The team originally was created as a NBA expansion franchise in 1967, known formerly as the Seattle SuperSonics. The franchise was based in Seattle until 2008. After years of facilities, specifically Key Arena(where the team played), not up to par with NBA standards, Howard Schultz, the owner at the time, sold the franchise to Oklahoma City billionaire Clay Bennett in 2006. He subsequently relocated the franchise to his hometown after consent from Commissioner David Stern and the NBA. The relocation of the franchise is steeped in controversy as the city of Seattle refused to respond to NBA's demands to help finance a new arena, the unwillingness of the city ultimately lost the faithful fans, which of whom were not the problem, the franchise. After the team relocated to Oklahoma City, they changed their name to the Thunder, as the city of Seattle holds the rights to the SuperSonics name in case it gets either a relocated or expanded franchise.Just like many current professional sports franchises, the Oklahoma City Thunder didn't originate where they currently reside.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[2] Their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena.[3] The Thunder's NBA Development League affiliate is the Oklahoma City Blue, who are owned by the Thunder.[4] The Thunder is the only team in the major professional North American sports leagues based in the state of Oklahoma.

Formerly the Seattle SuperSonics, the team relocated in 2008 after a dispute between owner Clay Bennett and lawmakers in Seattle, Washington. As the SuperSonics, the franchise qualified for the NBA Playoffs 22 times, won their division six times, and won the 1979 NBA Championship. In Oklahoma City, the Thunder qualified for their first playoff berth during the 2009-10 season. They followed that success by winning their first division title as the Thunder in the 2010-11 season and their first Western Conference championship as the Thunder in the 2011-12 season, appearing in the NBA Finalsfor the fourth time in franchise history and first since 1996, when the club was based in Seattle.

In June 2008, a lawsuit brought by the City of Seattle against Bennett due to his attempts to break the final two years of the Sonics' lease at KeyArena went to federal court. Nearly a month later, the two sides reached an agreement to settle. The terms awarded the city $45 million to get out of the remaining lease at KeyArena, and could provide an additional $30 million payment to Seattle in 2013 if certain conditions are met. The owners agreed to leave the SuperSonics name, logo and colors in Seattle for a possible future NBA franchise; however, the items would remain the property of the Oklahoma City team along with other "assets," including championship banners and trophies.[9] On September 3, 2008, the team name, logo, and colors for the Oklahoma City franchise were revealed to the public. The name "Thunder" was chosen due to Oklahoma being a frequent victim of powerful storms for its location in the Tornado Alley, and Oklahoma City housing the 45th Infantry Division, the Thunderbirds.

The Thunder participated in the Orlando Pro Summer League featuring their second-year players, potential free agents and rookies. The players wore generic black and white jerseys reading "OKC-NBA" against an outline of a basketball. The Thunder's temporary practice facility was the Sawyer Center at Southern Nazarene University, which had been used by the New Orleans Hornets when they relocated to Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina.[11]

The Thunder played several preseason games before the 2008-2009 regular season, but only one of those games was in Oklahoma City. The Thunder made their first appearance in Billings, Montana on October 8, 2008 in an 88-82 preseason loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves.[12] The Thunder played their first Ford Center game on October 14 against the Los Angeles Clippers.[13]

In their regular-season home opener, the Thunder faced (and lost to) the Milwaukee Bucks. Earl Watsonscored the first points of the season with a layup. Three nights later on November 2, the Thunder won their first game as a franchise by defeating the Timberwolves, improving their record to 1-3. The team then went on a 10-game losing streak before deciding on November 22 to fire head coach P. J. Carlesimo and assistant Paul Westhead. Assistant coach Scott Brooks then took over on an interim basis.[14] Oklahoma City lost its next four games to tie the dubious franchise losing streak of 14 set in Seattle the previous season. But the team managed to prevent history by winning their next game on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies.[15]

As the season continued, the Thunder began to improve. After starting 3-29, the Thunder finished the regular season 20-30 for the remaining fifty games. Not only were they winning more often, they played much more competitively than in the first part of the season. The team brought their record to 23-59 and improved upon their record of 20-62 from the team's final season in Seattle. The late-season successes of the Thunder contributed to the signing of Scott Brooks as the team's official head coach.

After moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle, the team's operating situation improved markedly. In December 2008, Forbes Magazineestimated the team's franchise value at $300 million - a 12% increase from the previous year's $268 million when the club was located in Seattle.[16]Forbes also noted an increase in percentage of available tickets sold, from 78% in the team's last year in Seattle to 100% in 2008-09.[17]

2009-2010: The turnaround season[edit]Main article: 2009-10 Oklahoma City Thunder season

After an inaugural season filled with many adjustments, the Thunder hoped to improve during their second season in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City did not make any major moves in the offseason, other than drafting James Harden from Arizona State University with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft. The Thunder selected Rodregue Beaubois with the 25th pick in the 2009 draft before immediately trading him to the Dallas Mavericks for the 24th pick, center Byron Mullens from Ohio State University. The team then added veteran center Etan Thomas and guard Kevin Ollie. The last major change to their roster occurred on December 22, 2009, when the team traded for Eric Maynor from the Utah Jazz. Maynor immediately supplanted Ollie as the backup point guard.

From the outset the young team looked determined and cohesive. The increasing leadership of Kevin Durant, along with the growing experience of the Thunder's younger players (including future All-Star Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka), were signs of the Thunder's improvement. The 2009-10 season included several victories over the NBA's elite teams, including a 28-point blowout over the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic and a 16-point blowout of the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. Road victories over the San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks further enhanced their reputation. Though they hovered around .500 for the first half of the season, they went on a 9-game winning streak that sent them into serious playoff contention. Kevin Durant became the youngest player in league history to win the scoring title, averaging 30.1 points per game while playing in all 82 games.

The Thunder finished 50-32, more than doubling their win total from the previous season. The 50-32 tied with the 2008 Denver Nuggets as the best 8th seed in the modern Playoffs era, at least in terms of record. The Oklahoma City Thunder also had the same record as the Boston Celtics in this season.[18] They finished fourth in the Northwest Division and eighth in the Western Conference playoff standings, and earned a spot in the 2010 NBA Playoffs. On April 22, the team secured their first playoff win in Oklahoma City when they defeated the defending-champion Los Angeles Lakers 101-96. This was also the Thunder's first playoff win at the Ford Center. However, the Thunder tied the series at 2 games each, but the Lakers won the last 2 games in the series to win it 4-2.

Oklahoma City ranked twelfth in overall attendance in the NBA, and seventh in percentage of available seats occupied (98%, including 28 sellouts in 41 home games).[19] The team's operating situation also continued to improve in 2009-10. Forbes Magazine estimated the team's franchise value at $310 million (an increase of $10 million over the prior year) with an estimated operating profit of $12.7 million (the first operating profit in years for the franchise.

Financially, the Thunder organization contion the positive returns experienced from relocating from Seattle to Oklahoma City. In January 2011, Forbes Magazine estimated the franchise's worth at $329 million, up 6% from 2009-10 and ranking No. 18 in the NBA.[21] The magazine also estimated the franchise's revenue at $118 million and operating profit at $22.6 million - up 6.3% and 78%, respectively, from the previous year.[20][21] The Thunder finished the 2010-2011 season with a 55-27 record, a five-win increase from their breakout season the previous year. The team also captured their first division title since moving to Oklahoma City, and seventh in franchise history.[22]

In the wake of a fourth-seed versus fifth-seed match-up against the Denver Nuggets, Kevin Durant scored 41 points in Game 1 to set a new career playoff high. In the final game of the series, he again scored 41 and forward Serge Ibaka nearly tied the record for most blocks in a playoff game (10, set by Mark Eaton, Hakeem Olajuwon and Andrew Bynum) with 9 blocks.[23] The Thunder won the series 4 games to 1 and were set to face off against the Memphis Grizzlies who achieved an eight-seed upset over the San Antonio Spurs just days before. The Thunder advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a seven-game series triumph over the Grizzlies. Durant was again the star, scoring 39 points in the clinching Game 7, while Russell Westbrook also had a triple-double. Despite hard-fought battles with the eventual NBA champs, the Thunder fell to the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder had a chance to tie the series in Game 4, but they were unable to hold a 15-point lead with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. They ended up losing in overtime by the score of 112-105.

2011-2012: Making the Finals[edit]Main article: 2011-12 Oklahoma City Thunder season

During the extended lockout, Thunder players played in exhibition games and even local pickup games to stay in shape.[24][25][26][27] When the abbreviated training camp began, Oklahoma City started with an intact roster and all players, except for Russell Westbrook. In addition, Kendrick Perkins lost more than 30 pounds during the lockout. The Thunder made their two pre-season appearances, after the lockout, against the Dallas Mavericks, winning both games. They won their first regular-season game against Orlando at home and went on a five-game winning streak. Kevin Durant became the sixth player to score 30 or more points in four consecutive games at the start of a season. In addition, the Thunder was the first to sweep their back-to-back-to-back games, winning a home-and-home series with the Houston Rockets, then routing the San Antonio Spurs. Thunder players Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Perkins, and Ibaka made it onto the 2012 All-Starballots. After the Thunder's win over the Utah Jazz on February 11, 2012, Scott Brooks was named the Head Coach of the Western Conference All-Star squad for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando, Florida.

In the 2012 NBA Playoffs, the Thunder swept the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in the first round to advance and face off against their first-round foes from 2010, the Los Angeles Lakers. They defeated the Lakers in five games and advanced to play the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. The Thunder lost the first two games against the Spurs but won the next three including a Game 5 road win, to take a commanding 3-2 game lead in the series. In Game 6, the Thunder defeated the Spurs 107-99 and advanced to the 2012 NBA Finals. Durant led the way with 34 points, playing all of regulation time in the game. In the 2012 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, the Thunder won the first game at home but then lost four in a row and lost the series in five games.

2012-present[edit]

In the 2012 NBA draft, the Thunder selected Baylor Universityforward Perry Jones III with the 28th overall pick. The Thunder also signed free agents Hasheem Thabeet and Daniel Orton, and signed guards Andy Rautins and DeAndre Liggins. They re-signed forward Serge Ibaka to a four-year, $48 million extension. After failing to sign James Harden to an extension that was reportedly worth four years and $52 million, the team decided to trade Harden rather than having to pay the luxury tax penalty. On October 27, 2012, the Thunder traded Harden along with center Cole Aldrich and forwards Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to the Houston Rocketsfor Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, first-round draft picks from Toronto and Dallas, and one second-round draft pick. Martin took over Harden's sixth-man role for the season. The Thunder finished with a 60-22 regular season, taking both the Northwest division title and top seed of the Western Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, they faced the 8th-seeded Houston Rockets, featuring former team member James Harden. In game 2 of the series, Russell Westbrook was struck by Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley, and fell down with an injury and missed the rest of the playoffs after having knee surgery. Without the team's second-leading scorer, the Thunder, who had a 3-0 lead, lost the next two games to bring the series to 3-2. In game 6, the Thunder defeated the Rockets to advance to the second round, facing a rematch of the 2011 second round, with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Thunder lost the series 4-1, losing four straight games after winning Game 1 at home.

In the 2013 NBA draft, the Thunder selected 12th pick Steven Adams, 21st pick Andre Roberson, and 47th pick Grant Jerrett. Kevin Martin's contract expired, soon signing with the Timberwolves. In addition to Oklahoma City's offseason movements, they signed free agent Ryan Gomes and re-signed Derek Fisher. The team finished 2nd in the conference to San Antonio with a 59-23 record. They met with the Memphis Grizzlies for the 3rd time in the playoffs, hoping for a revenge after last year's finish. The series set a record for most consecutive overtimes in a series with 4. OKC would prevail in 7 games to play the Los Angeles Clippers for the first time, whom they finished in 6. Their final opponent in the Western Conference Finals were the San Antonio Spurs, with the San Antonio Spurs winning 4-2.

With the 21st and 29th pick in the NBA draft, the Thunder selected Mitch McGary from Michigan and Josh Huestis from Stanford. "He brings energy, passion, and great basketball IQ and toughness what we value" said Presti on drafting McGary. Oklahoma City also signed Semaj Christon in the draft. On July 3, the Thunder signed Sebastian Telfair. But they lost a major piece in shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha as his contract expired, after agreeing to a 3-year, 12 million dollar contract with the Atlanta Hawks. Since then the Thunder have signed Anthony Morrow to a 3 year, 10-million dollar contract

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