The Thunder have played in the same arena since Oklahoma City acquired the franchise in 2008, but it underwent several name changes before settling on Chesapeake Energy Arena in 2011 and then having its name changed to Paycom Center in 2021. The Thunder are the only professional franchise in Oklahoma -- the fanbase has traditionally been associated more with college athletics. But the volume and rowdiness of that college atmosphere carried over into Thunder games, giving the metro's arena and fanbase the nickname "Loud City," giving OKC a distinct home court advantage. The volume of the crowd picks up even more in the playoffs, when the Thunder also give away T-shirts to every fan in the crowd. OKC has taken to color blocking its crowd, giving different sections different colored shirts, a practice that has spread and become common among all teams in the NBA.

Oklahoma City Thunder 2022-23 Team Info

Conference: Western

Division: Northwest

Year Founded: 1967

Team Colors: Thunder Blue, Sunset, Yellow, Navy Blue

Oklahoma City Thunder History

The Oklahoma City Thunder were originally founded as the Seattle SuperSonics in 1967. The SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 after qualifying for the NBA playoffs 22 times, winning their division six times and advancing to three NBA Finals, winning the NBA Championship in 1979. After they relocated to Oklahoma and became the Thunder, the Thunder are now the only team in major league sports in North America that's based in the state of Oklahoma. After relocating to Oklahoma City, the Thunder qualified for their first playoffs in the 2009-10 season. During the 2010-11 season, they won their first division title and the following season they won their first Western Conference championship. The 2011-12 season marked their first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1996, but the team has not yet won a championship since they've moved to Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma City Thunder's name comes from a reference to Oklahoma's location in Tornado Alley, and Oklahoma City being the home of the U.S. Army's 45th Infantry Division, which were known as the Thunderbirds. On the list of the top NBA athletes who played for the Thunder are Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.