Looking back on the Thunder's road from newcomers to champions

From humble beginnings to champions, here's a glimpse at what brought the Thunder and Oklahoma City to the forefront.

Tuesday, June 24th 2025, 7:31 am

By: Christian Hans

OKLAHOMA CITY -

It has been 17 years since the Thunder first arrived on the scene, bringing a small amount of notoriety to Oklahoma City.

Now, instead of just any professional sports team, Oklahoma City is the home to a champion, but how did the city arrive at this point?

News 9 Washington Bureau Chief Alex Cameron says the Thunder's story began with a loss, not to a team, but to another city.

In 1991, United Airlines narrowed down its options for a new maintenance facility, which was, at the time, expected to bring thousands of jobs.

United ended up choosing Indianapolis, Indiana, as the home of the new facility, and though years later, the promise of thousands of jobs came up short, it ignited a fire in Oklahoma City.

In the aftermath of losing out on the new facility, Oklahoma City leaders went to United to ask what went wrong. Their answer? A poor quality of life in Oklahoma City.

Determined to never fall short again, city leaders, at the time led by Mayor Ron Norick, encouraged voters to approve a simple proposal: a one-cent sales tax to pay for new and upgraded recreational and entertainment facilities.

Voters approved the first MAPS, or Metropolitan Area Projects Plan, narrowly in December 1993.

One of those initial projects, which later became the Ford Center, came in handy in 2005 when the New Orleans Hornets, displaced by Hurricane Katrina, needed a temporary home. A home that Oklahomans were willing to provide.

Over the course of two seasons, Oklahoma City showed the NBA that it had the potential to be a "Big League City," and that was helped when a group of Oklahoma City businessmen led by Clay Bennett purchased the Seattle SuperSonics in 2006. The group later announced plans to move the team to Oklahoma City.

Though the owners were sued by the City of Seattle for breach of contract, it was ultimately settled out of court. The owners also needed the approval of the NBA's other owners, but because of the city's trial run in hosting the Hornets, they were approved in April 2008.

On Sept. 3, 2008, the team unveiled its new logo and name in downtown Oklahoma City, and then just less than two months later, on Oct. 29, the Kevin Durant-led Oklahoma City Thunder played their first game at home.

Though the Thunder lost that game and would not earn their first win until November, to the city, it felt like a much-needed win.

Over 30 years later, with the city's fourth iteration of MAPS projects in full swing and the Thunder crowned NBA champions, the city looks to keep up the momentum.