New OKC Thunder Arena will Usher Next Era in Oklahoma City History

The Oklahoma City Thunder are already in the midst of a historic stretch.

Mark Daigneault's squad won 68 games, the most in franchise history, en route to setting multiple NBA records while making a run to the team's second NBA Finals appearance in the orgaization's 17-year history.

To cap off a historic season, the Thunder took down the Indiana Pacers to claim the franchise's first title since arriving in Oklahoma City, a place many believed would never be home to a professional sports team.

Even before the Thunder arrived in Oklahoma City, the state's capitol wanted to be a "big league city", and previous city administration helped prepare the city to become a place capable of holding a professional sports team.

The MAPS projects, which propsed a penny sales-tax in Oklahoma City to help fund a number of projects that have helped make the city safer, more entertaining and more business-friendly, were the start of OKC's efforts. This almost landed a professional hockey team in OKC, as a stadium was built using MAPS project funding, but the NHL elected to pass on what is now known as the Modern Frontier.

As the MAPS projects continued to build up a city that was once viewed as just another part of a "fly-over" state, the New Orleans Hornets were displaced due to a hurricane. That brought Chris Paul and company to Oklahoma City for a season, and the residents of OKC did not dissapoint.

After Oklahoma City showed it could support an NBA team, the rest feels like fate. A disagreement in Seattle relocated the franchise to the Sooner State, and since then, the capitol city has flourished.

Alongside charitable efforts from Thunder players and the organization itself in the near two-decades that OKC has been home to the team, the city continues to grow. Businesses downtown were infused with new life with a pro sports team competing just down the road more than 40 nights out of the year.

Oklahoma City's growth has also brought new business opportunities to the Modern Frontier, and as the Okana Resort finishes its final touches, as well as the new OAK shopping center, OKC also prepares to host multiple Olympic events in the 2028 games set to be held in Los Angeles.

The Thunder's new arena, which passed a city-wide vote with around 70% approval in December 2023, will be the final piece of Oklahoma City's new era. After extending Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over the summer, the team's current stars are locked in to help the city usher its next era.