Thunder Store

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Lore & Background

The retail space exists within an arena that has undergone significant naming rights changes since its opening on June 8, 2002. Originally named the Ford Center following a deal with Oklahoma Ford Dealers rather than the Ford Motor Company, it became the Oklahoma City Arena in October 2010 after negotiations failed to renew the original agreement. In July 2011, Chesapeake Energy Corporation secured a 12-year partnership, renaming the facility Chesapeake Energy Arena until the company terminated the deal in April 2021 due to bankruptcy restructuring. Finally, on July 27, 2021, locally-based Paycom acquired naming rights for a 15-year period. The store has witnessed these transitions while serving as the home venue for the Thunder since their arrival in 2008, following the team's brief tenure as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets from 2005 to 2007.

In Their Own Story

Fans walk through the facility that originally opened with only minimum NBA specifications, lacking luxury amenities until a March 4, 2008, ballot initiative passed with a 62% margin. This $121 million tax extension funded critical renovations, including upgraded 'general use' locker rooms, an integrated Daktronics video system, and new premium suites like the Victory Club and Sunset Carvery. The store operates in a building that once hosted the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League until 2009 and the Yard Dawgz of AF2 until they moved to Cox Convention Center in 2009. In September 2023, the arena saw another major upgrade with a $7.5 million, 28,000-pound scoreboard featuring wraparound video displays. The location continues to host diverse events, from concerts seating up to 16,591 people to professional wrestling shows and college basketball tournaments.

Reader's Guide

Visitors can find merchandise for the Thunder, who play in a configuration holding 18,203 seats, or the Oklahoma City Blue. The arena, owned by the city and operated by ASM Global, features 3,380 club seats and 49 private suites, with exclusive dining options like The OLD NO. 7 Club and The Courtside Club nearby. For those attending concerts, the venue expands to 16,591 seats, while hockey games utilize a capacity of 15,152. The facility also houses unique spaces such as 'bunker suites' added during the 2008-2011 renovations. Fans can explore the history of the site which served as a temporary home for the New Orleans Hornets following Hurricane Katrina damage in New Orleans from 2005 to 2007, a period that helped solidify Oklahoma City's path to becoming an NBA city.

Did You Know?

• The arena was originally named the Ford Center based on a deal with Oklahoma Ford Dealers, not the Ford Motor Company itself.
• In September 2023, a new 28,000-pound scoreboard with wraparound video display was installed at a cost of $7.5 million.
• The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets played in the arena from 2005 to 2007 following Hurricane Katrina damage in their home city.
• A sales tax initiative passed on March 4, 2008, by a 62% margin funded $121 million in renovations and a separate practice facility.
• The arena seats up to 19,711 people when a fourth level is added for concerts.