OKLAHOMA CITY, Wednesday, September 3, 2008 -- With a nickname denoting energy and power, a classic-look logo, and the colors of an Oklahoma sunset, Oklahoma City's NBA team unveiled its identity today. The Oklahoma City Thunder will take the court on October 29 for its historic regular-season debut in the Ford Center vs. the Milwaukee Bucks.
The new name and look appeared first on the team's website, THUNDER.NBA.COM, and was unveiled at a special event at Leadership Square in downtown Oklahoma City. Thunder Chairman Clay Bennett, General Manager Sam Presti and Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo joined in the announcement.
"The bold, traditional lettering and shield of our logo have been purposefully designed with simplicity and dignity to let the power of the word 'THUNDER' be most clearly presented," Bennett said.
"This is an exciting day for the franchise," Presti said. "The people of Oklahoma have supported us throughout this entire transition. This is their team and we feel fortunate to represent this community."
Bennett added the naming process was made even more exciting by input from the public. "We received hundreds of ideas and very much appreciate our fans and the media interest in their new team," he said.
Bennett announced the team's uniform design is being finalized and will be revealed in late September as players arrive for training camp. Additional graphic designs are also under way. "The wordmark and shield, although a proud historic landmark for the team, should be viewed as an initial primary logo as we work towards additional graphic development of our team identity," he said.
Official Thunder apparel and merchandise went on exclusive sale immediately following the announcement at the team store, The Thunder Shop, located on the ground floor of Leadership Square. Merchandise is also available at the official team store website nbathundershop.com and nbastore.com.
The Oklahoma City Thunder opens training camp in late September. Its first preseason game is Wednesday, October 8 vs. Minnesota in Billings, MT. The preseason schedule also includes a game in Tulsa on Monday, October 14 vs. the Houston Rockets and the Thunder's only home preseason game vs. the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, October 14.
Fans who signed up for the team's season ticket request list will begin selecting their Ford Center seats during appointments that begin on Monday, September 8. Single game tickets will be made available closer to the start of the regular season.