Q&A: What could be next for Oklahoma City's new arena after naming rights become available

On Monday, Paycom and the Oklahoma City Thunder announced that the partnership and naming rights agreement would end when the city's new arena opens in 2028.

Previously, city leadership said naming rights would carry over to the new arena. An agreement signed in 2021 would have lasted 15 years.

LATEST: Paycom will not retain naming rights for new OKC Thunder arena

Neither party explicitly explained why it wouldn't continue, citing only that it would allow the Thunder to explore a new opportunity. Curious minds now wonder: Who could secure the naming rights next?

News 9 spoke with an Oklahoma sports economist and professor, and a sports historian for their insight.

Q: What kind of company makes sense for this opportunity?

A: "Peer markets like San Antonio, Portland, maybe Phoenix, that recently have new stadium deals tend to be with the local companies, and not global ones," said Neil Metz, professor and economist at the University of Central Oklahoma. "You need to be in a bigger market to achieve that."

In terms of which Oklahoma companies could fit into the trend, Metz said there's not an exact indicator. Social media users have spun up AI-generated creations of their favorite suggestions.

"I have no idea which way it's going to go," said sports historian Richard Hendricks, former executive director of the Oklahoma Sports Heritage Museum, which recently merged with the Oklahoma Historical Society. "But again, those people that are in charge — the Mayor, Sam Presti, Clay Bennett — they will come up with a sponsor or a name."

Q: Does the recent NBA title influence the value of naming rights for the new arena?

A: "I think the new stadium would add more value," Metz said. "There is research that says naming rights for a brand new stadium get a higher value than, necessarily, the success of the team."

Metz believes an increase in value for naming rights, if any, would be incremental in response to the recent championship win.

The worth of the current naming rights agreement isn't public.