoma City Thunder: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/okcthunder/ (opens in a new window).⁠[20]

Oklahoma City Thunder: YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpXdQhy6kb5CTD8hKlmOL3w (opens in a new window).⁠[21]