MSA's bigger then OKC without NBA team as of 2020 census

Jacksonville (NFL)
Providence (nothing)
Virginia Beach (nothing)
Nashville( NHL NFL)
San Jose (NHL NFL)
Indy (NFL)
Columbus (NHL)
KC (NFL MLB
Cincinnati (NFL / MLB)
Vegas (NHL / NFL)
Austin (nothing)
Pittsburgh (NHL/MLB/NFL)
St louis (NHL/MLB)
Balitmore (MLB /NFL )
Tampa (NFL /MLB/NHL)
San Diego (MLB)
Seattle (NHL / NFL)
Riverside/san Bernardino (nothing)

A number of these MSAs also have MLS teams, Nashville, San Jose, Columbus, KC, Cincinnati, Austin, and Seattle.

Could the site of the current Paycom center house a larger arena? I know we would need to find the Thunder a temporary place to play, but the current location seems great

Another piece of foreshadowing: The Thunder ownership group has been stalling on moving forward with Thunder Alley for some time.

They had to be in discussions with the city as to why.

The timing of this sucks. With inflation and everything else going in the economy, it's going to be a tough pill for your average citizen to swallow. Nothing like the taxpayers paying for a bunch of millionaires to play a game.

With that said, I'd hate to lose the Thunder. I know they've been a big contributor to the City over the years. I'm assuming at some point they will flex what they've done to help maybe justify the new arena more than "they want it to stay competitive in the league."

I agree to a point, especially given that we have a nice middle of the road arena in place but I think it's a gross oversimplification when people put it like that. An arena has a massive impact on the city outside of events related to the arena tenants and in this case, the thunder have a massive impact on the city and state (financial, emotional, economic, city status, etc) that far exceeds anything that happens on the court.

I don't like the idea of just trashing a perfectly good arena at all but I'd have no problem supporting a new arena if done right. If they can use a functional design that is large enough and configurable enough that it will be something like MSG that can be upgraded constantly for 70 years and still be viable, I think that's a solid investment in the next 10-20 years. We've seen how much every investment in the Peak and the Thunder has paid off over the last 20 years so it seems as though this would be a worthwhile investment that we all knew would have to be made eventually (albeit about 20-30 years sooner than I thought).

Highly doubt it would happen just because a new arena was voted down on the first attempt, especially given that the ownership group who purchased the team is local and still owns it, but losing the Thunder would be catastrophic to the city for a multitude of reasons so as long as long as the proposal isn't absolutely ridiculous, I think it's worth doing what's necessary to keep the team.

I am all for the new arena in the site west of current arena. 100%. Thunder has been a great thing for OKC and will only get better IMO.

But, the city fathers need to prepare for the scrutiny. Bob Howard is the largest stockholder in the Thunder. Bob Howard is a partner in the property we are discussing. His partners in the property include Mayor Holt's employer-Hall Capital. nothing wrong with that. Just gotta make sure they are transparent.

I refuse to participate in the city being held hostage for a new arena when the one we have is perfectly functional, I will be a no vote in whichever future election this comes up for a vote. And I say that as someone who is a reliable yes vote on stuff like MAPS and general infrastructure bond issues.

I get the sentiment but that's the wrong (and frankly a dumb) hill to die on at this point in our city's history with the team.

Given the ton of money the city has poured into Thunder facilities before and since they came to town, you can bet plenty of people will not want to keep spending.

But even more will be fine with this. The Thunder are incredibly popular and Holt & Co. are pretty skilled at shaping a message. He started that today.

Hardest of passes. We gotta stop this whole thing of subsidizing the costs and privatizing the profits for millionaires and billionaires. Sports stadiums time (https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/11/sports-stadiums-can-be-bad-cities/576334/) and time (https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mje/2022/01/15/cities-should-not-pay-for-new-stadiums/) and time (https://econreview.berkeley.edu/the-economics-of-sports-stadiums-does-public-financing-of-sports-stadiums-create-local-economic-growth-or-just-help-billionaires-improve-their-profit-margin/) and time (https://www.sbnation.com/2021/6/9/22525916/public-funding-stadiums-nfl-panthers) again have been shown to not be worth the investment when evaluating the opportunity costs.

I could be wrong, but I can't imagine a vote not passing.

A number of these MSAs also have MLS teams, Nashville, San Jose, Columbus, KC, Cincinnati, Austin, and Seattle.

and...

Providence, Virginia Beach, San Bernardino are in areas with a lot of pro teams

New arena will probably have a giant casino and sports book attached to it.
Doubt plans will leak until we have sports gambling allowed in the state.

Another piece of foreshadowing: The Thunder ownership group has been stalling on moving forward with Thunder Alley for some time.

They had to be in discussions with the city as to why.

Yeah I would hope that if this is really going in the direction of a new arena, that money (and the MAPS 4 money) will be saved and dumped into the new arena.

Given the ton of money the city has poured into Thunder facilities before and since they came to town, you can bet plenty of people will not want to keep spending.

But even more will be fine with this. The Thunder are incredibly popular and Holt & Co. are pretty skilled at shaping a message. He started that today.

Scared money don't make none.

If you remember, the reason the old Cox site was ruled out for the new convention center was concern about completely disrupting conventions during construction and the same about taking a ton of underground parking offline when downtown parking was very pinched.

Both those are no longer serious issues and Prairie Surf is a year into a 5-year lease. They have extensions, but I believe the city could end the agreement unilaterally.

Still, I'm starting to like the idea of the new area being directly west, with Hall/Howard developing all around it including the current Paycom site. Or swap them for the Cox site.

I dislike the idea of the Thunder strong-arming us into building a new arena for them, but at the same time I get that's how the NBA game works if we want to keep the Thunder. They've been invaluable for raising our city's profile and I believe we need them to stay. Using the old REHCO site for a new arena (directly west of the current arena) makes the most sense for all involved, IMHO - assuming the City can work out a deal like a land swap. It also puts the streetcar stop with the highest built capacity for passengers right at the arena's doorstep. Given it's location and proximity to the key facility for our future transit plans, I don't believe a new arena would be the highest and best use for the old Myriad/CCC site (again, IMHO) - the grid 100% should be restored there, with a part of that land dedicated to transit use (an inter-city bus terminal and parking for our Amtrak and Commuter Rail ambitions in Santa Fe Station).

If this ends up being a move to get 70M more for the state fair arena (to do the parts they had to cut and then some) I'm going to be very displeased....

Paycom center is bland compared to most other arena out there. The concourse is very basic. Entryways very basic. BOK Center is much nicer IMO.

If this ends up being a move to get 70M more for the state fair arena (to do the parts they had to cut and then some) I'm going to be very displeased....

The State Fair Arena is nowhere to be mentioned. Random strawman worry here.

Scared money don't make none.

And Oklahoma Citians have demonstrated time and time again the willingness to tax themselves (multiple MAPS, many bond issues, no real resistance to TIF or other business subsidies).

This whole thing will be handled very carefully and it's no surprise Holt left that luncheon today and immediately appeared on sports radio to give assurances he was just being proactive and was receiving no pressure from the Thunder. There will be tremendous resources and influence devoted to a carefully planned and sustained campaign.

In addition, every Mayor wants to leave a legacy and big, beautiful physical projects are the easiest and most visible way.

Not casting stones at Holt, but it's pretty clear where all this is headed and why.

Hardest of passes. We gotta stop this whole thing of subsidizing the costs and privatizing the profits for millionaires and billionaires. Sports stadiums time (https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/11/sports-stadiums-can-be-bad-cities/576334/) and time (https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mje/2022/01/15/cities-should-not-pay-for-new-stadiums/) and time (https://econreview.berkeley.edu/the-economics-of-sports-stadiums-does-public-financing-of-sports-stadiums-create-local-economic-growth-or-just-help-billionaires-improve-their-profit-margin/) and time (https://www.sbnation.com/2021/6/9/22525916/public-funding-stadiums-nfl-panthers) again have been shown to not be worth the investment when evaluating the opportunity costs.

But our arena has made its money 10x over. Having a pro team in place will help a ton. The fact it will be used for concerts and other events means the city needs to own it. Or else the billionaire owners will only use it on their team days. No sense operating it if they won't make all the money. OKC would lose a crap ton of concert revenue, and tourism revenue.

This was inevitable the day the Thunder arrived in town. I’m surprised it’s taken this long.

The bottom line is that OKC has zero leverage here and the Thunder knows that. Do you think all these OKC-based owners really want to move the team?

It's all part of an elaborate dance and so much of OKC's self-esteem is tied into this one big league team, we are just going to give them what they want while pretending it was all a generous gesture on our part.

It's part and parcel of having a big-league team and of course that's how we got the team in the first place. We knew exactly what we were signing up for.

But our arena has made its money 10x over. Having a pro team in place will help a ton. The fact it will be used for concerts and other events means the city needs to own it. Or else the billionaire owners will only use it on their team days. No sense operating it if they won't make all the money. OKC would lose a crap ton of concert revenue, and tourism revenue.

The Paycom Arena won't go anywhere even if the Thunder do. It will still hold concerts and events (like the BOK center in Tulsa). It's a perfectly modern and serviceable arena. There's no reason to spend hundreds of millions on a new one because a team owner is cranky.

Hardest of passes. We gotta stop this whole thing of subsidizing the costs and privatizing the profits for millionaires and billionaires. Sports stadiums time (https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/11/sports-stadiums-can-be-bad-cities/576334/) and time (https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/mje/2022/01/15/cities-should-not-pay-for-new-stadiums/) and time (https://econreview.berkeley.edu/the-economics-of-sports-stadiums-does-public-financing-of-sports-stadiums-create-local-economic-growth-or-just-help-billionaires-improve-their-profit-margin/) and time (https://www.sbnation.com/2021/6/9/22525916/public-funding-stadiums-nfl-panthers) again have been shown to not be worth the investment when evaluating the opportunity costs.

Do you have anything to backup your comments in relation to this market and the money we've spend on Paycom from start to finish? It would seem that it has been well worth the investment and has paid off multiple times.

Sure stop it. You can do that in larger cities with multiple teams but if that's the stand you want to make here, it will eventually mean losing it and leaving the city without one of it's best and only sources of international exposure that it has.

Paycom center is bland compared to most other arena out there. The concourse is very basic. Entryways very basic. BOK Center is much nicer IMO.

True for the exterior but the BOK overall isn't near as nice inside the concourses or arena since the NBA renovations occured. I go to events there once or twice a month and at least from the perspective of everything inside the building, it's miles behind Paycom.

Another piece of foreshadowing: The Thunder ownership group has been stalling on moving forward with Thunder Alley for some time.

They had to be in discussions with the city as to why.Wasn't the original form of Thunder Alley, outside the arena on the North, shut down because of shootings in the area or something like that. If my memory of this is correct I can see a reluctance to start it back up.

And Oklahoma Citians have demonstrated time and time again the willingness to tax themselves (multiple MAPS, many bond issues, no real resistance to TIF or other business subsidies).

This whole thing will be handled very carefully and it's no surprise Holt left that luncheon today and immediately appeared on sports radio to give assurances he was just being proactive and was receiving no pressure from the Thunder. There will be tremendous resources and influence devoted to a carefully planned and sustained campaign.

In addition, every Mayor wants to leave a legacy and big, beautiful physical projects are the easiest and most visible way.

Not casting stones at Holt, but it's pretty clear where all this is headed and why.

It will definitely have to be handled gradually and carefully. Even I'm a bit conflicted/hesitant over it and I would vote yes in a heartbeat. Hopefully the proposals that come out of this make sense and we get a homerun project out of it. Would help immensely if our warchest of draft picks and new players starts to pay off between now and then.

It does make sense from a timing prospective. The next maps vote will likely be in the 2027-2030 timeframe based on previous iterations. It would likely take 5-10 years from the vote for the arena to open. At that point Paycom will be getting close to 40-50 years old depending on how that all shakes out timing-wise. Makes sense that Holt starts preparing people for those discussions.

Wasn't the original form of Thunder Alley, outside the arena on the North, shut down because of shootings in the area or something like that. If my memory of this is correct I can see a reluctance to start it back up.
I believe it was just the big screen showing the game during the playoffs that was stopped. Tons of people would show up and there was a shooting after one of the games. They still had inflatables and drummers and the like before games.

Great arenas have about a 40 to 50 year life. The Paycom Center was never a great arena. It was a bare bones arena built very, very, very cheaply. Meaning its shelf life is far shorter. It's about 20 now, and I'm getting this arena won't be finished for 5 or more years, I'd guess, after all the planning and development takes place. Probably closer to 10. Not like it will be developed in 2023.

But, the city fathers need to prepare for the scrutiny. Bob Howard is the largest stockholder in the Thunder. Bob Howard is a partner in the property we are discussing. His partners in the property include Mayor Holt's employer-Hall Capital. nothing wrong with that. Just gotta make sure they are transparent.

Bob Howard isn't even one of the 4 biggest owners. And of those owners (Bennett, McClendon Estate, Records & Kaiser) I've been told only Records & Kaiser are strong enough financially to weather the poor attendance and no playoff money much longer.

One of the main appeals of this type of investment is the ripple effects for the surrounding area and in this case all of downtown and the numerous adjacent districts.

If they want voters to approve, they better not try and move the Thunder out of downtown. These are all smart people who have to know this.

Though from what I have heard pretty much the only studies that indicate this happens are either from the people behind trying to get public funds or contractors who build them, independent studies seem more likely to indicate stadiums/arenas either don't help surrounding areas that much or can be worse than if developed as something like residential. Plus trends have been for teams to try to capture more of what food/entertainment money is spent in the arena, than those built decades ago.

The Paycom Arena won't go anywhere even if the Thunder do. It will still hold concerts and events (like the BOK center in Tulsa). It's a perfectly modern and serviceable arena. There's no reason to spend hundreds of millions on a new one because a team owner is cranky.

It does if it's falling behind most of the other arenas in the league. There would still be concerts but there would be an atomic bomb dropped on the economic benefits to businesses (downtown/elsewhere) provided by the Thunder being in OKC. Losing the Thunder would be a massive blow. BOK is a funny comparison. Compare the trajectories of downtown Tulsa with that of downtown OKC since the Thunder arrived. The difference is night and day. I live in downtown Tulsa and love it here but it would massively benefit from the economic boost of an additional 41 plus nights of 20,000 people coming downtown and the exposure a professional team provides.

It's just stunning sometimes how people fail to realize how massively beneficial the thunder are to OKC and the state in general. Political biases are fine but we have the numbers and can show the direct economic benefit of building the first arena and having an NBA team.

Though from what I have heard pretty much the only studies that indicate this happens are either from the people behind trying to get public funds or contractors who build them, independent studies seem more likely to indicate stadiums/arenas either don't help surrounding areas that much or can be worse than if developed as something like residential.

Bingo. The whole "ripple effect" is something that doesn't have a lot of empirical backing. Just look at Glendale, AZ that splurged for the new Cardinals stadium only to see no real benefit from it, and in fact *lost* money when it hosted the Super Bowl (https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/glendale/2015/11/25/report-super-bowl-likely-fiscal-flop-glendale/76124404/). A lot of arguments folks make about public funding of stadia don't stand up to actual empirical scrutiny.

Political biases are fine but we have the numbers and can show the direct economic benefit of building the first arena and having an NBA team.

I would genuinely like to see these numbers, ideally from a non-partisan entity

Though from what I have heard pretty much the only studies that indicate this happens are either from the people behind trying to get public funds or contractors who build them, independent studies seem more likely to indicate stadiums/arenas either don't help surrounding areas that much or can be worse than if developed as something like residential. Plus trends have been for teams to try to capture more of what food/entertainment money is spent in the arena, than those built decades ago.

Haven't we had multiple economic impact studies on how Thunder games and arena events impact downtown in OKC? Use common sense and your eyes...do you actually believe that the arena being downtown hasn't positively affected the surrounding area more than an if an apartment complex had been built on that lot and the arena located elsewhere?

Bob Howard isn't even one of the 4 biggest owners. And of those owners (Bennett, McClendon Estate, Records & Kaiser) I've been told only Records & Kaiser are strong enough financially to weather the poor attendance and no playoff money much longer.

Seriously, if the Thunder, which has returned a huge capital gain to the ownership group, cannot weather cash flow issues because it's that damaging, then probably need to let the team walk because that's an expensive proposition we'll never be able to ensure is avoided. The team may be bottom of the Barrell for another 20 years... it's sports, people don't pan out and people.have career ending injuries.

Does anyone have thoughts on specifically why Paycom can't be modified to be competitive?

There is plenty of seating capacity, loads of suites and club-level (which are huge revenue generators for the team) and certainly room to expand in a couple of directions.

Holt kept talking about the small amount of square footage but what specifically are we lacking?

Perhaps they want even more suites and premium-level seating? You'd think that would even be possible in the current building.

Great arenas have about a 40 to 50 year life. The Paycom Center was never a great arena. It was a bare bones arena built very, very, very cheaply. Meaning its shelf life is far shorter. It's about 20 now, and I'm getting this arena won't be finished for 5 or more years, I'd guess, after all the planning and development takes place. Probably closer to 10. Not like it will be developed in 2023.

that new arena will be finished by 2026 the Chase Center in SF where the GSW play broke ground January 17, 2017 and opened in September 6, 2019 and cost $1.4 billion

I would genuinely like to see these numbers.

Someone like Pete or Urbanized could probably provide the actual studies but a quick google search pulls up several articles discussing the economic impact and refering to studies that have been done.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/business/columns/steve-lackmeyer/2011/04/28/thunders-loss-in-game-4-of-the-nba-playoffs-is-a-win-for-oklahoma-city/61167828007/

https://okcfox.com/news/local/downtown-okc-feels-increase-in-economic-impact-during-thunder-playoffs

Does anyone have thoughts on specifically why Paycom can't be modified to be competitive?

There is plenty of seating capacity, loads of suites and club-level (which are huge revenue generators for the team) and certainly room to expand in a couple of directions.

Holt kept talking about the small amount of square footage but what specifically are we lacking?

Perhaps they want even more suites and premium-level seating? You'd think that would even be possible in the current building.

From a seating perspective it does seem a little more cramped inside than somewhere like AA in Dallas or the Toyota Center in Houston but that may have been more a function of where I've been sitting in those arenas vs at Paycom.

It's the (possibly illegal but hasn't been tested) way they get around the anti-logrolling rules that Oklahoma has. The MAPS votes are just for money that the council pinky promises won't be used for something else.

it is not illegal in any way ... the wording in the actual maps vote .. (maps 3) was funds to be used for infrastructure projects ..... the list of projects is always a council non binding vote ..

It could very well be that we've crammed a lot of seats into a smaller than average bowl to try and get as many people in there as possible and maximize revenue.

A number of these MSAs also have MLS teams, Nashville, San Jose, Columbus, KC, Cincinnati, Austin, and Seattle.

which not a major pro league ..

Seriously, if the Thunder, which has returned a huge capital gain to the ownership group, cannot weather cash flow issues because it's that damaging, then probably need to let the team walk because that's an expensive proposition we'll never be able to ensure is avoided. The team may be bottom of the Barrell for another 20 years... it's sports, people don't pan out and people.have career ending injuries.

capital gains are imaginary .. unless they sell the team ... in which case OKC would need to build a new arena or lose the team ..

Someone like Pete or Urbanized could probably provide the actual studies but a quick google search pulls up several articles discussing the economic impact and refering to studies that have been done.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/business/columns/steve-lackmeyer/2011/04/28/thunders-loss-in-game-4-of-the-nba-playoffs-is-a-win-for-oklahoma-city/61167828007/

https://okcfox.com/news/local/downtown-okc-feels-increase-in-economic-impact-during-thunder-playoffs


Yeah, data from the playoffs is cherrypicking a bit (especially since you're citing one from 2011...) given the current state of the Thunder roster. Larger, more robust studies show little to no significant benefit (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355133656_Thunder_Up_The_Taxes) on sales taxes and other things. If the Thunder weren't around, it's not like people wouldn't spend money for entertainment at all. This is why all these arguments about sports being a huge boon kinda fall apart, because folks will still go to bars, restaurants, hotels and other things regardless if there's a team in town.

I think you’re discovering in real time that there isn’t a lot of data out there, since you so strongly suggested we have the data yet the best you could find was a couple of old news articles that aren’t really robust economic studies.

Does anyone have thoughts on specifically why Paycom can't be modified to be competitive?

There is plenty of seating capacity, loads of suites and club-level (which are huge revenue generators for the team) and certainly room to expand in a couple of directions.

Holt kept talking about the small amount of square footage but what specifically are we lacking?

Perhaps they want even more suites and premium-level seating? You'd think that would even be possible in the current building.

the peake has less suites / club seats then lots of arenas ... also much smaller concourses so far less bars and restaurants ..

Does anyone have thoughts on specifically why Paycom can't be modified to be competitive?

There is plenty of seating capacity, loads of suites and club-level (which are huge revenue generators for the team) and certainly room to expand in a couple of directions.

Holt kept talking about the small amount of square footage but what specifically are we lacking?

Perhaps they want even more suites and premium-level seating? You'd think that would even be possible in the current building.

Smaller seat size, concourses could be wider or more elaborate, not as many options for food and drinks. I think an arena basically the exact same as the Moda Center in Portland would be amazing.

Suites are becoming more and more necessary, as well, and I think the Paycom just wasn't built to have the numbers that modern NBA arenas have.

I think the vacant lots between the parks is ideal. We could go all out for a 2 billion dollar arena and add luxury apartments/hotel onto the arena (that is the next 'new' thing beyond luxury suites). Make the arena extremely 'green' with solar panels or a public park extending on top of the arena.

Then we can peel the top off and the third level of the current Paycom Center and convert it into the soccer stadium that the city also wants.

which not a major pro league ..

Then why’s it called Major League Soccer? Checkmate. /s

the peake has less suites / club seats then lots of arenas ... also much smaller concourses so far less bars and restaurants ..

That makes sense.

My primary comparison is the Staples Center and it certainly had more of all those things.

In fact, it has a setup like so many of the newest arenas: a small lower bowl then rows and rows of suites, then the large upper bowl is very far removed. I understand the reasons why but it sure sucks a lot of energy out of the building. Of course, in most NBA arenas there isn't much of that to start with.

delete

I think we should be studying Chase Center in San Franscisco. That seems to be the envy of the league. I know ticket revenue isn't king anymore. appears to be average spend while in arena. Plus how much money can they get from ownership in revenue generators near the arena.

Seriously, if the Thunder, which has returned a huge capital gain to the ownership group, cannot weather cash flow issues because it's that damaging, then probably need to let the team walk because that's an expensive proposition we'll never be able to ensure is avoided. The team may be bottom of the Barrell for another 20 years... it's sports, people don't pan out and people.have career ending injuries.

They have multiplied their original investment many times over, but that isn't actualized until they sell their share. Although I'm sure they could borrow off of the increased worth of the franchise. And then you have to remember the effect covid has had the last few years. Shortened season + Orlando Bubble in '19-'20, no fans in the seats in '20-'21and decreased attendance in '21-'22 (although the quality of the team played a big part as well). The Thunder are in a good trajectory to be in the playoffs in a couple of years and should be making some deep runs for quite a while after that.
It just may be some tough times for the smaller owners if there are some capital calls until they get back in contention and the crowds come back.

If the Thunder weren't around, it's not like people wouldn't spend money for entertainment at all. This is why all these arguments about sports being a huge boon kinda fall apart, because folks will still go to bars, restaurants, hotels and other things regardless if there's a team in town.

People are still going to spend on entertainment, but many of the Thunder fans are not from OKC and would probably be spending their dollars where they live - Norman, Edmond etc.

If the Thunder move into a new Arena in 2033, they would have been using the current arena for 25 years and the arena itself would be at about the 30 year mark

the peake has less suites / club seats then lots of arenas ... also much smaller concourses so far less bars and restaurants ..

I sincerely doubt a new Arena is going to be the defining difference maker in their cash flow. The team getting good again and OKC growing as a market is the only way they would make up large swaths of revenue.

which not a major pro league ..

MLS is absolutely a major pro league

The thunder has until 2027 to have a new stadium as the extended lease is up in 2026

No way it would take 10 years, one World Trade Center took 9 years from beginning to end

I believe the explosive growth in non-local media rights is behind the increase in team revenue. IMO the Thunder achieve break even somewhere between game 78-82 in the regular season. I think the only time they might have been close to a capital call was when they went pretty deep into the luxury tax during the Paul George era in order to try and win when Clay Bennett was most ill. The franchise value has increased around 900% since they bought the Supersonics, and the only owners who cannot survive years of "tanking" are those who pledged their ownership shares against other loans. The McClendon shares might be so heavily cross-pledged that it could be another 8 years before they unbundle. All owners have given a "first right of refusal" to the other team owners, IIRC, so any sale will be a "share buyback" for the other owners.

Having said that, the need to be proactive and maximize revenue is more important now than ever. The NBA is the hottest "trophy team" on earth, because it is international and bypasses the United Kingdom limitation on Premier League soccer. That increases the pool of people with money that want to make a purchase and a move.

Louisville has been lobbying for an NBA team for years. Their arena call The KFC Yum Center was opened in 2010, and can seat 22,000 for basketball.

Time for OKC to keep up with the Joneses. You can only renovate so much. Time to build new.

Makes me wonder what changed.
You know they were involved with the projects slated for MAPS
Plus they had put money into the thunder alley plans which was nearing starting I think.

Then all of a sudden. Nope no more to this arena. We want new one.

Seems something changed in the minds of those involved.

Also I feel this a bad time as I feel fan base has slipped as I don’t know near as many who follow the team as they did earlier on. With the rebuild after we lost Westbrook, I feel people got less attached.
There might not be as much desire to pay up for new arena right now, especially if we are in recession. Might be hard time to get tax increase especially if RTA is also going to need a tax increase.

This is something virtually every city with a professional sports team has dealt with/will continue to deal with. You may not like it and you can say no and refuse to pay for a new arena but the franchise will absolutely look to move. It is what it is.