Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Paycom Center. The Thunder's NBA G League affiliate is the Oklahoma City Blue, which it owns. Oklahoma City is the only state in major professional North American sports leagues to host a team.

The franchise was originally established as the Seattle SuperSonics, an expansion team that joined the NBA for the 1967–68 season. The SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in July 2008 after a settlement between ownership led by Clay Bennett and Seattle lawmakers following a lawsuit. In Seattle, the SuperSonics won the 1979 NBA championship and made three Finals appearances. As the Thunder, the team reached the 2012 NBA Finals, losing to the Miami Heat, and returned to the Finals in 2025, defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games to win its first championship since relocating. [edit]

The franchise began as the Seattle SuperSonics, an expansion team that debuted in the 1967–68 NBA season. Over 41 seasons in Seattle, the SuperSonics won the 1979 NBA championship led by Dennis Johnson and Jack Sikma, and made two other Finals appearances in 1978 and 1996. The team relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 and was renamed the Thunder.

The Thunder quickly became a contender, drafting Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. They reached the 2012 NBA Finals but lost to the Miami Heat. After a rebuild, the team emerged as a powerhouse in the 2020s behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In the 2024–25 season, the Thunder set a franchise record with 68 regular-season wins and captured the NBA championship by defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games. Gilgeous-Alexander earned Finals MVP honors. [edit]