Oklahoma City Thunder 2021: News, Schedule, Roster, Score, Injury Report

The Oklahoma City Thunder compete in the NBA as part of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference. Right now, OKC is the only team representing the state of Oklahoma in all the North-American professional sports leagues. 

The OKC logo is designed to bring relevance to the state and all its residents. It is a simplistic shield-like structure that contains the phrase ‘OKC’ on top of a basketball. The phrase ‘Thunder’ is arched above the shield to complete the design. The logo contains the team’s primary colors blue, yellow, and sunset orange. 

Since 2008, Oklahoma City Thunder has been playing their home games at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. Similar to other ones, this arena too serves as a multi-purpose venue for concerts and live events. The structure can hold about 18,200 people during NBA games. 

Oklahoma City Thunder: Owner and Top Executives

The Oklahoma City Thunder is owned by an investment group called the Professional Basketball Club LLC. Just as their name suggests, the PBC also owns OKC’s G-League affiliate, Oklahoma City Blue.

The group’s chairman is Clay Bennett, a wealthy businessman. This is not Bennett’s first ownership duty in the NBA, as he was a part-owner of the San Antonio Spurs in the mid-90s. 

Sam Presti holds the office of the General Manager of the franchise. Presti is a long-serving member, as he’s been at the position since 2007. Furthermore, just a year after he was hired as the GM, Presti was also handed the role of Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. 

History

OKC, as it is now known, was a different team back then. They were originally founded as the Seattle SuperSonics, as a part of the NBA’s expansion during the 1967-68 season, along with the San Diego Rockets.

The Sonics struck gold just a decade after they were formed. Back-to-back finals appearances established their legacy in the association. The Sonics reached the finals in 1978 and 1979, where they met the Washington Bullets on both occasions. 

An initial loss was overturned the following year as they triumphed over the Bullets 4-1 in the finals series to win their first-ever NBA championship. 5x All-Star Dennis Johnson was named the Finals MVP for his incredible scoring. 

The Sonics never seemed to lose their touch or fade away from the league. They remained to be a constant presence in the playoffs, and several talented players joined the franchise to add to its legacy. 

The 1995/96 Sonics team was incredibly special. Future Hall of Famer Gary Payton led the team to its first finals in 17 years but ended up losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Following this season, the Sonics experienced a slight drop, but it was only for a few years as they acquired a special pick in 2007. 

The team signed Kevin Durant with the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, and he enabled them to become title contenders once again. Just a year after signing Durant, the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City from Seattle. 

Durant spent nine years with the team and took them to one finals trip in 2011 alongside Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Durant inarguably goes down as one of the all-time greats of the franchise as he averaged a mammoth 27.4 points a game during his stint. 

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mascot and Uniforms

Oklahoma City Thunder has an official mascot who goes by the name, ‘Rumble the Bison.’ The Thunder has an intriguing back story for Rumble as to how he got acquainted with the team. 

The Bison was allegedly struck by lightning, giving him the power of the Gods, which enabled him to walk on two legs. He roamed around the hills of the state, seeking a similar company, and that is when the Thunder moved to Oklahoma. Thus, a new bond was formed. 

OKC’s primary colors have remained the same: Blue, Yellow, White, and Sunset. These three colors shine bright in their uniforms, be it any edition. 

Since Nike took over the NBA jersey deal, OKC has generally worn “white” for their Association uniforms, Blue for the Icon edition, and so on.

Team’s Sponsors

Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores is the main jersey sponsor of the Oklahoma City Thunder. One could see the team endorsing the brand through the patches in their uniform. It is a truck stop and a convenience store that is vastly spread around the United States with over 500 shops spanning 41 states.

OKC also has partnerships with Uber, Zaxby’s, OU Medicine, and other prominent companies. 

Achievements and History

Oklahoma City Thunder 2021 roster