Feel the Thunder

Since the NBA playoffs are in full swing, I decided it would be fitting for me to dedicate this blog to my still young fan-ship of the OKC Thunder.

Let me start out by being honest. Before the Sonics moved to OKC in 2008, my viewing of NBA games was limited to say the least. I was a 90s child through and through, and often spent evenings on the couch with Dad watching Michael Jordan in his glory days with the Chicago Bulls.

But as a five-year-old, I knew (and cared) little about what was actually going on in the game. I simply loved MJ and thought anything that he did was cool. Which it was, duh. But with no NBA team in my home state, I saw no reason to be a real fan of any NBA team.

Then on July 2, 2008, that all changed.

Now to get to the point of this blog post—why I love the OKC Thunder. To keep it from turning into a novel, I limited my list to only the top 3 reasons.

1. As a born and raised Oklahoman, I love all things Oklahoma (for the most part). So naturally, I love the Thunder. On that glorious day in July, Oklahoma entered into the world of professional basketball and I finally had a reason to be a fan of an NBA team.
2. Honestly, I think it’s awesome to be a fan of a team from their start. While the Thunder technically existed as the Sonics before they moved to OKC, this team and this name was born in 2008 and I got to watch it happen. With the birth of this new team came the birth of my “fan-ship” and, like the team, it has been growing ever since.
3. From what I have seen and read about the Thunder, we are a good team on and off the court. While we are clearly a title contender and play at championship caliber, we also have players that are respectable and involved in their community. No scandals about our players being accused of sexual assault or punching fans during a game. Instead, Thunder players make the news for investing in local kids and hosting events that benefit local scholarship funds. This is the kind of team that I can proudly stand behind.