It's about 2:30 on a Tuesday morning, and it's pouring down rain at the OKC Will Rogers International Airport. But the voices of Oklahoma City Thunder fans rise above the smattering of water falling from the sky.
"O-K-C! O-K-C! O-K-C!" they chant.
In what has become a tradition, Thunder devotees congregate at the city's airport to greet the players as they arrive home from away games. This particular evening is no exception — in fact, morale remains high despite the time and the weather, as the Thunder has just won its third game of the NBA Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team was one win away from its second appearance in the NBA Finals.
The following day, that win would come. The Thunder are now set to take on the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals, which begin on Thursday.
The last time the Thunder made the NBA Finals was in 2012, but a loss to the Miami Heat dashed the team's hopes of winning its first championship. Now, 13 years later, it has another chance. A win would be a big deal for a city that didn't have a major sports team until the Thunder came along.
OKC Mayor David Holt — himself a dedicated fan — said the possibility of winning their first championship is a reason many fans are willing to wait for their team plane in the wee hours of the morning.
"Our fans are quickly establishing an identity as the best fans in the NBA," Holt said. "And I think a lot of them take some pride in maintaining that."
The Thunder is OKC's first — and only — major league professional sports team. They arrived in the city from Seattle in 2008, while Holt was working under former Mayor Mick Cornett. In 2012, Holt published a book on the team's move, which he said has spurred a citywide renaissance.
"The doors that have been open to us since 2008, by virtue of having this team, go far beyond sports," Holt said. "We've seen our food scene explode. We've seen our arts and cultural scene explode, and we've certainly seen tremendous diversification of our economy and growth in population and growth in jobs."
Business is booming
Local businesses are taking advantage of the Thunder's playoff run. Fassler Hall, a bar and restaurant owned by the Oklahoma-based McNellie's Group, has rebranded itself as "Thunder Hall" for the postseason. It's become a city gathering place for fans to watch the games.
During Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, Thunder Hall was packed to the brim. Cheers erupted each time the Thunder scored, and fans sat glued to the TV screens like each second could change the outcome. You'd never guess the Thunder was losing by dozens of points.
"Even though we're down 30, you know, we're still here," said Colby Cagle, a Thunder fan since the beginning who came to Thunder Hall. "We're bringing the energy for them. And we just want them to know that we're supporting them no matter, it's a home game or away game."
For Thunder Hall attendees, watching the game in community is what prompts them to stay, even when the league's top-ranked team is having a rare off night. Nine-year-old Otis Sears had watched the previous games in the series at home. But he came to Thunder Hall to be with his fandom, win or lose.
"Everyone's screaming and all that, and it's just more fun with everyone here," Sears said.
Although the Thunder lost that evening, the team went on to beat the Timberwolves in the next two games, securing a victory in the Western Conference Finals.
During Game 4 of that five-game series, Holt happened to be in New York City — but that didn't stop him from cheering on the Thunder. He met with fellow fans to watch and rallied the energy at local bar The Liberty. It's not the first time he's done so.
"And once again, I ended up standing either on a bar or a stool and leading the crowd in some hype, which is apparently a skill I have, as it turns out," Holt said.
OKC showed out in NYC tonight! We brought Loud City to the city that never sleeps! And what an epic win! #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/9b8TCNYD5P
— Mayor David Holt (@davidfholt) May 27, 2025
A special connection
It was after that victory that fans in OKC gathered at the airport for a rainy welcome home.
Anahi Lopez and Kalie De Leon said their parents have been bringing them to Thunder games since the first season in 2008, when they were only two years old. They came to the airport with LaLa, a black chihuahua, to thank the players.
"They always acknowledge us in their interviews, so we like to show them that we acknowledge them for their hard work," Lopez said.
And it's true — Thunder players have called special attention to their fans in press conferences. That includes recently crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
"They've been behind us, through good, through bad," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It feels like no team in the league has home-court advantage like we do. They really give us energy out there, and we've been a better team because of them and having them behind us."
Fans like Lopez and De Leon, who have been with the team since its inception, have experienced some turbulent times. After the Thunder's 2012 NBA Finals loss, the team remained strong. The players headed to the Western Conference Finals in 2016, where they faced the Golden State Warriors. Despite leading the series 3-1 in the first four games, the Thunder lost out on a second trip to the NBA Finals when the Warriors clinched victory in the three following games.
A few weeks after the post-season concluded, Thunder star Kevin Durant announced that he would be leaving the Thunder to join the Warriors, considered a superteam by many. OKC fans felt betrayed. Many burned or threw out their Durant jerseys and posted photos of the act on social media.
But not Aidan Bouchard.
Bouchard came to the airport that rainy morning sporting an old Durant jersey that he had fashioned into a jersey for current Thunder guard Luguentz Dort by blocking the "3" in Durant's 35. He's a big fan of the four-time Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, and would love to see the Thunder achieve the same level of glory.
"It'd be really cool for us and to have that new era of football kind of start," Bouchard said.
When the Thunder officially qualified for the NBA Finals by winning a fourth game against the Timberwolves, the city snapped into action. Academy Sports and Outdoors, a sportswear business, re-opened its doors at the conclusion of the game to sell Finals-themed gear.
Matt Jasper, a manager at one of OKC's Academy locations, said he was preparing to welcome customers by halftime based on the Thunder's lead over the Timberwolves.
"We had to wait until it was officially a won game before we could crack open the shirts," Jasper said. "But about halftime, I started getting everything set up and ready. I didn't think there was any way they could come back."
Jasper is a Thunder season ticket holder and a dedicated fan. Though work prevents him from going to every game, he's committed to watching as much of the NBA Finals as possible.
"I'm going to Game 1. But I gotta work for Game 2, so I'm gonna have to sell those seats. But every other home game, I said I'm going to be off. If you schedule me, I ain't going to be here," Jasper said.
Jasper even named his 7-month-old son Jalen Alexander, an homage to both Thunder forward Jalen Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander. Little Jalen has an autographed onesie from Gilgeous-Alexander. He's still waiting for his chance to meet Williams.
From baby names to standing hours in the pouring rain, it may seem like OKC has reached maximum fandom. However, Mayor Holt believes there is still room for the energy to grow.
"What you're going to see in the lead up to the NBA Finals and during the series is going to be yet another level," Holt said. "Even as crazy as everybody has been the last few weeks, and as loud as the arena has been, I do believe that we've got one more gear in us."
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
