The young team’s rise has been fuelled by a happy chemistry. But, after a Game One loss in the N.B.A. Finals, will it be enough?

Sam Anderson, a staff writer for The Times Magazine, first wrote about the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012. He is the author of “Boom Town” (2018), a book about the team and the city it calls home.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals could have been an especially crushing defeat for a young Oklahoma City Thunder team had they not dealt with nearly the exact same scenario earlier in these same playoffs.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are battling the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals, down 0-1 in the series they have to play catchup in its quest for its first NB

The Thunder didn’t even exist in Oklahoma City when the 1995 bombing happened; the franchise that had been known as the Seattle SuperSonics didn’t relocate to America’s heartland until more than a decade later.

It's not Thunder Alley, but OKC Thunder fans can claim free tickets for watch parties held at Paycom Center for NBA Finals road games.

For NBA content creator and die-hard Thunder fan “Three Cone,” that moment came in 2012. Growing up in southeastern Virginia — far from any NBA city — Cone didn’t have a clear team to root for as a child. But everything changed when he first caught a glimpse of a young, explosive guard named Russell Westbrook.

One possibility is Texas A&M's Wade Taylor IV. He reportedly met with the Thunder in a predraft workout, per HoopsHype. He could be an undrafted free agent target for OKC. Taylor IV played in four college seasons from 2021-25. He spent all four years at Texas A&M. He was a starter on the Aggies for most of his tenure.