OKLAHOMA CITY — Ever since the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City and were renamed the Thunder, the team has had a close connection with the local Boys and Girls Clubs.
Star players like Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have donated their time and money to the organization that provides voluntary after-school programs for young people.
"When I was a kid, the NBA felt like it was a world away -- like it was almost impossible. I just don't want them to feel that way." But, according to Collier, what helped Gilgeous-Alexander's profile in the city was when he agreed to a five-year, US$172 million rookie extension in August 2021. When the United States Interstate Highway System was built, Oklahoma City's reliance on the railway industry suffered. The oil crisis of the 1970s added to those woes as energy is one of the state's major industries. Violent crime rose in the city as jobs disappeared and people followed. The Oklahoman newspaper reports that the city's homicide rate doubled from the early 1960s to the late 1970s, increasing from 4.6 per 100,000 residents in 1962 to 9.7 per 100,000 by 1979.
"Whatever you were, whoever you voted for, it doesn't matter. Everybody's a Thunder fan," said Lenhart."If you're in the oil business, or you're an environmentalist, it doesn't matter, you show up, you're all wearing Thunder blue.