A proposed trade between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics land the Western Conference champions a third star next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.

Before Game 3 of the 2025 NBA Finals, Rick Carlisle did not want to talk about the Indiana Pacers’ pickup points — how far away from their own basket they would have a defender meet the Oklahoma City Thunder’s ball-handlers.

When the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008, the franchise needed a new identity, but OKC Thunder wasn't always the front-runner.

The Pacers dominated the rebounding battle in Game 1, but the Thunder were able to out-rebound Indiana 43-35 in Game 2. OKC also got a much better performance from Chet Holmgren, who scored 15 points after being held to just six points in Game 1.

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.

As the Oklahoma City Thunder compete in the NBA Finals, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway embraces fans, highlighting a shared sports culture between the two cities.

The modern iteration of the city, of course, is not just shaped by its urban renewal, but by the never-healing scar of being subject to the worst domestic terrorist attack in U.S. history — the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995, which killed 168 people.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have its back against the wall again. At some point, they have to shift its mindset.