“Great day to be an Oklahoman”, “Time to hang some banners”: OKC Thunder fans rejoice over approval of new downtown arena beyond 2050 

On Tuesday night, news emerged regarding the OKC Thunder and their status in Oklahoma. Along with having a new $900 million arena built, the franchise plans on staying in the city past the year 2050.

The OKC Thunder became a franchise in 2008 when the owner of the Seattle Supersonics decided to move the franchise. Since then, the franchise has had some highs and lows. Their biggest accomplishment was reaching the NBA Finals in 2012 before falling to LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Following this news, Thunder fans were quick to show their excitement. Now that the franchise has committed to the city long-term, the primary goal is getting a championship banner hung in the arena.

After years of going through a rebuild, the Thunder appear to be turning a corner. Through 22 games, they sit in second place in the Western Conference with a record of 15-7. On top of that, they have one of the best young cores in the league today. The team is led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Rookie of the Year frontrunner Chet Holmgren.

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What are the details of the OKC Thunder's new arena?

The mayor of Oklahoma City has been rolling out the idea of a new arena for the OKC Thunder for over a year now, but the wheels are finally in motion. After the plans were approved in a sales tax vote, all sides can begin moving forward on getting the arena built.

As for the details of the new establishment, it will be located in OKC's downtown area and has a projected cost of at least $900 million. Despite it being such a massive project, the sales tax for residents of the city will not be going up.

The citizens of OKC will not be the only ones footing the bill for this project. Thunder ownership plans to put up $50 million to go towards to arena being built.

In regards to the franchise staying in the city long-term, they'll be under a 25-year lease. At the moment, that is set to begin during the 2029-30 season.

With most of their core being young, the timing of this arena could not be better. By the time it is up and running, players like Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams will be in their prime.

Fans already had a good young team to be excited about, and now the new arena plans will be adding to the hysteria in OKC.