Stars of Oklahoma
Although Oklahoma isn't known as one of the best-known teams, they have had a great history as a franchise. Their franchise has also helped talents grow into real NBA superstars who still produce the most amazing highlights in the NBA. Names like Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Paul George, Chris Paul, Victor Oladipo, and that's just the start of the list. But even back when the Oklahoma City Thunder were still the Seattle SuperSonics, they managed to attract talent, true NBA legends such as Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and Ray Allen.
Russell Westbrook
When you talk about Oklahoma, you often talk (or talked) about Russell Westbrook. The young man selected with the fourth pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, who then moved to Oklahoma City six days later. On 2 March 2009, Westbrook recorded the first triple-double of his career with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He was the first rookie since Chris Paul and the third rookie in Sonics/Thunder franchise history to record a triple-double. Russell Westbrook played no fewer than 11 seasons with his beloved Thunder until he was traded to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul on 16 July 2019.
History of Oklahoma Thunder
The team was originally founded as the Seattle SuperSonics, an expansion team that joined the NBA in the 1967-1968 season. The SuperSonics moved from Seattle, Washington, to Oklahoma City in 2008 after a settlement was reached between the ownership group led by Clay Bennett and Seattle lawmakers following a lawsuit. In Seattle, the SuperSonics qualified for the NBA playoffs 22 times, won their division six times, advanced to three NBA Finals and won the 1979 NBA championship. In Oklahoma City, the Thunder earned their first playoff berth during the 2009-10 season. They won their first division title as the Thunder in the 2010-2011 season and their first Western Conference championship as the Thunder in the 2011-2012 season. The team was based in Seattle. The team has not yet won a championship since moving to Oklahoma City.
Thunder/SuperSonics awards
The Oklahoma City Thunder themselves have never managed to bring a championship back to Oklahoma; the closest they ever came was in 2012, when they lost the NBA Finals to LeBron James and his Miami Heat of the time.