Tag: arena

BREAKING: OKC voters approve new OKC Thunder arena proposal

BREAKING: OKC voters approve new OKC Thunder arena proposal.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will remain in OKC for the foreseeable future following Tuesday’s voter approval to continue a one-cent tax for six years. Approximately 71% of the 57,926 ballots were in support of extending the tax to fund the construction of a new arena.

The vote caps more than a year of discussions and negotiations. It means the Thunder will get a new home to replace Paycom Center, which has been the home of the Thunder since they arrived in 2008.

The ballot proposal called for the tax extension and the creation of an arena facility sales tax fund that would be used to pay for a new publicly owned venue that will cost, at minimum, $900 million. The ballot proposal also spelled out the Thunder will play at the new arena for at least 25 years.

Though not on the ballot, the Thunder agreed to contribute $50 million toward construction, and at least $70 million will come from the MAPS 4 project. The facility is projected to open by the 2029-30 season.

Following the lopsided election win, Thunder owner Clay Bennett released the following statement:

Image

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also released a statement on the new arena approval:

Image

The Thunder have played at Paycom Center since they arrived in 2008, but the arena itself opened in 2002, making it one of the oldest/smallest NBA arenas.

The long-term 15-year lease expired this year, which resulted in the Thunder signing a three-year lease that ends in 2026.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

PHOTOS: Best images from OKC pro-arena kickoff campaign

Let’s look at the best photos from the kickoff campaign even centered around supporting a new arena that would secure the long-term future of the Thunder.

Following the approval to conduct a Dec. 12 election on the continuation of a one-cent tax, OKC Mayor David Holt hosted a campaign kickoff event downtown to support the passing of a new arena proposal.

If passed by voters, a new OKC arena will become the long-term home of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are currently signed to a short-term lease with Paycom Center that expires in 2026.

During the event, Holt spoke about the importance of building a new arena that is more suited to host an NBA team. The $900 million-plus investment will include a $50 million contribution by Thunder ownership.

Let’s look at some of the best photos of the event.

OKC Mayor David Holt talks about remembering history, new arena changes and more

. @CAlmanza1007 spoke with OKC Mayor David Holt about the new arena proposal following Thursday’s kickoff campaign event.

OKLAHOMA CITY — In less than three months, a new OKC arena will be voted on by local residents to determine the fate of the current proposal.

The Dec. 12 vote will ask OKC residents if they wish to continue the current one-cent special tax rate for six additional years to fund a new arena.

The current proposal projects the construction costs of a new arena to be at least $900 million with $50 million contributed by Thunder ownership. The opening is planned for the 2029-30 season.

If tax is approved, the long-term future of the Oklahoma City Thunder will be secured. The Thunder have promised they will sign a 25-year lease for the new building. The team’s current lease at Paycom Center expires in 2026.

On Thursday, OKC Mayor David Holt hosted a kickoff event at Scissortail Park for the pro-arena campaign. He re-emphasized the importance of a new arena and why OKC needs to build it to keep the Thunder.

“The truth of the matter is no one thinks we should have this team except for the people in the city, the people who own this team and the people I’m looking at right now,” Holt said.

Afterward, Holt spoke to local media and answered questions about the campaign and the new arena proposal. USA TODAY’s Thunder Wire asked him a handful of questions.

The conversation is lightly edited for clarity.

OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti comments on potential new arena

“I do really applaud Mayor Holt’s vision, because I think his vision is not necessarily a vision of the Thunder, it’s a vision for Oklahoma City.”

The biggest offseason storyline surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder has happened off the court.

After initially bringing up the need for a new arena last summer, OKC Mayor David Holt accelerated the process this offseason when he announced a fully-detailed proposal and a funding plan that will basically be put to city voters on Dec. 12.

In his 2023-24 preseason media conference, Thunder general manager Sam Prestipresti officially talked about the arena proposal for the first time since it was announced.

Being essentially the face of the franchise since the Thunder relocated in 2008, Presti is often linked with the organization through the public eye.

In his comments, Presti applauded the collaborative effort between the Thunder ownership and OKC to get a new arena built to secure the long-term future of the franchise.

“Again, like one thing that I’m — first of all, I’m biased. I can’t hide that. So I don’t even know that my opinion is like that valid in this case.

I would say this: It’s like a political component — it’s a political issue. I’m not a politician. I don’t want to say anything that could be misinterpreted because I’m out of my depth on that kind of stuff, and I’m happy to admit it.

Warren Buffett says we have a circle of competence. This is very far outside my circle of competence.

Other than to say that I think the history of the city and the team working together is a very unique one, and I do really applaud Mayor Holt’s vision, because I think his vision is not necessarily a vision of the Thunder, it’s a vision for Oklahoma City, and I think like the way he’s expressed that in a very proactive way, I think he’s done a good job of articulating that.

But I’m also a huge believer that everyone’s voice matters, and the people will vote on this, and that’s the way it should be, and there should be discourse because I think that’s healthy.

We live in a world where if somebody has a different opinion than you, you tend to just assume that you disagree with them on everything and that they’re wrong. In reality, the discourse is what makes things healthy, but ultimately it will be decided by the community, and I think they’ve done that for years here. It’s how they’ve built the city, and they’ll do it again.

Obviously we’ll see where that lands us.”

The negotiation process between OKC and Thunder ownership on a new arena puts Presti in a tough position because he only deals with the basketball operations, but he gave a great answer for a delicate situation.

If voters approve their part of the funding plan in December, it will mark a significant milestone that secures the new arena scheduled to open by the 2029-30 season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

OKC City Council approves Dec. 12 vote for potential new Thunder arena

A special OKC election will be held on Dec. 12 for the approval of a new arena proposal.

Another signpost was reached on Tuesday on the path toward a potential new arena for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The OKC City Council voted in favor of holding a special Dec. 12 election to determine if the new arena plan gets approved.

The vote will ask OKC residents if they are interested in continuing its current one-cent sales tax for an additional six years. The new arena proposal also states that construction costs will be at least $900 million with $50 million of that contributed by Thunder ownership.

If approved, a new OKC arena will be opened by the 2029-30 season.

Paycom Center — the Thunder’s current home — is ranked near the bottom of the league in size and age. After their 15-year lease expired earlier this year, the Thunder agreed to sign a three-year lease to stay at Paycom Center until 2026.

The short-term lease allowed the Thunder and OKC to negotiate the details of a new arena proposal and begin construction.

The full meeting can be watched below:

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

OKC Thunder to remain at Paycom Center until new arena is built

The Thunder’s current lease at Paycom Center expires in 2026, but it sounds like they’ll stay there until a new arena is built.

While OKC will — hopefully — begin the process of constructing a new arena soon, it appears Paycom Center will remain the home of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the time being.

In a press conference following the announcement of details of a new arena, OKC Mayor David Holt confirmed to local reporters the Thunder will remain at Paycom Center until a new arena is built.

The plan is for a new arena to be open by the 2029-30 season. The estimated construction cost will be over $900 million with Thunder ownership chipping in $50 million.

Pending voters’ approval, a new arena will secure the long-term future of the franchise in OKC as it will keep the Thunder in town beyond 2050.

Building a new arena takes several years to complete, so Holt saying the Thunder will stay at Paycom Center confirms they’ll sign a second short-term lease if necessary.

After their 15-year lease expired earlier this year, the Thunder elected to sign a short-term three-year lease that keeps them at Paycom Center until 2026. The new arena likely will not be ready by then, which means the Thunder will have to sign a third lease with Paycom Center.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

A new arena guarantees the Thunder’s tenure in OKC will outlast the Sonics’ in Seattle

A new arena will help future generations of NBA fans view the Thunder as its own NBA franchise without the Seattle baggage involved.

Another milestone was achieved on Tuesday for a potential new arena the Oklahoma City Thunder would call home.

OKC Mayor David Holt unveiled the details of Paycom Center’s successor, but an important temporary one-cent sales tax vote remains to be decided. If the vote on Dec. 12 approves the extension of the sales tax, then arena plans will be finalized.

The new arena is expected to cost at least $900 million and is planned to open by the 2029-30 season. The Thunder will sign a 25-year lease once the building is open and that will keep them in OKC beyond 2050.

If everything goes to plan, a new arena will guarantee the Thunder’s tenure in OKC will outlast the Supersonics’ tenure in Seattle.

By 2050, the Thunder will have played 42 years in OKC since their arrival in 2008. The Sonics were only in Seattle for 41 years, from 1967 to 2008.

A pretty interesting fact considering how some circles within the NBA community still view the Thunder as foreign and unwelcome considering how OKC acquired them.

By the time a new arena opens, maybe both sides can have their way. There’s been talks over the last several years of the NBA expanding soon and Seattle is always listed as one of the top preferred choices for fans.

The Sonics returning to Seattle as an expansion team could cool the animosity between both franchises.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

New OKC Thunder arena details officially revealed

The new OKC arena will cost at least $900 million and will be open by the 2029-30 season.

OKC Mayor David Holt announced the full details of a proposed new arena that will keep the Oklahoma City Thunder in town for the foreseeable future.

After openly discussing the benefits of a new arena for more than a year, the wheels are finally in motion to begin the process of building the Thunder a new home.

Some details of the finalized plan for a new arena are:

  • The project will cost at least $900 million; sales tax will not increase.
  • Thunder ownership will commit $50 million for the publicly-owned arena.
  • At least $70 million will come from the MAPS 4 project.
  • The arena will secure the Thunder’s future in OKC beyond 2050 via a 25-year lease, with it opening by the 2029-30 season.

The new arena is pending official approval of a temporary one-cent sales tax vote that will take place on Dec. 12. The temporary tax will start after the expiration of the MAPS 4 increase. As a result, OKC’s current sales tax rate will not increase.

In an official statement, Holt also spoke about how desperately OKC citizens wanted a new agreement to be made between both parties, citing the cultural importance of having a professional sports team in the small-market city:

“As this very public discussion played out over the last year, the people of Oklahoma City have overwhelmingly expressed to me two desires – 1) keep the Thunder for as long as possible, and 2) don’t raise taxes if it can be avoided. We have accomplished those two priorities with this plan, and it is truly a win-win for all of us. Perhaps the most important aspect of the deal is the length – this is twice the commitment we received in 2008 and will keep the Thunder here beyond 2050. My children will be my age when this agreement ends.  For a generation, we will retain the economic impact and quality-of-life benefits we have enjoyed as a big-league City. It is an investment that pays for itself many times over.  With this new arena, we will also continue the aspirational investments in ourselves that our residents have made for a century. We will construct an arena worthy of America’s 20th-largest City, leaving a legacy to future generations.”

Thunder owner/chairman Clay Bennett also released an official statement about the news:

“For fifteen years the Thunder has been honored to help lead the transformation of Oklahoma City and enhance the tremendous pride our citizens have in their community. We now have an opportunity to build on that progress, advance our status as a true big-league City, continue to grow our economy and secure the long-term future of the Thunder. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Mayor Holt, members of the City Council, and the forward-thinking business and civic leaders in our community. Together we can develop an arena to serve as a crowning achievement in the ongoing renaissance of Oklahoma City.”

The Thunder have played at Paycom Center since their arrival in 2008 — but the arena itself opened in 2002, making it one of the oldest/smallest NBA arenas.

The long-term 15-year lease expired earlier this year, which resulted in the Thunder signing a short-term three-year lease that ends in 2026.

The short lease gave the Thunder and OKC extra time to work out the details for a new arena. Paycom Center will remain the home of the Thunder until the new arena is built, which means a second short-term lease might be necessary if the new home is not ready by 2026.

The full official statement on the new proposed arena can be found here.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

WATCH: Alabama AD Greg Byrne addresses building new basketball arena

Greg Byrne addresses the desire of fans to get the Crimson Tide basketball programs a new home.

Alabama athletics have used Coleman Coliseum as the home for various sports and as an event space since 1968. With the success of the Crimson Tide men’s basketball team, fans have been asking for a new home.

Though renderings and potential future plans have been floated by official social media accounts and quotes from athletics administrators, not much solid information has become available to fans.

Recently, Alabama Athletics Director, Greg Byrne, joined The Next Round Live and talked about the plans for a new arena.

“I wanted our fans to know that we have not sat still. We continue to work on it,” said Byrne. “We work on it every single day. We have a fiduciary responsibility where I can’t jeopardize the rest of our department based off of one facility.”

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama basketball and the process of getting the team a brand new home to play in.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

[mm-video type=video id=01gkspkgbhtpzbq3j1kt playlist_id=01eqbz6mkdd99nyvkm player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gkspkgbhtpzbq3j1kt/01gkspkgbhtpzbq3j1kt-ffdb53d43f5c24cc4e73ff16b3681eab.jpg]

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM.