The Rise of OKC: How MAPS and the Thunder transformed Oklahoma City

Over the past 30 years, Oklahoma City has undergone a massive transformation, rising from the devastation of the 1995 OKC bombing to become a thriving city with an NBA Championship title.

The beginning of OKC's revitalization

On Dec. 14, 1993, Oklahoma City voters approved a temporary one-cent sales tax, known as MAPS, to fund community development projects like the Bricktown Ballpark and the Bricktown Canal.

At the time, conversations were also beginning about what it might take to attract a professional sports team to Oklahoma City.

A defining moment

On April 19, 1995, tragedy struck that would not only change Oklahoma but also the country. The bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City killed 168 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 12 blocks of buildings near NW 5th and Robinson.

“Things were frozen in time when the bomb went off,” said former OKC Mayor Kirk Humphreys. "It destroyed buildings, hundreds of buildings and the fabric of the city for about a half-mile, particularly to the north."

The city’s focus shifted from redevelopment to recovery. At the time of the bombing, construction had not yet begun on any MAPS projects, and some were delayed. Others overlapped with efforts to rebuild the damaged parts of downtown.

Kari Watkins, executive director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, said the bombing introduced the world to the “Oklahoma Standard”: service, honor and kindness.

“You know, you talk about the Oklahoma Standard—it existed before the bombing. But I don't think anyone else knew it,” said Humphreys. “And I'm not sure we knew it. We were a little bit unsure of ourselves.”

In May 1995, rescue and recovery operations concluded. Later that month, what remained of the Murrah building was demolished.

Moving forward

A few months later, on Oct. 10, 1995, Oklahoma City broke ground on the first MAPS project: the Southwestern Bell Bricktown Ballpark.

Less than three years later, in April 1998, the ballpark officially opened. Construction on the Bricktown Canal began that July. Crews also started building three low-water dams to restore the flow of the Oklahoma River.

The original MAPS tax expired in July 1999, after being extended six months to ensure all projects were completed. It raised $363 million. That same month, the Bricktown Canal welcomed its first official visitors.

Progress continued with MAPS for Kids, approved by voters in November 2001 to improve public schools. The arena now known as the Paycom Center opened in June 2002. In August 2004, the original MAPS program concluded with the dedication of the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library.

OKC joins the big leagues

Just as those original projects wrapped up, Mick Cornett was elected mayor. But Oklahoma City was still working to reshape its national image.

“My gut feeling was if we could get a sports team and attach our name to something positive,” Cornett said, “it would help our brand, help our image and allow our economy to grow, subsequently.”

In 2005, Oklahoma City hosted the New Orleans Hornets for two seasons after Hurricane Katrina. The NBA saw that OKC could support a professional basketball team.

The Hornets returned to New Orleans in 2007. Then, in 2008, Cornett’s vision became reality.

“I remember an incredible time in the summer of 2008,” Cornett said. “That same summer, we announced a new NBA team was coming, and the Devon Tower would be constructed. And those are two things that have set us up for success for years to come.”

Since the Thunder arrived, the team has generated about $600 million annually for the past 17 seasons—and even more in 2025, with the team’s world title win.

“In some ways, I think the NBA validated for our own citizens that maybe we could do more,” Cornett said. “Maybe we weren’t everything we could become.”

Voters approved MAPS 3 in 2009, bringing improvements like Scissortail Park and a new convention center next to the arena. Then, in 2023, voters approved plans for a new arena that will keep the Thunder in OKC through at least 2053.

“These are significant chess pieces that now have changed the fabric of downtown Oklahoma City in a similar way that the new arena will in three years,” Cornett said.

A moment 30 years in the making

The Thunder’s impact goes beyond the court.

“Community is part of our DNA that was established upon the team's arrival in 2008,” said Erin Oldfield, vice president of community engagement for the Thunder. “We often say that we're bigger than basketball.”

The team teaches every player and staff member about the Oklahoma Standard—and the events that gave rise to it.

In 2025, many of the same leaders who helped bring the Thunder to Oklahoma watched the team win the city’s first world championship.

“I think all of us long-time season ticket holders had tears in our eyes,” Cornett said, recalling the final minutes of Game 7 against Indiana. “And then I think we were all wiping the tears out of our eyes because we wanted to see the clock go to zero.”

Two days later, Oldfield said she was overcome with emotion again as the championship parade passed in front of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.

“Rounding that corner on the parade and seeing the Gates of Time there, and seeing everybody out in the streets just being so emotional and overwhelming,” she said.

Watkins said that moment captured something deeper than basketball. A photo taken by Thunder photographer Jimmy Do shows Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with arms raised in celebration—framed against the backdrop of the memorial.

"You see Shai raising his arms and a great moment of celebration. But you're not forgetting where we've come from," said Watkins. "And you're not forgetting those who were killed, those who survived or those who were changed forever. That's what I was so proud of. That moment. This was us. In the end, hope wins."Fkat

“From the biggest tragedies meeting one of the biggest triumphs,” Do said. “It's really a great message of resilience of the city.”