Oklahoma City Thunder Tickets
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association. The team is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and play their home games at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Chesapeake Energy Arena has a capacity of 18,203 and opened in 2002. The team plays in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference and is currently coached by Scott Brooks. The team was founded in 1967 as the Seattle SuperSonics before moving to Oklahoma City for the start of the 2008-2009 season.
The franchise has made the playoffs 24 times in their history, while winning eight division titles in their more than 40 year history, most recently winning their division in both 2011 and 2012. The team has won four conference titles: in 1978, 1979, 1996, and most recently in 2012. The team won its first and only championship in 1979. Dennis Johnson won NBA Finals MVP in 1979. Spencer Haywood, Gus Williams, and Gary Payton are the only three former members of the SuperSonics to make the All-NBA First Team, while Kevin Durant has made the All-NBA First Team three times as a member of the Thunder. Scott Brooks won Coach of the Year Award in 2010. Kevin Durant was named Rookie of the Year in 2008, and Gary Payton was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1996. Three former Sonics are enshrined in the Hall of Fame: Lenny Wilkens as a coach, Patrick Ewing who played for the Sonics for a year, and Dennis Johnson. Six former Sonics have had their numbers retired: Gus Williams, Nate McMillan, Lenny Wilkens, Spencer Haywood, Fred Brown, and Jack Sikma.
When they were still in Seattle, the SuperSonics had a geographic rivalry with the Portland Trail Blazers. The “I-5”rivalry as it was known due to both teams residing on Interstate 5, was closely contested, as both teams were roughly equal with one another during their tenure in Seattle. The Sonics lead the series 98-94 before the franchise’s move to Oklahoma City derailed the rivalry.
