Basketball ignites the soul of the city: How Oklahoma City can use the Thunder to complete its self-reshape and rise

Translator's note: The original text was published in TheAthletic. The data in the text were as of the time of publication (June 9, local time), and the date involved has been converted. The views in the article have nothing to do with the translator and the platform.

Oklahoma City Report - In Kevin Durant's former restaurant, there was silence.

Please note that it is not empty. In this restaurant now called Charleston, people are enjoying burgers, salads and well-made drinks, located in the brick city neighborhood of the main entertainment area in the city center. But there was a hustle and bustle here. Whenever you walk into this place, you will feel a pulsating vitality. Ten years ago, it was called Durant Restaurant—a personal food project by Kevin Durant, who was the representative of the city at that time. Durant is the shining pride of Oklahoma City. In his speech when he accepted the MVP award in 2014, he was moved to tears when talking about the sacrifice of his mother Wanda. This scene became a city symbol.

Durant = Oklahoma City.

But that seems to have happened a long time ago. Anyway, it feels longer than the nine years after Durant left. The Oklahoma City Thunder, which was built around Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden at an alarming speed after moving from Seattle in 2008, has been replaced almost as quickly as another new dominant team led by Shea Gilgers Alexander and whose defense is like a piranha school of piranhas biting the opponent's dribble. The team has its own MVP, Alexander, and an excellent rotation of its own All-Star player (Jaylen Williams), talented role players (Chate Homgren, Lu Dort, Carson Wallace) and free agent/trade signings (Alex Caruso, Isaiah Haltenstein), who fit in perfectly in a magical season to help the Thunder return to the NBA Finals after dominating the NBA regular season with a record of 68-14, against the Indiana Pacers. The 2.0 version of the Thunder was quickly loved here, and its avid fans kept and tirelessly shouting "OKC...OKC...OKC" for 48 minutes of home games, which was of course the first to cheer for the team. But, perhaps, it is also for themselves. To use the slogan of the Huhu town residents in Dr. Seuss' classic work "Horton and the Anonymous": "We are (still) here, we are (still) here, we are (still) here..."

"We won't take it for granted," Holmgren said in an interview on Sunday. "We are grateful that every game here has become so noisy. It makes us want to stand on the field and represent the city with great performance. I feel like we are They extend, and they feel the same way. They have some expectations of us in terms of how we show ourselves, how we play and try to execute tactics. Going on and doing those things doesn’t guarantee victory every night, but we know the city is devoted, so we also have to devote ourselves. ”

If this sounds a bit like a cheering feeling in college…well, this is actually a city full of college town atmosphere. This statement does not mean to be sarcastic or condescending. There is a symbiotic relationship between this team and its fan base, where the recovery of one side nourishes the other and there is no cynicism that is prevalent like the professional sports fans elsewhere [1], i.e., annoyed by the players’ sky-high salary and the same high cost of keeping the infrastructure they need.

[Translation Note] Cynicism, also translated as "Xi Nickyism", is an ancient Western philosophy and ethics theory. It advocates the pursuit of universal goodness as the purpose of life, and for this purpose, it is necessary to abandon all material enjoyment and sensory happiness. In the modern context, it often refers to an attitude of doubt and distrust, especially in distrust of money and power. In this article, it specifically refers to fans' suspicion or dissatisfaction with high-paying players and high infrastructure construction costs.

"I always liken it to be like a local small high school football team doing very well and then the city residents around them would gather around them," Williams said before the first game of the finals. "Oklahoma City is like that. But it's like that throughout the state. Since I'm here, we've felt love wherever I go. It's a really cool experience. Even over the past two years, I've been really happy to be part of a very good team. I think it's just bringing more and more vitality to the city. I'm glad we've been able to bring that energy back here."

There are other professional sports teams here, such as the Dodgers' AAA affiliate team, the Oklahoma City Comets. But the Thunder are still the protagonist.

"It may sound superficial, but what your city looks like depends on who your sports team plays against." said Mick Connett, a former Oklahoma city mayor, who is one of the driving forces in persuading local voters to fund urban reconstruction efforts time and time again.

"When our professional sports teams played AAA level, those cities (which also had AAA level teams) were our same class," Connet said. "In October 2005, when the Hornets (who temporarily moved here after Hurricane Katrina forced them to leave New Orleans) arrived, everything changed. Suddenly, we started playing against teams from Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas. We never really looked back. And I think we had a different view of ourselves. Then, today, the brand image of the city is basically very positive. It must be because they are now connecting our city with the positive energy of a basketball team.. They feel sorry for us, but they won't invest money here. ”

So Oklahoma City citizens must take the lead.

Since 1993, voters have approved the launch or update of different versions of MAPS four times, and in 2023, they voted for another six-year special sales tax, which will provide most of the funding for the Thunder to build a new venue that costs nearly $1 billion. That venue will be built across the street from the existing venue, on the site of the city’s old convention center.

Presti will never—absolutely—never discuss his personal role in reshaping the team as one of the best in the league in less than two decades. However, he occasionally talks about how the team fits into the city’s overall structure.

"I think we have been drawing a deep strength from what we represent, the community that supports us," he told me a few years ago. "It is deeply rooted in, first, being grateful for everything you have, taking a day in and day out, step by step. Then try to influence what will happen next with an optimistic attitude. I think that is certainly the foundation of Oklahoma City, and it is an important part of the organizational mindset we strive to maintain in both good and bad times. But I think when you believe in this, in many ways, it empowers you. We are still doing the same things we did in 2008, and I think it is based on the fact that the cities we represent have always been the best example of this. ”

After trading Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, the Thunder went through some very difficult years, and that deal brought Alexander (and the draft pick that eventually took Williams) to the city. Paycom Center’s attendance declined, both the result of the team’s reconstruction and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, while it will take some time for the Thunder to get closer to their 349 consecutive games set between 2011 and 2020, new fans have come to the stadium.

Perhaps the first fans were rich, and supporters of Oklahoma City, the Chamber of Commerce and all of that. This group of fans seems to be more concerned about basketball itself than loyalty to the city. ...This time, they captured the hearts of basketball fans, who were cultivated by this team and this brand. You have a generation of young people who grew up thinking we have always had a team. ”

The Thunders' roster has been completely renovated since George's deal, and that deal has brought the city the first of its many future first-round picks today, which can help the team maintain this glorious period for a long time. The team, despite its strong support, is still gradually integrating into the community.

"Westbrook, Durant, James Harden, they used to attend events," Jabee said. "Westbrook holds a comedy show every year, and he invites me to perform and host. All players will come to support it. When you go to a party, you will see Thunder players. But now, a new generation of Thunder players have time to blend more deeply with their new fans and see what can be achieved on the vast horizon. The Thunder is young and has a work ethic that is particularly popular in Oklahoma City. The future seems infinitely bright, just like 15 years ago. Just like 136 years ago, when people came from all directions to the middle of this unfounded land and put land in a hurry to build a land. And they are still doing this.

"Open a city in a very crazy way," Connet said, "to some extent, the madness, the ups and downs, the peaks and troughs, the best and the worst, are now part of our DNA. ”