Sam Presti Praise OKC Thunder Fans in Preseason Press Conference

Oklahoma City’s general manager had high praise for his team’s home crowd.

Mar 29, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder fans pass a giant flag through the crowd before the start of a game against the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

For the last 15 years, the Thunder has been the heartbeat of Oklahoma City. For a growing city that has never had a professional sports team, the Thunder gave fans something to believe in and a team to rally behind.

From the early days with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder’s home court advantage was noticeable. As the team started to contend, the crowds got bigger and louder — hence where the name “Loud City” comes from. Oklahoma City’s matching shirts during playoff time was something that the current young core always grew up watching and wanted to see.

During general manager Sam Presti’s preseason press conference this week, he dove into what makes the fanbase so special and why he’s especially thankful for how they rally behind the team.

“Kind of like what I was saying earlier, I think — well, one, I hope they really enjoyed that season because we talked about that kind of leading up to it,” Presti said. “At some point we had the two years — one year we didn't have fans in the building, so it was a little different, but for the time that they weren't seeing a team that they were used to seeing — there was a bunch of new people, new players, and the results weren't where we wanted them to be.

“I was hoping that they'd be really energized when we did finally make it back, whenever that would be. No one could have predicted that we'd be in the postseason that quickly, play-in and then postseason.”

It was hard for the city and the fans to fully connect to the Thunder during the COVID-19 years. It was an entirely new set of players from the last regime and the fans weren’t able to watch them in person. And even after then, Oklahoma City fans — who were used to winning at a high level — couldn’t seem to get attached to the rebuilding teams as the Thunder sought after its former glory.

As the team started to materialize, though, and it was clear there were building blocks in place, the excitement began to arise once again. In 2022-23 when Oklahoma City made its play-in run, the rowdy crowds were back and the games had meaning. The fans were officially attached to the Thunder, especially players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, and the team’s rookies.

Last season, it took off. The Thunder vaulted to the No. 1 spot in the West and the fans were back in full force. The playoff shirts were back, and the young players were finally able to experience what they saw growing up. Now, the crowd is fully attached to the current core and excited for the season to start back up again.

Oklahoma City fans have a unique relationship with the Thunder. It’s their lifeline to professional sports, and the heartbeat of the city. That was seen when the citizens overwhelmingly voted in favor of a brand new arena last year. Not many teams play as big a part in the community as the Thunder does for Oklahoma City. And not many teams have deep, strong ties within the state like the Thunder has.

“The thing that always strikes me about our fans, and I think it's pretty unique to hear — and it literally happened to me yesterday,” Presti said. “When someone comes up and talks to you about the team, and the two most recent examples for me were people that recently retired, they don't just say, like, we're excited for the season. They really talk about how the team has really helped to change the city for the better.

“I think it's very rare in sports that the people — there's a difference. They're not just spectating the game. They're seeing the whole picture of the team and how it has helped drive different things in the city, and it's given them more pride in different ways. That's pretty special. That revs me up personally.”

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