06/17/2025
Becoming a big league city has changed us forever, as the last few weeks have reminded us. And since 2022, we have worked together as a community to secure our long term status.
Today, we have officially secured our Thunder in Oklahoma City till at least 2053.
When I became Mayor, I knew that the Thunder’s original 2008 lease would expire in 2023 and that retaining our Thunder would be one of the most important challenges of my tenure.
Recruiting an NBA team to the 42nd-largest market was a heavy lift in 2008, and keeping the team past its initial lease would be just as challenging.
Beginning in 2022, we embarked upon a two-year community conversation about what it means to us to be a big league city, and we transparently discussed the realities of what it takes for a market our size to remain one.
In December of 2023, a remarkable 71% of voters said they want to keep OKC big league for another generation, primarily through the building of a new arena. This new arena - the city’s fourth publicly-funded downtown arena in our history - is currently under design and is slated to open in 2028.
In response to this commitment, the Thunder publicly stated they would play in that new arena for at least 25 years. Following the vote, the work began to codify that promise and put it in writing. For the last 18 months, the City and the Thunder have worked to negotiate a new lease that keeps the Thunder in OKC till at least 2053.
Today was the culmination of that work. Today, the Council approved a 115-page “arena use license agreement” (what people will call “the lease”) between the Thunder and the City that confirms in writing that the team will play in the new arena for at least 25 years. Further, the agreement includes penalties if the team leaves early, with penalties over $1 billion in the early years.
On behalf of the City, I signed the agreement moments ago.
I want to thank Clay Bennett and his ownership group and Danny Barth, Brian Byrnes and the Thunder staff, for their faith in OKC. I want to thank City Manager Craig Freeman, Brent Bryant, Sue Hollenbeck, Laura McDevitt, Steven Barker, Matt Collins, Paula Kelley and all City staff who worked on the agreement. I want to thank Councilman Todd Stone, who observed the process on behalf of the Council, and the Councilmembers who voted yes today alongside Councilman Stone - Bradley Carter, James Cooper, Katrina Avers, Matt Hinkle, Camal Pennington and Mark Stonecipher.
Most of all, thank you to the people of Oklahoma City, whose willingness to invest in our city has been rewarded many times over. We have been reminded of those rewards these last few weeks, and as we celebrate our NBA Finals run, it is wonderful to know that our big league status is now secure for another generation.
