OKC Thunder New Arena Will Feature New Naming Rights Partner

It is a great time to be in Oklahoma City. The Thunder are NBA champions, the city continues to grow and a new arena is forthcoming.

After capturing its first NBA Championship, all attention is on the future for Oklahoma City. On top of the questions about the future roster for the Thunder and those answers being max extensions to Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Now, attention shifts to off-the-floor matters. Oklahoma City is on the cusp of opening up a new arena, a $1 billion venue funded mostly by taxpayers, which will not only be good for the Thunder but the city.

This will be the first arena built for the OKC Thunder and with basketball in mind. There is excitement building around the city to get the first renderings of the new building that will go up across the street from the current Paycom Center.

The first bit of news popped out about the arena on Monday, with KFOR's Johnathon Hayes reporting that Oklahoma City will have a new namings right deal for the downtown arena when it opens up in 2028.

This is a bit shocking considering Paycom and the Thunder had agreed in 2021 to a 15-year naming rights deal. The two sides agreed to end the partnership ahead of the new arena's opening.

The Paycom Center will continue to be the name of the current arena in downtown Oklahoma City but the grand opening of the new arena will hold a new name as well when the Thunder grace the hardwood for the first time across the street.

During a State of the City speech on July 16 by Oklahoma City mayor David Holt, the first conceptual designs will be shown of the new arena.