Oklahoma City National Basketball Association Thunder

[Laramie]

Oklahoma's NBA, The Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have released their new 'City Edition' uniforms for the upcoming season.

For the first time, only the name “Oklahoma” will appear across the chest of the Thunder’s jersey. The all caps black lettering is similar to the font on the state flag.
 

[Laramie]

Trades:

Thunder Tank Time

    Phoenix Suns receive: Chris Paul.

    Oklahoma City Thunder receive: Ricky Rubio and Kelly Oubre Jr.

The Suns tabbed Ricky Rubio as their rebuild accelerator last offseason and saw a decent return on the investment with a jump in winning percentage from .232 to .466. But Chris Paul could be a different kind of fast-forward button.

The Point God might zoom this developmental process to ludicrous speed.

His reputation took a few hits in recent years due to his colossal contract (which still has two years and more than $85 million left on it) and a sometimes awkward fit with the Houston Rockets, but Paul proved he remains a special talent. He propelled the Oklahoma City Thunder to a jaw-dropping fifth-placed finish in the Western Conference and landed fifth overall in ESPN's real plus-minus.

Rubio showed the Suns what they could achieve with a competent point guard. Paul could change the possibilities as a top-of-the-line floor general. He could take defensive heat away from—and simultaneously raise the efficiency of—Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton and pinpoint the offensive comfort spots of Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson.

Even after an 8-0 run through the seeding games in the bubble, Phoenix is at most a mild curiosity in a fully loaded West. Put Paul on the roster, and the Suns could find themselves competing for the right to host a first-round playoff series.

OKC, meanwhile, would gain significant financial relief—Kelly Oubre Jr. has an expiring $14.4 million salary; Ricky Rubio is owed $34.8 million for the next two seasons—and add two players to keep or trade. Oubre in particular could be interesting for the Thunder. He fits their mold of long, athletic wings, and at 24 years old, he's young enough to grow alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort and Darius Bazley.

Adrian Wojnarowski Senior NBA Insider

The Los Angeles Lakers are in advanced talks with Oklahoma City on a trade for guard Dennis Schroder, sources tell ESPN. Deal expected to include OKC acquiring LA's pick at No. 28 in Wednesday's draft. Deal can be completed at noon ET on Monday.

[Laramie]

 

    Anticipation move to NBA Oklahoma City:

          
          Kelly Oubre Jr., Small Forward - HT/WT 6' 7", 203 lbs., DOB 12/9/1995  - College:  Kansas:  Age 24.

          
          Ricky Rubio, Point Guard - HT/WT 6' 3", 190 lbs., DOB 10/21/1990  Age 30 - Draft - 2009: Rd 1, Pk 5

          

          Ty Jerome, Guard HT/WT 6' 5", 195 lbs., DOB 7/8/1997 - Age 23 - College:  Virginia - Draft Info:  2019: Rd 1, Pk 24 (PHI)

          
          Jalen Lecque,  Guard HT/WT 6' 4", 185 lbs., DOB 6/13/2000 - Age 20


                                                                                                                                                                  ...From NBA Phoenix.

                              

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[Laramie]

Chesapeake Energy Arena, MAPS 4 Initiative

Prolonging the life of OKC's major arena; 16 projects included in the $978 million proposal.


New southwest entrance will improve entering & exiting the arena.



$104 million in upgrades to Chesapeake Arena and $11 million in upgrades to the NBA Thunder Practice Facility

Oklahoma City’s voters delivered a message at the polls on Dec. 10, 2019, a message that will keep the 20-plus year momentum of OKC’s reinvention rolling forward, as the latest installment of a penny sales tax for strategic investment passed by a landslide. The city’s MAPS 4 package received 71.7 percent of the vote, making it the most popular of all MAPS votes. 

“Tonight we have the largest percentage of support in the history of Oklahoma City,” Holt told those who gathered at the watch party. “This is not just a victory. This is a mandate without historic precedent in our city. We have never been more united as one OKC.”

Approximately 18,400 new replacement seats will supply the arena's renovation.

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[Laramie]

  

Oklahoma City Thunder 2021-22 NBA Roster

Oklahoma City Thunder to begin upcoming season without fans in the arena amid coronavirus pandemic
.



Shai Gilgeous-Alexander    Guard  Age 22  6' 5"    180 lbs    Kentucky    $4,141,320 (trade from L.A. Clippers 2019-20)
https://thunderousintentions.com/2020/11/30/okc-thunder-training-camp-roster-2/


Three highest paid players on this unofficial roster rebuild vying to secure a spot...

                                       Al Horford         C    34     6' 9"     240 lbs     Florida   $27,500,000
                                       Trevor Ariza      F     35     6' 8"     215 lbs     UCLA     $12,800,000
                                       George Hill       G     34     6' 3"    188 lbs     IUPUI     $9,590,602

               Each NBA team can have a maximum of 15 players, 13 of which can be active each game.

          Thunder restructuring roster:  https://www.espn.com/nba/team/roster/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thunder

          

Thunder training camp:  https://www.nba.com/thunder/news/training-camp-quotes-of-the-day-201203  (Interview with Aleskej Pokuševski)

          

Meet 18 year old, 7 footer Aleskej Pokuševski, Belgrade, Serbia

[Laramie]

Aleksej Pokusevski

https://youtu.be/I1MDYk1G6c0

https://www.koco.com/article/thunder-acquire-17th-pick-pokusevski-from-timberwolves/34720214

[Laramie]

Center - Age: 34  Height  6' 9"  Weight   240 lbs.,  Florida  -  $27,500,000

[Laramie]

                                        

                         Oklahoma City Blue NBAGL relocation inside Oklahoma City.

Steve Lackmeyer
by Steve Lackmeyer
Published: Wed, December 9, 2020 1:05 AM Updated: Wed, December 9, 2020 1:28 AM

Film production will begin at the Cox Convention Center as soon as next month following approval Tuesday of a lease that will convert the complex into a studio with multiple sound stages.

After striking an agreement in September with the Oklahoma City Council to market the convention center as a film studio, Prairie Surf Media co-founders Rachel Cannon and Matt Payne began talks with Amazon, Disney, Hulu, Apple and Hallmark...


YouTube video:  https://youtu.be/8hC8sp-QH6M

Where will the Oklahoma City Blue play their home games in 2021.  Rumors indicate that Oklahoma City University's Abe Lemons Arena

                                    
                                                                 3,500 seating capacity

or University of Central Oklahoma Hamilton Fieldhouse could be an interim venue.

                              
                                                                 3,000 seating capacity

Oklahoma City Council this past Tuesday approved an agreement with Prairie Surf Media to lease the cox convention center:  https://oklahoman.com/article/5677907/lease-approved-okcs-cox-center-now-in-the-movie-business

Any questions or comments...

[Laramie]

National Basketball Association 2021 Season


Introducing the new hardwood: https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/1337451708549574657


The Oklahoma City Thunder installed a new home court at Chesapeake Energy Arena just weeks before the start of the 2020-21 NBA regular season.

The Thunder indicated that the new court gives a fresh look to the Thunder logo along with an updated, lighter-toned floor and an additional Oklahoma City Thunder wordmark along the baselines.

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City's Metropolitan Area Projects 4

City sales tax and use tax collections are down; cities are taking a hit.  As with most cities, decisions will have to be made; Oklahoma City's MAPS 4 will have 16 projects  as a result of passage of the $978 million initiative voters approved December 10, 2019.  Collection for  MAPS 4 projects started in April 2019 as the MAPS 3 projects collections ended in March 2020.

What kind of playing field will we be looking at when the city sends out bids on 16 projects that will take 3 to 13 years from start to finish.

Although the city has learned from previous MAPS initiatives (crafting projects), it comes down to knowing which projects will bid on the high end vs. the low end.  

MAPS I was the greatest challenge because the city's $350 million package didn't cover enough of the bids and the Chesapeake Energy Arena almost got the ax if
voters did not approve a 6 month extension to finish the projects.   Fortunately, the Bricktown Ballpark was the first of the MAPS one projects to be completed; therefore voters got a chance to see the quality of what their one-cent sales tax accomplished.  The extension was approved and OKC's downtown arena was fully funded.   Oklahoma City exceeded its expectations.  Where we originally built a new downtown arena in hopes of luring the National Hockey League we eventually landed a National Basketball Association franchise with the help of visionary businessmen who believed in our city.

As with all MAPS projects by funding the projects with a limited term, one-cent sales tax, the projects were built debt free. The U.S. Conference of Mayors noted, “Using a pay-as-you-go structure allowed Oklahoma City to build world-class facilities without the burden of debt for future generations and city leaders. Oklahoma City citizens made the historic decision to invest their own money in the city they called home.”

We don't want to sacrifice 'quality,' our city has learned which contractors to approved because they have a proven portfolio of development projects--not always the lowest bid.   The current pandemic will provide a new challenge.

                                                       Our vision and its history:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MdH014ucyw  Believe in our future.

The 16 MAPS 4 projects are:

    Parks ($140 million)
    Youth Centers ($110 million)
    Senior Wellness Centers ($30 million)
    Mental Health and Addiction ($40 million)
    Family Justice Center operated by Palomar ($38 million)
    Transit ($87 million)
    Sidewalks, bike lanes, trails and streetlights ($87 million)
    Homelessness ($50 million)
    Chesapeake Energy Arena and related facilities ($115 million)
    Animal Shelter ($38 million)
    Fairgrounds Coliseum ($63 million)
    Diversion Hub ($17 million)
    Innovation District ($71 million)
    Freedom Center and Clara Luper Civil Rights Center ($25 million)
    Beautification ($30 million)
    Multipurpose Stadium ($37 million)

[Laramie]

Tank years for Thunder were suppose to coincide with the pandemic


Youth and veteran mentors could put Thunder on a new path.







 

Thunder bring down Durant and the Brooklyn Nets 129 - 116:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX5D0tag_68

[Laramie]

The Professional Basketball Club, LLC

The Professional Basketball Club, LLC is a group of Oklahoma City and Tulsa businessmen who represent a wide variety of local and national business interests. The PBC owns both the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA and the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Developmental League. The PBC purchased the NBA franchise in 2006.

          Clayton I. Bennett
          Chairman, Oklahoma City Thunder
          Chairman, Dorchester Capital 

          George B. Kaiser
          President, GBK Corporation
          Chairman, BOK Financial

          G. Jeffrey Records, Jr.
          Chairman and CEO,
          MidFirst Bank

          William M. Cameron
          Chairman and CEO,
          American Fidelity Assurance Company

          Robert E. Howard II
          Chairman, Howard Investments

          Jay Scaramucci
          President, Balon Corporation

          Everett R. Dobson
          Managing Partner, Dobson Partnerships

[Laramie]

Thunder to unveil new 'City Edition' uniforms against Lakers.




Lakers @ Thunder
Wednesday, January 13,
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City
Fox Sports Oklahoma, 7 p.m.

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City Thunder



2021 city edition uniform

Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial & Sunset Statement Jerseys

Oklahoma City Thunder Native American Jersey

Thunder Away, Home & Bombing Memorial Jerseys


The Thunder have reached a four-year agreement with Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, headquartered in Oklahoma City and founded in 1964, Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores has more than 480 locations in 41 different states across the country.

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City scores with Top 10 ranking among ‘Best Cities for Basketball Fans’

                                                                            8        Philadelphia, PA
                                                                             9        Chicago, IL
                                                                         10        Houston, TX

OKC Mayor David Holt wrote a book about it.

Best Cities for Basketball Fans link:  https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/2019/05/27/study-ranks-best-cities-basketball-fans/