OKC Thunder Give Glimpse of New Arena With Eye Popping Renderings

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the process of erecting a new arena. A venue that taxpayers are footing the bill for and represents the first new Thunder arena in team history. The arena to be named later is set to open in 2028, which will kick off a 25-year contractual agreement to keep the Thunder in Oklahoma City.

On Wednesday, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt delivered his annual State of the City address. He hit on a variety of topics, but it mainly centered around the Thunder not only winning their first NBA championship three weeks ago, but also an update regarding the new arena.

For the first time, the Oklahoma City faithful got a look at the new arena via an in-depth and eye-popping rendering.

The new Thunder arena will feature a 360-degree glass curtain wall that gives concourse roamers a view of downtown OKC and the legendary Oklahoma sunset before events. An elevated main entrance, situated on a grand podium, creates an inspiring sense of arrival and opens to the main concourse, fostering a welcoming atmosphere. The interior concept prioritizes basketball, with optimized sight lines and a seating design that fosters an energetic, loud, and intimate experience.

This new arena will likely see the seating cut down into the 17,000s, according to Mayor Holt, from the current Paycom Center capacity of 18,203. Though, the Loud City moniker will only heighten according to architect David Manica who said "Loud City is gonna get Louder," due to the build of the arena which includes seats being pulled closer to the court and renderings suggesting an entire lower bowl that is built on a steep incline similar to the Intuit Dome's wall of fans in Inglewood, CA. home of the Clippers.

"The primary purpose of our new arena was to secure a long-term future with major league professional sports, and to keep us competitive for concerts, but there are secondary benefits as well," said Mayor Holt. "One of those other benefits is the opportunity to raise the aesthetic bar in our downtown and to make an architectural statement. This arena has the potential to become a signature building for our city, known around the world. I believe this design absolutely seizes that opportunity, and I am grateful to David Manica and his colleagues, as well as the Thunder and everyone who has been a part of this process the last few months. This arena design truly is one of one."

The Oklahoma City New Arena will be built on the site of the former convention center, across the street from Paycom Center. Demolition at the site began in March and will last through late 2025. The former convention center opened in 1972 as the Myriad Convention Center. Over the years, its name changed to Cox Business Services Convention Center and Prairie Surf Studios. The building has hosted thousands of events in the past 50 years.

This will be a massive revenue stream not just for the city but the Thunder organization, providing the sustainability for the NBA club even after dishing out max extensions to its star trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.