OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Isaiah Hartenstein never expected a museum visit to be life-altering.
Before the 7-foot center even signed his free agent contract with Oklahoma City two years ago, Thunder general manager Sam Presti told him onboarding would include a trip to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, the site where 168 people were killed on April 19, 1995.
Presti requires new players to go so they can understand what the locals endured as
a result of the Oklahoma City bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
The bombing itself didn’t stick with Hartenstein nearly as much as the aftermath. The community's collective spirit moved him so much that he produced a 14-minute documentary called “The Oklahoma Standard.” Journalists and visiting first responders coined the phrase after being impressed with the way everyday people from the surrounding area aided the victims and rescue teams.
The mentality — to rise in the face of catastrophe, help collectively, rebuild, then do it all again if necessary — has carried the city through major tornadoes in 1999, 2003 and 2013. It's a major part of the way Okies define themselves.
“We know when we put on the jersey what we’re playing for,” Hartenstein said. “I have a lot of respect for that.”
Presti has infused Oklahoma City’s first major professional sports team with a similar standard since it arrived from Seattle in 2008, from roster makeup to the franchise's emphasis on community service.
The Thunder have developed one of the most rabid fanbases in the league, with the upper bowl of the Paycom Center being affectionately known as “Loud City.” A sports community that might differ on backing Oklahoma or Oklahoma State in football finds common ground for the team that put their city in the spotlight. After Oklahoma City defeated Indiana to win the its first championship last season, thousands celebrated during the victory parade.
“They work hard, they play hard,” longtime season ticketholder “Thunder Rob” Shahan said of the players. “As an Oklahoman, we’re not afraid to roll up our sleeves. We’re not afraid to help our neighbor when they need help. And that’s what the team embodies.”
City and team have risen together since former mayor Mick Cornett and businessman Clay Bennett helped bring the Thunder to the city, which is now on the map as an NBA champion. In 2028, two Summer Olympic events – canoe slalom and softball – will be held here. That same year, the Thunder will get a new arena.
“We’re rightfully proud of the way we responded to the bombing,” said David Holt, the current mayor. “But you can’t really build an identity on an act of terrorism, right? We were grateful that people helped us and we were thankful that people respected the way we responded, but we really ultimately needed a different word to follow Oklahoma City than bombing. And we found that word, and it’s the Thunder.”
The bond goes much deeper than basketball.
NBA star Kevin Durant and the Thunder Cares Foundation each donated $1 million for disaster relief after the Moore tornado in 2013. The Thunder Community Foundation has installed or refurbished 31 basketball courts in 17 counties across the state.
Hartenstein’s choice to debut his documentary at Classen SAS Middle School’s renovated auditorium is an example of intentional community connection. Eighth-grade drama students served as ushers at the April 11 event near downtown.
Sometimes, those kinds of acts have led to recognition. Russell Westbrook won the NBA’s Community Assist Award for the 2014-15 season. Hartenstein won the NBA Cares Award for community service during the 2025 offseason.
In turn, the fans have remained committed. They kept showing up after Durant left in free agency to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016 and again when the team went into full rebuilding mode after the 2020-2021 season.
Oklahoma has had pro sports at the minor league level for years, from Triple A baseball to hockey. The United States Football League's Oklahoma Outlaws, featuring quarterback Doug Williams, played up the road in Tulsa in 1984.
None moved the needle like the Thunder have.
“The very existence of the team has elevated us into a new tier of American city,” Holt said. “And because the reality is in American life, unless you have a team in the NBA, the NFL or the MLB, you don’t really get treated like a real city by lots of things that have nothing to do with sports. It just opens a lot of doors because it just sort of bestows this credibility on you.”
That’s true for Juan Guerra. The Oklahoma City native owns Kicklahoma, a popular sneaker and clothing convention and a retail boutique, both based in the city. Guerra, 36, said he took the idea of a convention from Houston and capitalized on the popularity of Durant’s KD shoes back in 2014, Durant’s MVP season.
“Kicklahoma doesn’t exist without the Thunder, in my narrative,” Guerra said. “Or maybe not even the Thunder but even breaking down to, without Kevin Durant having that signature line.”
Oklahoma City’s love for pro basketball pre-dates Durant. It started when the New Orleans Hornets needed a temporary home after Hurricane Katrina and Oklahoma City stepped up. The fans adored Chris Paul, who won Rookie of the Year in 2006 as the city proved it could support an NBA team.
Durant was the team’s first major star, winning four scoring titles and leading the team to the NBA Finals in 2012. James Harden was Sixth Man of the Year with the Thunder in 2012 before becoming a bigger star elsewhere. Westbrook emerged alongside Durant and took over. Paul George and Carmelo Anthony later grabbed the spotlight. Now, the big names are reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
Fans also have embraced the lunch-pail guys like Kendrick Perkins, Steven Adams, Enes Kanter, Nick Collison and now, Jaylin Williams and Alex Caruso.
The franchise believes that loyalty comes with responsibility. After the deadly 2013 tornado that destroyed Briarwood and Plaza Towers elementary schools, the Thunder got to work.
“There were Thunder players who came here and met with people and financially helped people,” recalled Leesa Kniffen, a season ticketholder who has taught at Briarwood for 25 years. “It started way before there was any formal rebuilding going on. It started at a personal level.”
The connection remained after Briarwood re-opened in 2014. In the library is a large, Lego-like display of a boy with an Oklahoma City Thunder jersey draped over his chest. Outside is a basketball court the Thunder built a year after the tornado and came back to resurface last year.
The kids who were rescued from the rubble at Briarwood now are in their late teens and early 20s.
Hezekiah Darbon, who was 6 that year, now is 19 and he remembers meeting Durant at a camp and meeting Serge Ibaka when the Thunder built a court at the school in 2014.
“They don’t say ‘Thunder Cares’ for nothing,” Darbon said. “And after going through that, honestly, it kind of feels more like ‘Thunder Loves.’”
Oklahoma City reached the Western Conference Finals in 2016 and led the Golden State Warriors 3-1 before losing the series in seven games.
Then, the unthinkable happened. Durant left in free agency to join the Warriors — Oklahoma City's most hated rival.
“I think that’s what hurt so most when he left us July 4th, is we thought he was one of us, and we still do," Shahan said. "We felt hurt, we felt betrayed. He could have been the king of Oklahoma.”
Westbrook chose to stay and won the MVP award the next season, giving heartbroken fans an unforgettable year filled with triple-doubles and electric highlights. His me-against-the-world mentality appealed to Oklahomans who had historically felt overlooked. He brought culture to the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas and invested in both. He served needy families each Thanksgiving and was involved in the state's comedy and fashion scenes. Even though he was traded in 2019, he has remained active in the city. He has an ownership stake in the minor-league soccer team that will play in a 10,000-seat downtown stadium slated to open in 2028.
The Thunder had a woeful stretch, going 22-50 in 2020-21 and 24-58 a year later. There was a silver lining: The poor finish allowed the Thunder to select Holmgren No. 2 overall and Williams No. 12 in the 2022 draft. Both have become All-Stars. By 2024, the Thunder were the No. 1 seed in Western Conference and have been the past two years as well.
Rob Clay believes he has been a good luck charm for the team. His deep, husky voice has made him one of the most popular national anthem singers since the team arrived. He got the call for Game 1 of the Finals last year, a proud moments for the 51-year-old Chicago native who grew up a fan of the Bulls. He moved to Oklahoma City in 2001 and never imagined he’d see anything like the Bulls he watched in the 1990s.
He said what he's watching now is similar to the heyday of Michael Jordan and Co.
“If you are a true fan of basketball, if you are true analyst of basketball, you cannot deny that Oklahoma City -- they are next in line and have the opportunity to be the next dynasty,” he said. “And it happened authentically. We drafted our team and we picked up free agents. It wasn’t something that was just put together to be a superteam.”
Indeed, the team was rebuilt internally, from the ground up — just like the city. The victory parade last year went right past the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. The playoff opener this year was coincidentally held on the 31-year anniversary of the bombing.
“For us to represent the city and honor the victims and the families today with a home playoff game was a privilege for us," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "We don’t take that lightly.”
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