Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder franchise began in 1967 as the Seattle SuperSonics, won a championship there in 1979, and relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, a move that remains one of the most contested in American sport. The team drafted Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in consecutive years and reached the Finals in 2012, then spent a decade rebuilding around draft capital.

That rebuild produced the franchise's first title as the Thunder in 2025. Oklahoma City is among the smallest markets in the NBA, which makes the model, patient asset accumulation rather than free-agent spending, the most studied blueprint in the league.

Paycom Center, home since the move and holding 18,203, is one of the smallest arenas in the NBA. A $900 million replacement, Continental Coliseum, is due to open in 2028 with a 25-year lease keeping the team in the city into the 2050s.

Our Thunder coverage follows the roster, the draft picks and the arena move, a rebuild story that is still running.

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