If a television report is accurate, owners of the Oklahoma City NBA team will have listened to the fans.
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KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City is reporting the team's name will be the Oklahoma City Thunder. That's the nickname that won The Oklahoman's contest, which was determined by internet fan balloting. The ABC affiliate cited a source close to the ownership group that Thunder will be the nickname for the NBA franchise that moved to Oklahoma City from Seattle earlier this month.
The Oklahoman conducted a 64-team NCAA Tournament-like bracket contest. Thunder defeated Outlaws in the finals.
Dan Mahoney, a spokesman for the Oklahoma City NBA franchise, said Saturday night no one with the organization would comment on KOCO's report.
"We're not commenting on the name process until we have something ready to announce,” Mahoney said, adding no press conferences are scheduled.
NBA officials said earlier this week they expect something to be announced next month but added the entire process — a nickname, logos and uniforms — could stretch into September.
Oklahoma City owner Clay Bennett has said privately he prefers a nickname that ends with the letter "s” instead of a singular name nickname, but Bennett added that he and his partners would consider several options.
Bennett's only comment was made at a July 2 press conference when he said, "We've absorbed the flavor of what the citizens have considered.”
The nickname has been a hot topic, bordering on obsession, since Bennett announced earlier this month the team was relocating to Oklahoma City.
It can be a tedious process. To obtain a new nickname a team must resolve legal, licensing and distribution issues.
Other sports teams use the nickname Thunder. Trenton, N.J., the New York Yankees' Double-A affiliate, is the Thunder. The Wichita Thunder plays in the Central Hockey League, the same Double-A minor league as the Oklahoma City Blazers.
Other sports teams that use the nickname Thunder include: Wheaton (Ill.) College, a Division III school; Albert Lea, a Minnesota-based team in the North American Junior Hockey League; and the Worthing Thunder, a team that plays in the English Basketball League.
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Yes! I can't wait to see their first game! Us new OKC fans should rally! There's a new forum just for OKC Thunder fans, check it out. http://www.oklahomacitythunderforum.com
Paul, get your facts straight. According to the U.S. census the 2007 metro population of OKC 1,192,989, Tulsa 905,755. That is a difference of almost 300,000 and it is significant, but with OKC having probably the smallest metro population of any other NBA city I think Tulsa is too large to ignore. People need to keep in mind that Oklahoma is one of the poorest states in the nation based on median household income $38,770. That is good for 47th in the country. These things probably will not matter the first few years but clay will be begging for Tulsans to support this team within five years.
Tommy- Players care quite a bit about where they are playing. They are going to be living in that place for approximately 8 months a year. I moved to OKC from Minneapolis and there was a struggle getting some free agents. I remember when the Wolves lost Tom Gugliotta because his wife wanted to go somewhere warm. he signed with the Suns. The wolves also lost Stephon Marbury- granted he was a crybaby- but he didn't like playing in a cold city. Granted Minneapolis gets quite a bit colder than OKC, but as far as things to do/nightlife/restaurants/shopping OKC is a bit behind the powercurve.
You want to attract good free agents- you need a team that stands a chance of competing in the West as well as an exciting place to live. If OKC wants to be great- it needs to step up in more areas than just getting an NBA team.
Hmmm, maybe the thunder are more important to OKC than Leno B? Use your brain. The NBA has come to the smallest market in pro sports outside Green Bay! This is a huge story!
Well, finally I see the posts on this subject are getting smaller and smaller..Get over it people...move on. This is old news. Jay Leno last night, well now that's a different subject!! That's worth commenting on.
Not Knicks, tommy. You havent been watching Him and Jay-z's public flirting? Or how NJ is clearing room to make a run at him for when they move to brooklyn?
Tommy, you proved my point. Sac is a ton bigger than OKC, within an hour of Tahoe, Reno, Napa, and the 9 million person Bay Area, and Webber still didnt wanna come, and wouldnt have as a FA. Now we do have a culture of winning, so its easier, but still, attracting big names can be extremely difficult for small markets. Even Lebron is thinking about leaving his HOMETOWN team for a bigger market!
M from Muskogee there are more than 1.2 million in the OKC area Tulsa is around 750,000 at best. That is a huge difference. Tulsans will support the team like the rest of the state. They will make money and all they have to do is deliver a respectable team and the sky is the limit for this team...
Oh, please! Players care more about whether the team is a winner or not than where it's located. Remember, Chris Webber practically wanted to hang himself when he first learned he was going to Sacramento. But the subsequent teams that Sacremento fielded turned that impression around.
Gary, players dont care how cheap a place OKC is, that may even work against you, as cheap isnt percieved to be cool by these guys. The fact is, there will be lots of players who wont play in OKC, good or not. How many, i dont know, but if you cant win quick, Durant may be among them!
Oh and we do have some of the lowest housing costs and the most stable housing market in the nation. If they want to spend a couple of millions on some digs, they can get a lot as opposed to Chicago, NYC, LA, Seattle, Dallas, etc.
Alan, there are three things that attract a player to a team, money, winning and us liking them(no that is not an original thought, Darnell Mayberry posted an article about a week ago about this very thing.) Us liking them is already shown, 16,000 people interested in season tickets. Money, Bennett has deep pockets. Now we just need to move toward the winning side. No, we might not do that well to begin with (I am predicting 30-32 wins) but will improve with time. If we can keep getting better, the attendance will stay up.
THUNDER!! Sounds like a minor league team. I feel sorry for guys like Nick Collison, Luke Ridnour, and Damien Wilkins who were proud members of the Sonics for multiple years. Like I said before, you people in OKC better enjoy the current players while you can 'cause if they have ANY business sense at all, rising stars like Kevin Durant and Jeff Green will sign contracts with other NBA teams located in larger markets (Durant becomes a free agent in 3 years) as soon as they possibly can!!!!! And as for signing top tier free agents, FAT CHANCE!!!!!!! There's probably NO WAY IN HELL that LeBron James would consider signing with OKC when his contract is up in two years!!!!!
Well, M, the Kings were only 3 games under .500 with a new coach, trades, and young talent, in probably the 2nd toughest division, but you may be right, the THUNDER!, lol, may steal one at ford, but im a Kings fan, and you gotta get used to other fans talkin a little mess!
Someone really wants to beat up Paul and post it on youtube? Wow.
And Eric from Sacramento, the Kings aren't that good either. I would be surprised if OKC didn't get at least one win against them at the Ford. I think you are right about OKC being too small though. The key would be to get Tulsa a little more invloved. They are 90 minutes apart but if the team played there cards right they could tap that market too. Tulsa metro has about the same population as OKC metro and that would be plenty of people. Personally I don't think they are doing a very good job at all of marketing this as a state team so we will see.
...I'm sure OKC will be able to keep it, no team in a proper state of mind will want it....
paul, yukon - Jul 21, 2008 6:13 PM
Anyone else think this is a phrase Paul heard often in reference to himself as a child?
"Will OKC be able to keep the name and logo when the team is moved back to Seattle and Howard Schultz?"...I'm sure OKC will be able to keep it, no team in a proper state of mind will want it....
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You want to attract good free agents- you need a team that stands a chance of competing in the West as well as an exciting place to live. If OKC wants to be great- it needs to step up in more areas than just getting an NBA team.
And Eric from Sacramento, the Kings aren't that good either. I would be surprised if OKC didn't get at least one win against them at the Ford. I think you are right about OKC being too small though. The key would be to get Tulsa a little more invloved. They are 90 minutes apart but if the team played there cards right they could tap that market too. Tulsa metro has about the same population as OKC metro and that would be plenty of people. Personally I don't think they are doing a very good job at all of marketing this as a state team so we will see.
paul, yukon - Jul 21, 2008 6:13 PM
Anyone else think this is a phrase Paul heard often in reference to himself as a child?