FEATURE ARTICLE, JULY 2012

THUNDER STRUCK
The NBA’s Thunder are a reflection of Oklahoma City’s renaissance.
John Nelson

The Bricktown Canal has been a staple of the Oklahoma City experience for more than 12 years. (Photo courtesy of The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber)

Oklahoma City recently played co-host to one of the most watched events in sports — the 2012 NBA Finals. Its team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, has generated widespread interest from fans throughout the NBA playoffs and especially in the finals, and in turn the city’s retail and hospitality markets are thriving. The hotels in the area have been fully occupied for weeks and merchants are restaurants have accommodated the hordes of fans for both the Thunder and the Miami Heat, the Thunder’s opponent and ultimate winner of the NBA Finals.

Before the Thunder arrived in 2008 — the team was formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics — Oklahoma City was experiencing what has been coined its renaissance. The city was markedly different from where it was in the early ‘90s and had developed some of the city’s most unique landmarks since then, including the Bricktown Canal.

From 2006 to 2008, the city hosted the New Orleans Hornet franchise in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, giving Oklahoma City a taste of what an NBA franchise could provide to the city. Coinciding with that was the city’s resurgence with several projects through Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS), an initiative to develop and renovate properties in the greater Oklahoma City area. These programs, voted on by the public, have ranged from renovating every school in the Oklahoma City School District and the surrounding suburbs to developing a new convention center, which will open in 2018. The first MAPS initiative was passed in 1993.

“The MAPS projects were implemented because we knew we couldn’t attract the kinds of companies and amenities to our city unless we did something to change it,” says Cynthia Reid, vice president of marketing/communications at the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.

In the 2008-2009 NBA season, the Thunder’s inaugural season in Oklahoma City, the team posted a dismal 23-59 record. Three years later, the Thunder posted a spectacular 47-19 record and earned the franchise’s first trip to the NBA Finals since 1996, when they were the Supersonics.

There is even more to cheer about. Oklahoma City currently has a 4 percent unemployment rate, which is the lowest in the nation according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Strong job growth and an active consumer base have companies outside the region taking notice. Having a successful NBA franchise and consistently sold out games have attracted more retailers to the city, according to Reid. The city ranked third in retail employment growth in 2011.

“The presence of the NBA has made a big difference in the city’s ability to recruit retailers and developers. It helps to show the city’s buying power,” says Reid.

The people of Oklahoma, who traditionally have divided their loyalties between Oklahoma University and Oklahoma State University, have shown unity in support of their NBA team. Office buildings have hung “Go Thunders” banners, and properties all over the city have giant black beards attached in reference to bearded Thunder star James Harden. The communal experience of having a successful NBA franchise with a rabid fan base has coincided with (and perhaps aided) Oklahoma City’s renaissance.

“In a lot of ways the success of the Thunder is representative of the success of the city. People are very proud and they take it very seriously,” says Reid. “Having the Thunder play in an arena that we all voted to build, attracting the franchise to come here and having the team be so successful so fast, and having that success coincide with this rapid redevelopment, has been really meaningful.”

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