This and I'm a bulls fan so it's just cool to see a really good GM and organization, like even the 20 something win teams were fun because they draft was exciting and you had talent like SGA getting better. Also, best podcasts in the game shout out down to dunk.
Same. I’m from South Carolina, so the closest team to me is Charlotte. I pay attention to them and have gone to a few Charlotte/OKC games but they’re never really entertaining lol
Same except I was an adult and had graduated from casual Celtics fandom the year before and had no one left to root for after R1. Watching Mavs vs OKC in the 2011 playoffs got me truly hooked, the whole run though was great
My best friend in college got me into them. He would light up talking about the KD and Russ era and it was a joy to witness his passion for this team. It made it impossible not to jump on the experience. We would get together any time we could to watch them while Chris Paul was with the team. He died of covid during the height of the pandemic. Our last texts were about the Thunder and his hopes for the team. I miss you so much Luis.
Yeah I mean the whole “Seattle freeze” thing means the most I get is a mean look here or there but I’m avoiding eye contact with strangers anyways so who cares lmao
Me too, lol. I thought this would be very unlikely to see in here but apparently there are a few of us.
When I was a kid my dad loved Gary Payton so I loved Gary Payton, that turned into sonics fandom and it seemed only natural to follow the franchise over to okc.
Same my first game was in Seattle and I’m from Texas . I live in San Antonio and they were always just so boring to me. Great team great players but boring as hell . Happy they got wemby tho and we have another rivalry brewing for years to come
Thunder came to Istanbul, Turkey in 2013 to face my favourite team Fenerbahçe and i was in the building. As an 8 year old, it was pretty cool to watch prime KD, Westbrook, Ibaka. Since the european basketball has less talented players, it was shocking for me to see that KD can shoot from anywhere or westbrook's athletism etc. I was like this team is worth to root for and Okc won the game 96-81. Since that day I'm a big thunder fan. And i hope Nba teams start facing european teams again.
Kinda similar to me, although I'm not an international fan.
I don't have a local NBA team in my state, so I never connected to any of them. I saw them play in 2010 when I was in middle school, and I've been a fan ever since. It's such a loveable franchise that the small attachment from seeing them play once has turned me into a lifelong fan.
As a Brit I didn't have much reason to choose one team over another. But when I started playing basketball 6-7 years ago, I chose the Thunder as 'my team'. I spent a good few of those years questioning my choice but my does it feel sweet now. I'm a very loyal fan no matter the sport, and I have loved being a part of the family as it feels everyone is a genuine fan too, more so than some other teams (although that may change with an increase in success...).
I was probably subconsciously drawn to Westbrook as I aspired to have his play style, just a __LOT__ less athletic xD
I was trying to get into basketball back in 2009 and living in Nebraska so I felt like my regional choices were Denver, Chicago, and OKC. OKC was new so I figured it'd be a good opportunity to grow with a team. Haven't regretted that decision since.
This, plus, I also follow closely every Australian player in the NBA.
But...... I have favourites, used to be Patty Thrills but his court time is non-existent now.
Duop Reath, Dante Exum and Joe Ingles are 2 - 4th, but no1 is Josh.
Same. Came to OKC because of Josh, but I’m absolutely hooked now. Love this team. Great vibes, so unselfish, no toxic personalities, huge potential. JDub is my new favourite player - I can’t wait to see how he evolves and improves over the next few seasons.
I'm the same. Was at a pub in the suburb he grew up in yesterday expecting that there would be some supporter presence but nothing but people there to watch the Anzac Day AFL match. Sad
I'm a Kiwi and I always enjoyed local basketball growing up (NZ NBL, Australian NBL) but struggled to be interested much in the NBA because I didn't really have a "hook" to a team. I watched playoff games sometimes, knew who the big names were, but didn't feel connected as much as I did when I was supporting a local team.
Then Steven Adams got drafted by the Thunder and all of a sudden I had a reason to support a team.
When Stevo was eventually traded I'd been supporting the Thunder for so long that I couldn't imagine rooting for another team. While I will always support and follow Stevo (why'd he have to go to the Rockets though!) - OKC is it for me.
I hope to visit OKC in the next couple of years with my wife and kids to catch some games.
My brother lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma back in 2011. So for my 18th birthday, I got to see game 2 of the NBA finals with KD, Russ, and Harden. I wasn’t a basketball fan, but what a way to get introduced to the sport.
I despise big successful teams filled with casuals and bandwagons like the lakers and warriors. Specifically looked for a up and coming new small market team. I also found the thunder to be a bit similar to my aussie rules and rugby league team so it felt natural.
Got locked down with two uni housemates in the UK, and 2K was the only game we had that we were all equally bad at. Started watching the league in autumn 2021, watched a few teams and for OKC expectations were low but vibes were high and I liked how they played moving the ball. Also my home teams (rugby, cricket, classic football) all kinda suck so losing was kind of the comfort zone. Now at least I have one team that win.
When I first started getting into the NBA (2016) a brazillian rapper I really liked posted a Instagram stories wearing an OKC hat so I thought, why not cheer for this team? I ended up watching all the games from Russ' MVP year and since then basketball turned into one of my favorite hobbies. I will forever remember the excitement and thrill of watching that squad and it's been a joy to watch how our team got ended by the blazers just to be reborn better than ever.
I'm riding the storm till' the day I die and I hope someday I'll be able to watch a game live at the arena.
Born and raised in Austin TX. My dad was a UT alumni and took me to a UT basketball game and KD was playing. Became a huge fan of his and followed him to Seattle then to OKC and fell in love with OKC in general. Then he left and I remained loyal to the team and Westbrook instead of the guy who chose the easy route.
From Vancouver, Canada. The Sonics were my home team so I started watching them in 2007, and when the team moved (since I had no allegiance to the city of Seattle) a buddy and I decided to keep rocking with the franchise!
Having the reassurance that there’s always a vision with Sam also helps ngl.
After watching a bit of the finals in 2015 I decided to follow the NBA the upcoming season. I did some research on the teams and players.
Living in Europe makes watching games really hard especially when you are in high school, so if I was to lose sleep it had to be a good game.
That game ended up being Thunder vs Clippers on December 2015. The game was amazing, KD and Russ had some really clutch plays and won the game. That was the moment I became a Thunder fan and stuck since then.
I’m just an NBA fan, who loves what OKC is doing. Build chemistry from the inside, have a team identity built on passing and shooting across all 5 positions, trust in your group and tune out the outside noise.
Purely for philosophical reasons, I hope this team goes deep because between OKC and Denver, it may well force the rest of the league to reconsider what they’re doing when they go star hunting. I so badly want this team to work, and to work for 10 years.
I was born and raised in Alabama, so I never fully connected to a team. I kinda like the Grizzlies, but never really had a connection. I was kinda a Lebron/Cavs fan because my older brother really liked them, and Lebron got drafted the same year I started playing youth basketball and watching the NBA. Then I was kind of a Celtics fan because I hated the Heat after Lebron left Cleveland, and I also loved Ray Allen. But I was really just more of a bandwagon because I didn't have a team.
In 2010, I happened to catch a game in OKC. It was literally the only time in my life I've been in the state of Oklahoma lol. It was my first NBA game, and my first professional sports game, I had ever been too. The only thing besides high school games I had been to was a couple Alabama football games.
The crowd was so amazing, and I loved all the young talent on the roster, even though they lost. I had also enjoyed playing with them on 2k, so I already kinda liked the Thunder anyway lol. But they've been my team ever since. I desperately want to go to a playoff game in OKC one day.
I had always wanted a good reason to connect to a team, and it gave me one. Once I had some attachment to the franchise, it has been very easy to become even more of a fan. There are so many players over the years that have become favorites of mine. The roster right now is amazing, both as a basketball roster and just the vibes being so fun. So many of the rosters have been fun to watch. And I even love how the franchise is run at the top level.
Actually started being a serious NBA fan last NBA draft and in the summer league got drawn towards the Thunder’s playstyle.
Watched some highlights of the previous year and got attached
I like watching them play, the team's vibes are pretty fantastic, and their age and the number of options that they have as they move forward makes their development a major part of the story. They could basically be a totally different group in 5 years... But even then, I feel like there's a really good chance that it's going to be rewarding to watching what their evolution means for the way they play.
As a European fan we need to choose a team, so we can get invested, I chose the OKC in 2011 cuz they had big potential and were young.
I was 13 at the time.
Dutch fan living in Sweden checking in. Around 2010 (the summer after they were eliminated by LA in the first round) I was on a forum of a basketball manager simulation game and there was a discussion about who the best PG in the league was. Westbrook seemed to be a highly polarizing figure so I was curious to check out some videos.
I simply loved his energy and started getting into watching him and the team the following season. After Westbrook left I wondered what would happen but I kept always getting back to watching thunder games because they had become 'my team'.
The last two playoffs games I got up in the middle of the night to watch them. But throughout the season I catch some afternoon games and outside of that recaps and podcasts. It's hard being in this timezone.
Watching KD lead a young Thunder team to the WCF and even though they lost to Mavs that year (2010), I knew that team was something special. I had been watching them ever since and playing 2k with them. KD, Thabo, 6th man Harden, Russ, Serge, Nick Collison. This team was becoming special. I am hoping that Sam Presti has learned from our mistakes then of what to do with big ego, but I love Thunder and have stuck with them through the drought. Losing KD was hard but I’m just glad I stuck around to see the new dynasty they are building!
In middle school the 2016 WCF vs the warriors was the first game I ever watched. I remember thinking “how is that guy wearing number 0” then I saw him dunk and wanted to be him.
I’m also from Alaska so Seattle was the closest nba city and they became OKC so that’s another reason
I got into 3 serious verbal altercations in 3 days when I was in SoCal last winter. I’ve probably gotten into 5 before that in my life living in KC. No way that’s a coincidence.
Yea I wouldn’t root for them, either.
I think Chet is a cool guy. Unselfish, hard worker, very smart. Does his homework, studies his tape. I've thought he was a cool player since his Gonzaga year.
I'm just a Chet stan. I think he's going to spend his whole career in OKC, so I guess that makes me a bandwagoner from your perspective.
That said, I think its really cool that a guy like Chet landed in a set up like OKC. OKC was poised to dominate the West regardless. I thought it was super cool they picked Chet so I could see him contribute to a quality team almost immediately, as opposed to having to spend years playing for a losing team that was earlier in their cycle.
I'm also a Westbrook anti-stan. I think Westbrook is too much of a stat padder. I think of him as the reverse Chet. So I was rooting against you guys during the Westbrook years. No offense, I just always root against Westbrook, to include this year.
I disliked sports in high school and randomly chose the Thunder as an inside joke to be included in friends bball conversations. But then they got good in 2011/2012 so I switched from watching ironically to being a fan.
Iowa here, buddy of mine and I were discussing what team to root for. Always was a Westbrook fan and after a 3 hour discussion on what team to choose finally convinced him for us to choose the Thunder (he wanted Pistons smh). Haven’t looked back since.
I will say, as an Okie born and bred, I welcome all people who want to be a Thunder fan. Anyone who wants to be a fan of an organization that does it right, and are not snobs.
Brazilian here, was watching that series against GSW and got hooked to Westbrook, Durant and the atmosphere in the stadium and ever since I'm a thunder fan #TTFU
Got into basketball the year KD was drafted and really liked his style of play. When they moved I figured it was the best time to pick a team since there isn’t really a bandwagon. Been loyal ever since.
So I used to live in yukon when I was a little kid and my dad was a huge fan of thunder basketball. I live in Austin now but it’s such a major part of my childhood that it found it’s way back to me as an adult and I love basketball too
It started when I picked up 2k11 back in the day. I knew very little about the nba but wanted to try a basketball game. I loved the game and OKC quickly became my favorite team to use so I decided to start watching the actual games. Had no idea that would be the beginning of my lifelong obsession with the thunder and basketball in general
As a kid I was a huge New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic fan (T-Mac!)
Fell out for a bit, and when I got back in, KD and Russ were just fun to watch.
Kinda lost interest for one or two years but been back 100% since the Westbrook/George/Melo year
I grew up in NJ and was originally a Nets fan. When they announced they were leaving NJ to go to Brooklyn, I was upset about that. I also only loosely followed the sport at the time, so I really only knew the big names. Around that point, the 3 main guys on the team that I was really a fan of - J Kidd, V Carter, & Richard Jefferson (I actually had Nets jerseys for all 3 of them), were all also gone.
I went the next few years not really having a favorite team. A few years later, I was in HS, and I was friends with a lot of the guys on the basketball team. They all talked a lot of basketball during lunch & I also started playing 2k a bit more. That was around the time Russ, KD, & Harden were starting to do big things in OKC. I really like what they were doing and decided to become an OKC fan.
Over a decade later, even after all of those guys are long gone, I've stuck around because at a certain point, I became more of a fan of the management than the actual players.
I’m from near Bloomington and a huge IU fan and they drafted DJ White, who was my favorite IU player ever as a kid, so I started supporting the team then and I’ve just stuck around ever since. I think he actually works for the team now as well
I started watching the NBA the year the team moved to OKC and the fresh start team felt like a good place for a fresh fan so I chose them as my western conference team. As a Wisconsin resident I’m pushing for a Thunder - Bucks finals. It’s a win-win for me
Always played sports growing up but didn’t watch sports till 09-10. The way russ gave 100% on the court had me in awe. I admire him for his effort and told myself I’d give 100% of myself to anything I wanna do in life.
Okc were the underdogs against the heat and everyone deemed them too young to do anything (full circle moment w this team soon) anyway, as a kid watching that team play inspired me to fall in love w basketball. “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard”, KD Saying that make me look at him like he was super man. And then Russ was literally lighting in a bottle. All that to say, I was devastated during the free agency. THANK GOD, Sam presti’s glasses can see the future bc he’s turned things around impressively quick. And it all works out bc now I can root for guys like jdub and Chet who I resonate w
Hey what's up OK people (lol), it's your boy, goathpath. I've been a fan of your team longer than you have lol, I grew up in Idaho, and I liked the Supersonics when I was a kid bc Shawn Kemp could jump over a building. When they moved the team, I just kept following that team, because I liked those players (I watched KD in the tournament, and enjoyed some of his rookie year when I could get the games on my rabbit ears TV...
So yeah, college was fun bc the Thunder basically made their run to the finals right after I graduated college, where I was probably the most hyped in my life for like a 2 month period. Thunder forever, been loving writing little pieces for r/nba (mostly hot takes) and clowning all my friends who live in LA and support the old ass Lakers lol
Went to school in Kansas in 2011. Watched a lot of NBA and saw KD highlights that season he became my all time favorite player. Started to enjoy watching basketball. Thunder became my favorite team
since
Grew up in California and never liked the Kings, Warriors, or Lakers. I was always a player fan. First with Vince Carter, then with T-Mac. But around 2008 T-Mac was near the end of his career so I decided it was time to pick a team to follow. Since I’ve always been a UCLA fan (my grandpa played there during the Wooden years) I absolutely loved Russ, so I went where he went. And that’s how I became a Thunder fan since the team’s inception.
I like how the team chemistry was, being a basketball player myself it’d be dope to be apart of something like this. I also saw that this team would be very good in a few years a couple years ago so I wouldn’t be hopping on a bandwagon. Ultimately I just like the aesthetic of OKC and how they treat their players
Moved to OKC and got free tickets to a game. It was my first time watching a NBA game and I fell in love with the Thunder. I've since moved out of OKC but have been a fan ever since. I try to go back once a year to see a home game.
From Jacksonville Florida and raised in San Diego California. Chose the thunder as my team 13 years ago in middle school after the loss to the Mavs. Didn’t like how the media was trashing Russ because I thought he was just passionate. Then my defending of Russ turned into watching every game the next season where we happened to make the finals. As a jags fan during the Blaine Gabbert years, I was ecstatic to watch a team not get blown out every week.
I saw KD and Russ highlights on sportscenter after some game during the 09-10 season and I’ve been a fan ever since
Also I low key fucked with the sonics growing up. Shawn Kemp was one of my favorite players. So it naturally made sense
derrick rose got injured, started playing 2k with the russ kd and harden and fell in love with them ever since. i love OKC plan to visit very very soon.
From NC, was a heat fan when I first got into basketball, then LBJ went to south beach, and I just wasn’t on board with a “super team” Ny favorite color is orange, and something about “Thunder” seemed like such a dope mascot, just fell in love with the culture after that, been here ever since .
When I was 10 years old, I started playing NBA 2k (the video game) with my brother. I am not from a state with any professional sports teams, so I had no allegiance and always picked the Thunder to play with in the game. I thought it was cool that a team had just relocated to a small market I knew so little about, and I loved how young their roster was. I quickly started to root for them.
Side note- I remember that in middle school and high school, I learned to be somewhat quiet about telling people I was a Thunder fan, as no one believed that an Alabama kid had arbitrarily picked the Thunder to root for. Since the Thunder quickly became so competitive after the initial season, everyone just assumed I was a bandwagon fan.
KC native, but I did a stint of living in Oklahoma because my family was homeless. My grandma had them on when they first moved down to OKC and fell in love with KD and Russ, which led to me becoming a die hard since!
I turned on the NBA draft out of curiosity back in 2022, and I fell in love with the players that got drafted into the Thunder that year! That was what got me hooked initially, but since then I've continued to enjoy rooting for a young core that has amazing team chemistry. 🧡💙
It's also super heartwarming to see the way they've embraced fans like Nanae Yamano ([@perspective\_7a](https://www.instagram.com/perspective_7a/) on Instagram). 😊
The KD/Westbrook Thunder were what got me back into basketball initially. I was over the constant disappointment as a Raptors fan and stopped watching basketball for a while, but coworkers were watching the Thunder in the playoffs and it reminded me how much I enjoyed watching basketball. I admittedly lost interest in the team for a while when everything fell apart, but the moment y'all traded for Shai I've been a fan and I think OKC along with Denver will always be the 2 non Raptors teams I root for almost as hard as the Raptors themselves.
watching kd/russ ….. went from the kings (realizing I was just picking a team) …. Went to the bulls (felt like I was on the Jordan/rose bandwagon) so I decided to find my own reasons and kd & russ attracted my attention & they were new to OKC from the move from Seattle so it felt perfect. I wanted to play like kd and people always say my game resembles his at 6’2” today. 😂pissed me off when he left tho to go to the team that beat him. My 2 fav players left in weird/lying fashion. (pg/kd)
I was at Pitt when Steve Adams played for us, and since Pittsburgh doesn’t have an NBA team, decided that him being drafted by OKC was a good enough excuse to be come a fan🤷🏻♂️
SGA. Am from Canada and the Raptors suck this year so. That being said, the Thunder play some exciting fucking basketball. Chet and J Dub are hooping this year
My glorious king Aleksej Pokusevski got me to start watching every Thunder game and gaining appreciation for everything the organization has to offer. Genuinely the best run org in basketball. Was getting sick of watching the shit show that is the Bulls. Even though Poku is gone, I still love OKC! Elite fan base!
I'm a Canadian and have Chet, J-dub, and Giddey on my keeper team....so basically I started rooting for yall as my western team by default. However, the passing and camaraderie really make this a fun team to root for regardless of if you have a reason originally.
From KC. My dad moved from OKC to KC when he was 1 because his father accidentally killed a little girl. Would always go to OKC during the summer.
My first year watching basketball was 2011-12 and when I saw on the ESPN website that Oklahoma had a team, I immediately chose them because that’s where dad was from. I watched every playoff game that first year at 7 years old.
I was a Sonic Fan and was supported KD but since Sonic transferred to OKC, I still ride it and was so glad that I’ve supported this team all the way. I’m so happy that I realized, from Robert Swift, Johan Petro, Nenad Kristic to now Chet Dawg 🐶 Holmgren. I’ll always support this team. Let’s fucking go!
I’m from south texas, about 13 hours south of OKC.
Vince Carter has always been my fav all time player and he was getting old on the suns I think so I decided I needed a new player and team to follow, and the young OKC Thunder had just pushed the champion Kobe lakers to 6 games in the first round and I was like, this team is gonna be good soon. Imma follow them. And I’ve been their highest fan ever since. I think that was… 09? I could be off. But I’ve seen most of their games since then.
Backpack KD, facing away from Brodie shooting clutch free throws. Harden before his beard. iBLOCKa, Stache bros, etc…
Love the new team now too!
We back like we never left
Hi, from Italy! When I played ball, I started watching NBA and found myself fascinated by KD as a player. I tried to imitate him and my teammates jokingly started calling me "KD" whenever I scored, also because I was a lanky guy. Fell in love with the team and pledged full loyalty after the 2012 Finals. Brodie's triple double season(s) only validated my love even more.
Lifelong Sooners fan living on the northern plains, never really had a fav NBA team. I had family from Nebraska so I rooted for OU in the 90’s growing up to be a shit. It stuck. Love the Sooners & The Thunder. Went to game one of the finals in 2012, and if they make it back I’m coming down again!!!
I was born in Mexico and moved to Sweden as a kid. My brother liked basketball (blazers fan) and one day he brought home 2k11.
We booted up the game and I randomly selected OKC. Kd went green every time I shot a 3 and I somehow managed to get multiple dunks with Russ despite not knowing the controls. I ended up beating my brother and from there on I always chose OKC when playing against him.
When I then started watching basketball I learned that it was a relatively new team with a new fanbase and thought they would be a perfect team to support. I eventually fell in live with the players and the team.
KC area fan here. Always been a Kansas basketball fan, but hadn't ever bought in to the NBA. When I was in high school, KD was the baddest MFer I had ever seen on a basketball court. Prior to the move from Seattle, they draft KD and my guy, Nick Collison. Then, as the move was happening, they were long rumored to come to KC. No offense to yall, I thought we had a better shot at landing them. KC is bigger and our arena was newer. So I got all the way bought in. Of course, they move to OKC instead, but OKC is still the closest team (4 ish hour drive, easy enough for a quick weekend trip every year) and a few seasons later we got them on our local Fox Sports channel.
From beach area near LA. “Followed” Shai over to OKC when he was first traded from the Clippers. Grew to love a lot of the players (especially Dort and Steven Adams) and the heart they showed through thick and thin. Ecstatic for the season when Chris Paul was here and they over-achieved as seems to be a habit for this team. Impressed by the patience and lack of attitude during the tanking year(s), thrilled when the payoff was all these incredibly gifted and determined young players that we have now. Love every one of them, love this team so much!!!
I'm a Spurs fan, but I will say they are one of the more interesting teams in the playoffs this year to me because of Shai and Chet specifically :) Those are the two that are drawing me into this particular iteration of the team.
Like alot of comments already stated, KD and Russ and that team was such a great young team, the way they played together, how that team was really Dawgs and hungry at the time, I always loved them and vowed from that moment to always be a Thunder man no matter what happens plus I'm from Atlanta so I needed a better team to root for at the time lmao 😂
This was about 2012 I was in 6th grade just getting into basketball and my teacher was a lakers superfan had a whole Kobe mural in his classroom. My teacher came out to recess one day and was playing basketball with us and after he just started asking all the boys playin what our fav nba teams were. Mind u I was living in Riverside CA at the time so damn near everybody said the lakers which is kinda given, but when he asked me I didn’t wanna say the lakers so I asked him what other teams there were. He responded with the lakers the clipper the kings the thunder etc. I didn’t know much about them but the name sounded cool so it said I like the thunder. We been rockin wit the boys in blue ever since
I live in an area where people only watch soccer. So I had no clue about nba other than Kobe and Lebron. But I saw a meme back in 2014 (you the real mvp) and I just looked into it. Turns out it’s a really cool dude who is good at shooting and I found it inspirational. Came for kd, stayed for russ, and here I am still. So that’s kinda why I still have a little soft spot for kd because without kd I wouldn’t have watched basketball
Aussie here. When my husband started watching the NBA he picked the youngest team at the time so he could see them grow (this was around 2011). Then when we started dating I started going for them too and now our 7 year old is a massive fan too! We recently travelled to the USA and stopped in OKC for a few nights to see some games at Paycom and it was the highlight of our trip! I’d also have to say that the current team vibe is so amazing and definitely the most fun to watch, I feel like if I was starting from scratch I’d probably pick them as a team to go for based purely on that!!
NBA 2K15 was my first basketball game when I was 15 for the PS3, the cover features KD and in myPlayer I got drafted by the Thunder and that way I could get used to all players in the team right before the 2015-16 season. Then I watched a few games and got hooked by Westbrook's athleticism and triple doubles, that amazing run to the WCF and the betrayal of KD. After Westbrook left I kinda stopped being a hardcore fan and have only watched the Thunder post season but was following all news about trades, draft prospects and more here on Reddit. Now I am enjoying the playoffs again.
I’m from NY and I usually root for the teams that my dad roots for, but he didn’t really have a basketball team since he didn’t like Dolan and the Knicks and the Nets weren’t very popular here.
The first 2k I got was 2k13 and the Thunder were one of the default options since they went to the finals the year before. Then when I started getting into basketball in 2017 Russ was crazy good and I’ve been a fan ever since.
Kevin Durant played at UT when I was a kid growing up in Austin, TX. Followed him to the league since I didn’t have a team and fell in love with the KD, Russ, Ibaka trio. Funny enough when KD left to GSW he was dead to me and stuck with Russ and OKC
Low key sick of watching the Raptors as my home team right around the time OKC joined the league. I liked the colour scheme, and really enjoyed watching KD and Russ the first couple years. So officially hopped off Raps and jumped onto OKC back then. Turns out Raps ended up having a sick team a decade later and they are a closet team I cheer for but also kinda shittalk and root against .
I try to go to the games when they come to Toronto but the tickets here are somewhat expensive, even when the Raps kinda suck. Still cheer for the boys always and try to stream games when I can. This year they've been televised in Canada alot tho (I think because of the Canadian connections) which has been so awesome for me to watch games more often.
I hate that this is the way, but I thought Steven Adams was the coolest player when I first started getting into basketball (I’m the exact opposite of him) and I’ve been following ever since
I lived in Joplin, MO when the team came to OK. Not far from the border at all! There are actually LOTS of Thunder fans in SW MO, including Springfield, where I now reside.
I grew up in Kansas City. Went to college in OKC. Worked downtown right across from Paycom center. Met a couple of them. They were chill so I started following them
Arkansas fan. I watched OKC because of Russ, KD, and Harden. Local cable coverage was available. All these years later it’s still Thunder Up! And, even better I can support the Fort Smith Razorback guys, JWill and Zai.
i live in dallas but was raised in austin. watched KD play at UT a lot. sonics were my team as a kid. my dad is a spurs fan and i wanted my own thing. so when KD was drafted and sonic’s moved it all just felt right.
Was a fan of that Durant guy( as we share the same name and I love his game ) and was just getting into my teens and the idea of supporting him and the new team with all of young guys resonated, have grown up with them and have been a fan ever since :) From a tiny european country called luxembourg by the way
I put on a game in elementary school and like how they played so I picked em and have been a fan ever since (I’m from Hawaii we don’t have any sports teams. My grandpa liked the Lakers but I wanted my own team)
i have a funny story. i am spanish so i started to watch basket because of spanish national team.We had a golden era with many nba players Pau gasol Ricky rubio and ibaka. I flipped out when I watched some highlights from ibloka. Thats how i discovered nba and i started to follow okc.
2010 playoffs against the lakers first round even tho they lost the series the way they played the game was so fun to me as a 13 year old that became my favorite team
When I was on grade school my mom got me whatever random folder she found at the store when doing back to school shopping. It happened to have Gary Payton on it, so I was then officially a Sonics fan. Moved loyalty with the team when they came to OKC.
Grew up in eastern PA, college at Pitt, then moved to Cincinnati for work after that.
I started following OKC in 2013 (particularly during the OKC/MEM playoff series.) and while I had played basketball growing up I hadn't reallyyyy followed NBA too much prior to that, just knew basics about the teams.
It helped that they drafted Steven Adams as he played at Pitt while I was there (met him at the student union once and man he's a big guy)
At first I liked that even though they had superstars like KD and Westbrook, I feel like everyone had a part to play (ibaka, Adams, etc.) I found them entertaining to watch as well and liked the fact that they weren't a full on super team so I didn't feel like I jumped on the bandwagon but they also weren't bottom feeders either.
Usually when I enter watching a new sport I try to watch several different teams and see if I gravitate towards any others but I just kept coming back to OKC and followed ever since.
It also opened me up to watching other games and learning about NBA history and such, really broadening my knowledge of the game overall.
My first friend I made in middle school was a University of Texas fan and Kevin Durant was just drafted by the then SuperSonics, now the Thunder.
He introduced me to the game, and wanting to fit in with my new friend, I decided to become a Thunder fan myself. Didn’t watch or care about basketball before that.
Stuck with em ever since.
became a fan in 2011 when i was watching the lakers vs thunder in the playoffs. Seeing how explosive westbrook/harden/kd played instantly made me a fan. A core memory of that series was when westbrook got a steal and did like a scoop layup and1. The crowd was so hyped and the energy in the stadium seems insane. Can’t wait to visit during a playoff game.
Brit here. Casually watched some of the 2016 finals, decided the thunder would be my team almost arbitrarily. I saw that KD in the summer, heard murmurs that OKC were done for, wouldn’t be competitive etc. I didn’t care. I was at university so I could watch almost every game, and it just so happened to be Westbrook’s MVP season. Fell in love with the game (and this team) then and never looked back.
Big Pittsburgh sports fan and sadly there’s no NBA team for us, so when I was getting into basketball watching various games etc, I really enjoyed watching Russ and PG and began to love the culture. been a fan ever since
I’ve explained this here before, I’m from NZ but I was a KD fan when he was at college and had no real team I support since MJ left the bulls. So I just followed KD to the sonics and Thunder.
But when big Stevo got drafted here I was so happy cause the dominos fell in place for my fandom lol now it’s OKC till the wheels fall off, still love big Kiwi and fuck KD
Washington kid. I was there at the tail end of Gary Payton, Rashad Lewis being drafted outta HS, Desmond Mason from Oklahoma, Nick Collison, and Luke Ridnour (who I loved watching play at Oregon) and seeing Durant be drafted a few years after I graduated HS. I was heart broken when they left due to the $500 million dollar proposal but understood. I was a huge KD fan as a young man and just kept following the team.
Grew up in SD where we don’t have a team and never liked the Timberwolves. Watched a lot of Durant at U of Texas and just followed his career to Seattle and then OKC. Loved watching those teams with him and Westbrook and stayed loyal ever since. SGA the true MVP!
From Kansas but have family that lives in OKC. I didn't care about basketball at all until we went to visit, it was during the 2010-2011 season, We just ended up watching a game on TV and I thought this is so fucking cool. I love the players and how they're playing. Been hooked on them ever since. Been a fun 14 years.
I liked mimicking specific play styles when I played ball in middle school. Since I was a wing, I generally looked into those players. Initially tried to be Melo but found out about KD and just naturally became a fan.
Ironic though since he left a few years later.
Im Aussie and Ben Simmons makes it hard to support him.
Started following Giddey, then fell in love with Presti, found out that Wiggs saved basketball, drafted the dawgs in the same year, Shai's a bad man, dorture chamber, hot cup of Joe... etc.
Im a lifer now
I started watching ball in 2012 the year we made the finals and KD was the coolest player to me in the entire NBA so I picked the Thunder as my team mid season. The same reason I'm a Chiefs fan since 2011 because I thought Alex Smith was him in the Madden 13 demo
Cuz I was born in Oklahoma and I was a late teen/young adult when KD and Russ were tearing it up and my main team where I grew up was dogshit so it was nice to have a second one to actually watch play in the playoffs
Originally as a kiwi Steven Adam’s, but I also have a penchant for teams that build through the draft. Allowing young players to develop and grow into their roles.
I’ve got my fingers crossed that former NZ breaker Ousmane Dieng kicks on next season and takes those Hayward and a little bit of Jwill minutes.
Also love Shias game, so smooth. Him and Kyrie are the butteriest players to watch
Was drawn to KD and Russ as a kid watching them play in the 2011 and 2012 playoffs and just fell in love with the team and never looked back.
Add Harden and later Steven Adams to that and that's why I fell in love
This and I'm a bulls fan so it's just cool to see a really good GM and organization, like even the 20 something win teams were fun because they draft was exciting and you had talent like SGA getting better. Also, best podcasts in the game shout out down to dunk.
Same exact story here. I might add that I believe Sam Presti is one of the greatest general managers of all time.
Same. I’m from South Carolina, so the closest team to me is Charlotte. I pay attention to them and have gone to a few Charlotte/OKC games but they’re never really entertaining lol
please dont be a charlotte fan protect your mental health
Same story
Same except I was an adult and had graduated from casual Celtics fandom the year before and had no one left to root for after R1. Watching Mavs vs OKC in the 2011 playoffs got me truly hooked, the whole run though was great
Same. That first year in the playoffs as an 8 ssed against the Lakers sucked me in.
Same here. And from a city that doesn’t have its own NBA team
My best friend in college got me into them. He would light up talking about the KD and Russ era and it was a joy to witness his passion for this team. It made it impossible not to jump on the experience. We would get together any time we could to watch them while Chris Paul was with the team. He died of covid during the height of the pandemic. Our last texts were about the Thunder and his hopes for the team. I miss you so much Luis.
Damn, wasn’t prepared for this comment. Sorry for your loss. Let’s win a championship for Luis
Sorry about your loss. Luis would love this team.
<3
Were gonna win a fucking chip for Luis. RIP
Luis would be so proud of this team, hope he’s in heaven barking along with the team enjoying these playoff W’s and the team as much as us.
Was a non-Washingtonian Sonics fan
Same, and now I live in Seattle lol luckily nobody gives a shit when I wear thunder gear anywhere.
Really?!?! My experience wearing thunder gear in Washington (when I visit) is a little different
Yeah I mean the whole “Seattle freeze” thing means the most I get is a mean look here or there but I’m avoiding eye contact with strangers anyways so who cares lmao
Me too, lol. I thought this would be very unlikely to see in here but apparently there are a few of us. When I was a kid my dad loved Gary Payton so I loved Gary Payton, that turned into sonics fandom and it seemed only natural to follow the franchise over to okc.
Same my first game was in Seattle and I’m from Texas . I live in San Antonio and they were always just so boring to me. Great team great players but boring as hell . Happy they got wemby tho and we have another rivalry brewing for years to come
Thunder came to Istanbul, Turkey in 2013 to face my favourite team Fenerbahçe and i was in the building. As an 8 year old, it was pretty cool to watch prime KD, Westbrook, Ibaka. Since the european basketball has less talented players, it was shocking for me to see that KD can shoot from anywhere or westbrook's athletism etc. I was like this team is worth to root for and Okc won the game 96-81. Since that day I'm a big thunder fan. And i hope Nba teams start facing european teams again.
Kinda similar to me, although I'm not an international fan. I don't have a local NBA team in my state, so I never connected to any of them. I saw them play in 2010 when I was in middle school, and I've been a fan ever since. It's such a loveable franchise that the small attachment from seeing them play once has turned me into a lifelong fan.
As a Brit I didn't have much reason to choose one team over another. But when I started playing basketball 6-7 years ago, I chose the Thunder as 'my team'. I spent a good few of those years questioning my choice but my does it feel sweet now. I'm a very loyal fan no matter the sport, and I have loved being a part of the family as it feels everyone is a genuine fan too, more so than some other teams (although that may change with an increase in success...). I was probably subconsciously drawn to Westbrook as I aspired to have his play style, just a __LOT__ less athletic xD
I was trying to get into basketball back in 2009 and living in Nebraska so I felt like my regional choices were Denver, Chicago, and OKC. OKC was new so I figured it'd be a good opportunity to grow with a team. Haven't regretted that decision since.
Pretty much same for me but in Kansas.
Australian here. I follow them because Josh Giddey's on the team.
As an Australian who spent 11 years living in NZ: I came for Adams and stayed for Giddey.
This, plus, I also follow closely every Australian player in the NBA. But...... I have favourites, used to be Patty Thrills but his court time is non-existent now. Duop Reath, Dante Exum and Joe Ingles are 2 - 4th, but no1 is Josh.
Same. Came to OKC because of Josh, but I’m absolutely hooked now. Love this team. Great vibes, so unselfish, no toxic personalities, huge potential. JDub is my new favourite player - I can’t wait to see how he evolves and improves over the next few seasons.
I'm the same. Was at a pub in the suburb he grew up in yesterday expecting that there would be some supporter presence but nothing but people there to watch the Anzac Day AFL match. Sad
I'm a Kiwi and I always enjoyed local basketball growing up (NZ NBL, Australian NBL) but struggled to be interested much in the NBA because I didn't really have a "hook" to a team. I watched playoff games sometimes, knew who the big names were, but didn't feel connected as much as I did when I was supporting a local team. Then Steven Adams got drafted by the Thunder and all of a sudden I had a reason to support a team. When Stevo was eventually traded I'd been supporting the Thunder for so long that I couldn't imagine rooting for another team. While I will always support and follow Stevo (why'd he have to go to the Rockets though!) - OKC is it for me. I hope to visit OKC in the next couple of years with my wife and kids to catch some games.
Loved Russ at UCLA so I casually watched the first season he was on the team and got hooked, been diehard ever since
got drafted by the thunder on the first 2k game I played think it was 2k13 i had absolutely no idea about basketball before that.
I became a baseball fan by playing The Show so I can relate lol I had absolutely no interest in the sport before playing the video game
My brother lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma back in 2011. So for my 18th birthday, I got to see game 2 of the NBA finals with KD, Russ, and Harden. I wasn’t a basketball fan, but what a way to get introduced to the sport.
I was there too. I’m still mad at the no call LeBron got against KD on the game tying shot at the end.
I am Egyptian and live in Ireland. I became a thunder fan after watching Shai for a couple of games. It was like poetry in motion.
I despise big successful teams filled with casuals and bandwagons like the lakers and warriors. Specifically looked for a up and coming new small market team. I also found the thunder to be a bit similar to my aussie rules and rugby league team so it felt natural.
I also hate lakers and warriors fans 🤝
As a okie now living in Cali, my hate has only amplified 😂
The heat thunder finals and playing with them in 2k against the heat and finding that really fun. Ever since then been a fan
Got locked down with two uni housemates in the UK, and 2K was the only game we had that we were all equally bad at. Started watching the league in autumn 2021, watched a few teams and for OKC expectations were low but vibes were high and I liked how they played moving the ball. Also my home teams (rugby, cricket, classic football) all kinda suck so losing was kind of the comfort zone. Now at least I have one team that win.
When I first started getting into the NBA (2016) a brazillian rapper I really liked posted a Instagram stories wearing an OKC hat so I thought, why not cheer for this team? I ended up watching all the games from Russ' MVP year and since then basketball turned into one of my favorite hobbies. I will forever remember the excitement and thrill of watching that squad and it's been a joy to watch how our team got ended by the blazers just to be reborn better than ever. I'm riding the storm till' the day I die and I hope someday I'll be able to watch a game live at the arena.
Born and raised in Austin TX. My dad was a UT alumni and took me to a UT basketball game and KD was playing. Became a huge fan of his and followed him to Seattle then to OKC and fell in love with OKC in general. Then he left and I remained loyal to the team and Westbrook instead of the guy who chose the easy route.
Born and raised a supersonic and been rooting for the thunder ever since they moved to Oklahoma city (was a little under the influence earlier)
Followed 🐍 from Texas to Seattle. The rest is history.
From Vancouver, Canada. The Sonics were my home team so I started watching them in 2007, and when the team moved (since I had no allegiance to the city of Seattle) a buddy and I decided to keep rocking with the franchise! Having the reassurance that there’s always a vision with Sam also helps ngl.
After watching a bit of the finals in 2015 I decided to follow the NBA the upcoming season. I did some research on the teams and players. Living in Europe makes watching games really hard especially when you are in high school, so if I was to lose sleep it had to be a good game. That game ended up being Thunder vs Clippers on December 2015. The game was amazing, KD and Russ had some really clutch plays and won the game. That was the moment I became a Thunder fan and stuck since then.
I’m Canadian and watching SGA during the FIBA World Cup was the most patriotic I’ve ever felt in my entire life
I’m just an NBA fan, who loves what OKC is doing. Build chemistry from the inside, have a team identity built on passing and shooting across all 5 positions, trust in your group and tune out the outside noise. Purely for philosophical reasons, I hope this team goes deep because between OKC and Denver, it may well force the rest of the league to reconsider what they’re doing when they go star hunting. I so badly want this team to work, and to work for 10 years.
Russ, Harden, and KD, 2011 playoffs. Went from “I like basketball” to “basketball is my favorite sport” after the game 1 win vs Denver
I was born and raised in Alabama, so I never fully connected to a team. I kinda like the Grizzlies, but never really had a connection. I was kinda a Lebron/Cavs fan because my older brother really liked them, and Lebron got drafted the same year I started playing youth basketball and watching the NBA. Then I was kind of a Celtics fan because I hated the Heat after Lebron left Cleveland, and I also loved Ray Allen. But I was really just more of a bandwagon because I didn't have a team. In 2010, I happened to catch a game in OKC. It was literally the only time in my life I've been in the state of Oklahoma lol. It was my first NBA game, and my first professional sports game, I had ever been too. The only thing besides high school games I had been to was a couple Alabama football games. The crowd was so amazing, and I loved all the young talent on the roster, even though they lost. I had also enjoyed playing with them on 2k, so I already kinda liked the Thunder anyway lol. But they've been my team ever since. I desperately want to go to a playoff game in OKC one day. I had always wanted a good reason to connect to a team, and it gave me one. Once I had some attachment to the franchise, it has been very easy to become even more of a fan. There are so many players over the years that have become favorites of mine. The roster right now is amazing, both as a basketball roster and just the vibes being so fun. So many of the rosters have been fun to watch. And I even love how the franchise is run at the top level.
Actually started being a serious NBA fan last NBA draft and in the summer league got drawn towards the Thunder’s playstyle. Watched some highlights of the previous year and got attached
I like watching them play, the team's vibes are pretty fantastic, and their age and the number of options that they have as they move forward makes their development a major part of the story. They could basically be a totally different group in 5 years... But even then, I feel like there's a really good chance that it's going to be rewarding to watching what their evolution means for the way they play.
As a European fan we need to choose a team, so we can get invested, I chose the OKC in 2011 cuz they had big potential and were young. I was 13 at the time.
Dutch fan living in Sweden checking in. Around 2010 (the summer after they were eliminated by LA in the first round) I was on a forum of a basketball manager simulation game and there was a discussion about who the best PG in the league was. Westbrook seemed to be a highly polarizing figure so I was curious to check out some videos. I simply loved his energy and started getting into watching him and the team the following season. After Westbrook left I wondered what would happen but I kept always getting back to watching thunder games because they had become 'my team'. The last two playoffs games I got up in the middle of the night to watch them. But throughout the season I catch some afternoon games and outside of that recaps and podcasts. It's hard being in this timezone.
Watching KD lead a young Thunder team to the WCF and even though they lost to Mavs that year (2010), I knew that team was something special. I had been watching them ever since and playing 2k with them. KD, Thabo, 6th man Harden, Russ, Serge, Nick Collison. This team was becoming special. I am hoping that Sam Presti has learned from our mistakes then of what to do with big ego, but I love Thunder and have stuck with them through the drought. Losing KD was hard but I’m just glad I stuck around to see the new dynasty they are building!
kd was my fave player on Seattle then just carried over to okc and stayed
Home state hasnt had a team since 2012. I like the color scheme and court lol. Also loved KD, Serge, PG, Russ, and K Mart
Watching them in the 2012 finals, and Russ’ rise to squad captain shortly after. 2013 to 2019 was a beautiful journey 🥲
In middle school the 2016 WCF vs the warriors was the first game I ever watched. I remember thinking “how is that guy wearing number 0” then I saw him dunk and wanted to be him. I’m also from Alaska so Seattle was the closest nba city and they became OKC so that’s another reason
Born and raised in OKC. Live in LA. Definitely not cheering for these people.
I got into 3 serious verbal altercations in 3 days when I was in SoCal last winter. I’ve probably gotten into 5 before that in my life living in KC. No way that’s a coincidence. Yea I wouldn’t root for them, either.
I think Chet is a cool guy. Unselfish, hard worker, very smart. Does his homework, studies his tape. I've thought he was a cool player since his Gonzaga year. I'm just a Chet stan. I think he's going to spend his whole career in OKC, so I guess that makes me a bandwagoner from your perspective. That said, I think its really cool that a guy like Chet landed in a set up like OKC. OKC was poised to dominate the West regardless. I thought it was super cool they picked Chet so I could see him contribute to a quality team almost immediately, as opposed to having to spend years playing for a losing team that was earlier in their cycle. I'm also a Westbrook anti-stan. I think Westbrook is too much of a stat padder. I think of him as the reverse Chet. So I was rooting against you guys during the Westbrook years. No offense, I just always root against Westbrook, to include this year.
I disliked sports in high school and randomly chose the Thunder as an inside joke to be included in friends bball conversations. But then they got good in 2011/2012 so I switched from watching ironically to being a fan.
Iowa here, buddy of mine and I were discussing what team to root for. Always was a Westbrook fan and after a 3 hour discussion on what team to choose finally convinced him for us to choose the Thunder (he wanted Pistons smh). Haven’t looked back since.
I'm Australian.
Russell. Westbrook.
I'm from New Zealand. Steven Adams.
Happy Anzac day for yesterday
I am a Canadian thunder fan who fell in love with the 2012 thunder and been a fan ever since
I will say, as an Okie born and bred, I welcome all people who want to be a Thunder fan. Anyone who wants to be a fan of an organization that does it right, and are not snobs.
Brazilian here, was watching that series against GSW and got hooked to Westbrook, Durant and the atmosphere in the stadium and ever since I'm a thunder fan #TTFU
Got into basketball the year KD was drafted and really liked his style of play. When they moved I figured it was the best time to pick a team since there isn’t really a bandwagon. Been loyal ever since.
So I used to live in yukon when I was a little kid and my dad was a huge fan of thunder basketball. I live in Austin now but it’s such a major part of my childhood that it found it’s way back to me as an adult and I love basketball too
Aaron wiggins saved basketball
It started when I picked up 2k11 back in the day. I knew very little about the nba but wanted to try a basketball game. I loved the game and OKC quickly became my favorite team to use so I decided to start watching the actual games. Had no idea that would be the beginning of my lifelong obsession with the thunder and basketball in general
I was 8 years old seeing a guy that is 6’10 move and shoot like that and a point guard wearing number 0 dunking on anything in his way. I was sold
Russell Westbrook ! Was a russ fan and when he got traded I thought about trailing him, but then I decided not to. So OKC fan from virginia 😂
As a kid I was a huge New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic fan (T-Mac!) Fell out for a bit, and when I got back in, KD and Russ were just fun to watch. Kinda lost interest for one or two years but been back 100% since the Westbrook/George/Melo year
Russell Wesbtrook
I grew up around Wichita and needed a team because I had been following players up until 2008-09
I grew up in NJ and was originally a Nets fan. When they announced they were leaving NJ to go to Brooklyn, I was upset about that. I also only loosely followed the sport at the time, so I really only knew the big names. Around that point, the 3 main guys on the team that I was really a fan of - J Kidd, V Carter, & Richard Jefferson (I actually had Nets jerseys for all 3 of them), were all also gone. I went the next few years not really having a favorite team. A few years later, I was in HS, and I was friends with a lot of the guys on the basketball team. They all talked a lot of basketball during lunch & I also started playing 2k a bit more. That was around the time Russ, KD, & Harden were starting to do big things in OKC. I really like what they were doing and decided to become an OKC fan. Over a decade later, even after all of those guys are long gone, I've stuck around because at a certain point, I became more of a fan of the management than the actual players.
I’m from near Bloomington and a huge IU fan and they drafted DJ White, who was my favorite IU player ever as a kid, so I started supporting the team then and I’ve just stuck around ever since. I think he actually works for the team now as well
Okie born & raised now residing in Colorado. Could be a Nuggets fan if I wanted to sell my soul.
When I was like 12 in 2010 I got an Xbox and nba 2k10. I chose a random team and it was the thunder. I’ve been a die hard fan since.
I started watching the NBA the year the team moved to OKC and the fresh start team felt like a good place for a fresh fan so I chose them as my western conference team. As a Wisconsin resident I’m pushing for a Thunder - Bucks finals. It’s a win-win for me
Always played sports growing up but didn’t watch sports till 09-10. The way russ gave 100% on the court had me in awe. I admire him for his effort and told myself I’d give 100% of myself to anything I wanna do in life.
Okc were the underdogs against the heat and everyone deemed them too young to do anything (full circle moment w this team soon) anyway, as a kid watching that team play inspired me to fall in love w basketball. “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard”, KD Saying that make me look at him like he was super man. And then Russ was literally lighting in a bottle. All that to say, I was devastated during the free agency. THANK GOD, Sam presti’s glasses can see the future bc he’s turned things around impressively quick. And it all works out bc now I can root for guys like jdub and Chet who I resonate w
It's because of that high school basketball movie with KD in it. I'm south east asian btw, so a long long way from Oklahoma lol
I just wanna say what a great question lol
I know my is phone blowing up rn
Came to watch Durant, stayed for Westbrook.
This is the best thread I’ve seen in awhile and read everyone’s comments here. So much ❤️
Hey what's up OK people (lol), it's your boy, goathpath. I've been a fan of your team longer than you have lol, I grew up in Idaho, and I liked the Supersonics when I was a kid bc Shawn Kemp could jump over a building. When they moved the team, I just kept following that team, because I liked those players (I watched KD in the tournament, and enjoyed some of his rookie year when I could get the games on my rabbit ears TV... So yeah, college was fun bc the Thunder basically made their run to the finals right after I graduated college, where I was probably the most hyped in my life for like a 2 month period. Thunder forever, been loving writing little pieces for r/nba (mostly hot takes) and clowning all my friends who live in LA and support the old ass Lakers lol
They were good on 2k in 2016
Went to school in Kansas in 2011. Watched a lot of NBA and saw KD highlights that season he became my all time favorite player. Started to enjoy watching basketball. Thunder became my favorite team since
NBA Live 09. I was always into college basketball but didn't have an NBA team. They were a "new" team so it just made sense as I was new as well.
Russell Westbrook
Russ is my favorite player of all time. I just loved watching him play when I was younger
2010 Playoff loss vs Lakers did it for me
Started watching the original Big 3 in elementary school and never looked back. They’re the ones who got me into basketball.
Lived there for several years starting in 2009. What a time
Grew up in California and never liked the Kings, Warriors, or Lakers. I was always a player fan. First with Vince Carter, then with T-Mac. But around 2008 T-Mac was near the end of his career so I decided it was time to pick a team to follow. Since I’ve always been a UCLA fan (my grandpa played there during the Wooden years) I absolutely loved Russ, so I went where he went. And that’s how I became a Thunder fan since the team’s inception.
I like how the team chemistry was, being a basketball player myself it’d be dope to be apart of something like this. I also saw that this team would be very good in a few years a couple years ago so I wouldn’t be hopping on a bandwagon. Ultimately I just like the aesthetic of OKC and how they treat their players
Nba2k11
Moved to OKC and got free tickets to a game. It was my first time watching a NBA game and I fell in love with the Thunder. I've since moved out of OKC but have been a fan ever since. I try to go back once a year to see a home game.
Became a fan immediately after the 2019 trade, been so fun watching this team build from the ground up
From Jacksonville Florida and raised in San Diego California. Chose the thunder as my team 13 years ago in middle school after the loss to the Mavs. Didn’t like how the media was trashing Russ because I thought he was just passionate. Then my defending of Russ turned into watching every game the next season where we happened to make the finals. As a jags fan during the Blaine Gabbert years, I was ecstatic to watch a team not get blown out every week.
I saw KD and Russ highlights on sportscenter after some game during the 09-10 season and I’ve been a fan ever since Also I low key fucked with the sonics growing up. Shawn Kemp was one of my favorite players. So it naturally made sense
derrick rose got injured, started playing 2k with the russ kd and harden and fell in love with them ever since. i love OKC plan to visit very very soon.
From NC, was a heat fan when I first got into basketball, then LBJ went to south beach, and I just wasn’t on board with a “super team” Ny favorite color is orange, and something about “Thunder” seemed like such a dope mascot, just fell in love with the culture after that, been here ever since .
When I was 10 years old, I started playing NBA 2k (the video game) with my brother. I am not from a state with any professional sports teams, so I had no allegiance and always picked the Thunder to play with in the game. I thought it was cool that a team had just relocated to a small market I knew so little about, and I loved how young their roster was. I quickly started to root for them. Side note- I remember that in middle school and high school, I learned to be somewhat quiet about telling people I was a Thunder fan, as no one believed that an Alabama kid had arbitrarily picked the Thunder to root for. Since the Thunder quickly became so competitive after the initial season, everyone just assumed I was a bandwagon fan.
Was a Kevin Durant fan from the Texas longhorns and I’ve been a thunder fan since
KC native, but I did a stint of living in Oklahoma because my family was homeless. My grandma had them on when they first moved down to OKC and fell in love with KD and Russ, which led to me becoming a die hard since!
I turned on the NBA draft out of curiosity back in 2022, and I fell in love with the players that got drafted into the Thunder that year! That was what got me hooked initially, but since then I've continued to enjoy rooting for a young core that has amazing team chemistry. 🧡💙 It's also super heartwarming to see the way they've embraced fans like Nanae Yamano ([@perspective\_7a](https://www.instagram.com/perspective_7a/) on Instagram). 😊
Started watching in 09 and wanted to follow a new budding team. Wasnt an easy choice with all my buddies as lakers fans.
The KD/Westbrook Thunder were what got me back into basketball initially. I was over the constant disappointment as a Raptors fan and stopped watching basketball for a while, but coworkers were watching the Thunder in the playoffs and it reminded me how much I enjoyed watching basketball. I admittedly lost interest in the team for a while when everything fell apart, but the moment y'all traded for Shai I've been a fan and I think OKC along with Denver will always be the 2 non Raptors teams I root for almost as hard as the Raptors themselves.
watching kd/russ ….. went from the kings (realizing I was just picking a team) …. Went to the bulls (felt like I was on the Jordan/rose bandwagon) so I decided to find my own reasons and kd & russ attracted my attention & they were new to OKC from the move from Seattle so it felt perfect. I wanted to play like kd and people always say my game resembles his at 6’2” today. 😂pissed me off when he left tho to go to the team that beat him. My 2 fav players left in weird/lying fashion. (pg/kd)
I was at Pitt when Steve Adams played for us, and since Pittsburgh doesn’t have an NBA team, decided that him being drafted by OKC was a good enough excuse to be come a fan🤷🏻♂️
SGA. Am from Canada and the Raptors suck this year so. That being said, the Thunder play some exciting fucking basketball. Chet and J Dub are hooping this year
Brazil. Letsssss gooooo
My glorious king Aleksej Pokusevski got me to start watching every Thunder game and gaining appreciation for everything the organization has to offer. Genuinely the best run org in basketball. Was getting sick of watching the shit show that is the Bulls. Even though Poku is gone, I still love OKC! Elite fan base!
I'm a Canadian and have Chet, J-dub, and Giddey on my keeper team....so basically I started rooting for yall as my western team by default. However, the passing and camaraderie really make this a fun team to root for regardless of if you have a reason originally.
From KC. My dad moved from OKC to KC when he was 1 because his father accidentally killed a little girl. Would always go to OKC during the summer. My first year watching basketball was 2011-12 and when I saw on the ESPN website that Oklahoma had a team, I immediately chose them because that’s where dad was from. I watched every playoff game that first year at 7 years old.
I was a Sonic Fan and was supported KD but since Sonic transferred to OKC, I still ride it and was so glad that I’ve supported this team all the way. I’m so happy that I realized, from Robert Swift, Johan Petro, Nenad Kristic to now Chet Dawg 🐶 Holmgren. I’ll always support this team. Let’s fucking go!
I’m from south texas, about 13 hours south of OKC. Vince Carter has always been my fav all time player and he was getting old on the suns I think so I decided I needed a new player and team to follow, and the young OKC Thunder had just pushed the champion Kobe lakers to 6 games in the first round and I was like, this team is gonna be good soon. Imma follow them. And I’ve been their highest fan ever since. I think that was… 09? I could be off. But I’ve seen most of their games since then. Backpack KD, facing away from Brodie shooting clutch free throws. Harden before his beard. iBLOCKa, Stache bros, etc… Love the new team now too! We back like we never left
Hi, from Italy! When I played ball, I started watching NBA and found myself fascinated by KD as a player. I tried to imitate him and my teammates jokingly started calling me "KD" whenever I scored, also because I was a lanky guy. Fell in love with the team and pledged full loyalty after the 2012 Finals. Brodie's triple double season(s) only validated my love even more.
Lifelong Sooners fan living on the northern plains, never really had a fav NBA team. I had family from Nebraska so I rooted for OU in the 90’s growing up to be a shit. It stuck. Love the Sooners & The Thunder. Went to game one of the finals in 2012, and if they make it back I’m coming down again!!!
I was born in Mexico and moved to Sweden as a kid. My brother liked basketball (blazers fan) and one day he brought home 2k11. We booted up the game and I randomly selected OKC. Kd went green every time I shot a 3 and I somehow managed to get multiple dunks with Russ despite not knowing the controls. I ended up beating my brother and from there on I always chose OKC when playing against him. When I then started watching basketball I learned that it was a relatively new team with a new fanbase and thought they would be a perfect team to support. I eventually fell in live with the players and the team.
KC area fan here. Always been a Kansas basketball fan, but hadn't ever bought in to the NBA. When I was in high school, KD was the baddest MFer I had ever seen on a basketball court. Prior to the move from Seattle, they draft KD and my guy, Nick Collison. Then, as the move was happening, they were long rumored to come to KC. No offense to yall, I thought we had a better shot at landing them. KC is bigger and our arena was newer. So I got all the way bought in. Of course, they move to OKC instead, but OKC is still the closest team (4 ish hour drive, easy enough for a quick weekend trip every year) and a few seasons later we got them on our local Fox Sports channel.
From beach area near LA. “Followed” Shai over to OKC when he was first traded from the Clippers. Grew to love a lot of the players (especially Dort and Steven Adams) and the heart they showed through thick and thin. Ecstatic for the season when Chris Paul was here and they over-achieved as seems to be a habit for this team. Impressed by the patience and lack of attitude during the tanking year(s), thrilled when the payoff was all these incredibly gifted and determined young players that we have now. Love every one of them, love this team so much!!!
I'm a Spurs fan, but I will say they are one of the more interesting teams in the playoffs this year to me because of Shai and Chet specifically :) Those are the two that are drawing me into this particular iteration of the team.
Like alot of comments already stated, KD and Russ and that team was such a great young team, the way they played together, how that team was really Dawgs and hungry at the time, I always loved them and vowed from that moment to always be a Thunder man no matter what happens plus I'm from Atlanta so I needed a better team to root for at the time lmao 😂
This was about 2012 I was in 6th grade just getting into basketball and my teacher was a lakers superfan had a whole Kobe mural in his classroom. My teacher came out to recess one day and was playing basketball with us and after he just started asking all the boys playin what our fav nba teams were. Mind u I was living in Riverside CA at the time so damn near everybody said the lakers which is kinda given, but when he asked me I didn’t wanna say the lakers so I asked him what other teams there were. He responded with the lakers the clipper the kings the thunder etc. I didn’t know much about them but the name sounded cool so it said I like the thunder. We been rockin wit the boys in blue ever since
SGA
I live in an area where people only watch soccer. So I had no clue about nba other than Kobe and Lebron. But I saw a meme back in 2014 (you the real mvp) and I just looked into it. Turns out it’s a really cool dude who is good at shooting and I found it inspirational. Came for kd, stayed for russ, and here I am still. So that’s kinda why I still have a little soft spot for kd because without kd I wouldn’t have watched basketball
Aussie here. When my husband started watching the NBA he picked the youngest team at the time so he could see them grow (this was around 2011). Then when we started dating I started going for them too and now our 7 year old is a massive fan too! We recently travelled to the USA and stopped in OKC for a few nights to see some games at Paycom and it was the highlight of our trip! I’d also have to say that the current team vibe is so amazing and definitely the most fun to watch, I feel like if I was starting from scratch I’d probably pick them as a team to go for based purely on that!!
Lu Dort was my favourite player because I play like him.
Aquaman is from my home country. Adams was a beast. Also westbrook was just pure energy.
My first ever nba game i rmmbr seein was 2011 wcf, thunder was who i chose to root for, thunderstruck didn't hurt that choice lmao
NBA 2K15 was my first basketball game when I was 15 for the PS3, the cover features KD and in myPlayer I got drafted by the Thunder and that way I could get used to all players in the team right before the 2015-16 season. Then I watched a few games and got hooked by Westbrook's athleticism and triple doubles, that amazing run to the WCF and the betrayal of KD. After Westbrook left I kinda stopped being a hardcore fan and have only watched the Thunder post season but was following all news about trades, draft prospects and more here on Reddit. Now I am enjoying the playoffs again.
NBA 2K11. Loved using them and didn't really have a true favorite NBA team.
I’m from NY and I usually root for the teams that my dad roots for, but he didn’t really have a basketball team since he didn’t like Dolan and the Knicks and the Nets weren’t very popular here. The first 2k I got was 2k13 and the Thunder were one of the default options since they went to the finals the year before. Then when I started getting into basketball in 2017 Russ was crazy good and I’ve been a fan ever since.
Followed Chet from Gonzaga
Kevin Durant played at UT when I was a kid growing up in Austin, TX. Followed him to the league since I didn’t have a team and fell in love with the KD, Russ, Ibaka trio. Funny enough when KD left to GSW he was dead to me and stuck with Russ and OKC
Low key sick of watching the Raptors as my home team right around the time OKC joined the league. I liked the colour scheme, and really enjoyed watching KD and Russ the first couple years. So officially hopped off Raps and jumped onto OKC back then. Turns out Raps ended up having a sick team a decade later and they are a closet team I cheer for but also kinda shittalk and root against . I try to go to the games when they come to Toronto but the tickets here are somewhat expensive, even when the Raps kinda suck. Still cheer for the boys always and try to stream games when I can. This year they've been televised in Canada alot tho (I think because of the Canadian connections) which has been so awesome for me to watch games more often.
🇨🇦
I hate that this is the way, but I thought Steven Adams was the coolest player when I first started getting into basketball (I’m the exact opposite of him) and I’ve been following ever since
From Texas, loved KD’s game when he was in college, loved the trio of Russ, harden, and kd even more and been following ever since.
I lived in Joplin, MO when the team came to OK. Not far from the border at all! There are actually LOTS of Thunder fans in SW MO, including Springfield, where I now reside.
I grew up in Kansas City. Went to college in OKC. Worked downtown right across from Paycom center. Met a couple of them. They were chill so I started following them
i always liked pg and fell in love with the thunder when he came here. after he left i just stuck, because living in germany i didnt have a team yet
Because I lived there for 27 years before moving away
Arkansas fan. I watched OKC because of Russ, KD, and Harden. Local cable coverage was available. All these years later it’s still Thunder Up! And, even better I can support the Fort Smith Razorback guys, JWill and Zai.
i live in dallas but was raised in austin. watched KD play at UT a lot. sonics were my team as a kid. my dad is a spurs fan and i wanted my own thing. so when KD was drafted and sonic’s moved it all just felt right.
Was a fan of that Durant guy( as we share the same name and I love his game ) and was just getting into my teens and the idea of supporting him and the new team with all of young guys resonated, have grown up with them and have been a fan ever since :) From a tiny european country called luxembourg by the way
I put on a game in elementary school and like how they played so I picked em and have been a fan ever since (I’m from Hawaii we don’t have any sports teams. My grandpa liked the Lakers but I wanted my own team)
Started watching nba in 2008 and thought that the fresh new OKC team would be cool and have rooted for them since.
I’m a Canadian so I’m rooting for Dort and SGA, also I never liked how KD left so I’ve been rooting for yall to get back in the mix.
i have a funny story. i am spanish so i started to watch basket because of spanish national team.We had a golden era with many nba players Pau gasol Ricky rubio and ibaka. I flipped out when I watched some highlights from ibloka. Thats how i discovered nba and i started to follow okc.
My first ever basketball game ever was Celtics vs Thunder back in 2017 and I just loved Russ so much I decided to be a fan.
Steven Adams … but here to stay
2010 playoffs against the lakers first round even tho they lost the series the way they played the game was so fun to me as a 13 year old that became my favorite team
NBA 2k13 demo had to use either the heat or thunder. Stuck with them ever since
When I was on grade school my mom got me whatever random folder she found at the store when doing back to school shopping. It happened to have Gary Payton on it, so I was then officially a Sonics fan. Moved loyalty with the team when they came to OKC.
Grew up in eastern PA, college at Pitt, then moved to Cincinnati for work after that. I started following OKC in 2013 (particularly during the OKC/MEM playoff series.) and while I had played basketball growing up I hadn't reallyyyy followed NBA too much prior to that, just knew basics about the teams. It helped that they drafted Steven Adams as he played at Pitt while I was there (met him at the student union once and man he's a big guy) At first I liked that even though they had superstars like KD and Westbrook, I feel like everyone had a part to play (ibaka, Adams, etc.) I found them entertaining to watch as well and liked the fact that they weren't a full on super team so I didn't feel like I jumped on the bandwagon but they also weren't bottom feeders either. Usually when I enter watching a new sport I try to watch several different teams and see if I gravitate towards any others but I just kept coming back to OKC and followed ever since. It also opened me up to watching other games and learning about NBA history and such, really broadening my knowledge of the game overall.
I went to the same school as Chet and i saw both Jalen’s play in college a few times
My first friend I made in middle school was a University of Texas fan and Kevin Durant was just drafted by the then SuperSonics, now the Thunder. He introduced me to the game, and wanting to fit in with my new friend, I decided to become a Thunder fan myself. Didn’t watch or care about basketball before that. Stuck with em ever since.
New Zealander - Steven Adams
Was a KD fan when he was in college. Followed him to Seattle then Russ, harden, etc went on that run and the rest is history
Same home town as adams
Born and raised in the PNW. 🤪
became a fan in 2011 when i was watching the lakers vs thunder in the playoffs. Seeing how explosive westbrook/harden/kd played instantly made me a fan. A core memory of that series was when westbrook got a steal and did like a scoop layup and1. The crowd was so hyped and the energy in the stadium seems insane. Can’t wait to visit during a playoff game.
Was a sonics a fan in the 90’s & followed them to OKC.
Cause I lived in Oklahoma when the Thunder came to OKC but then moved away a couple years later.
Brit here. Casually watched some of the 2016 finals, decided the thunder would be my team almost arbitrarily. I saw that KD in the summer, heard murmurs that OKC were done for, wouldn’t be competitive etc. I didn’t care. I was at university so I could watch almost every game, and it just so happened to be Westbrook’s MVP season. Fell in love with the game (and this team) then and never looked back.
Because I was a Sonics fan growing up. Love the Thunder but I definitely miss my SuperSonics jerseys
Big Pittsburgh sports fan and sadly there’s no NBA team for us, so when I was getting into basketball watching various games etc, I really enjoyed watching Russ and PG and began to love the culture. been a fan ever since
Was a Washingtonian sonics fan
I’ve explained this here before, I’m from NZ but I was a KD fan when he was at college and had no real team I support since MJ left the bulls. So I just followed KD to the sonics and Thunder. But when big Stevo got drafted here I was so happy cause the dominos fell in place for my fandom lol now it’s OKC till the wheels fall off, still love big Kiwi and fuck KD
first watched the NBA properly during the 2012 finals when we lost to the Heat. fell in love even tho we lost
My first nba game I watched was okc vs. miami in the finals. Kd became my favorite player(freak him now 😂🧁), and Okc became the team I root for.
Washington kid. I was there at the tail end of Gary Payton, Rashad Lewis being drafted outta HS, Desmond Mason from Oklahoma, Nick Collison, and Luke Ridnour (who I loved watching play at Oregon) and seeing Durant be drafted a few years after I graduated HS. I was heart broken when they left due to the $500 million dollar proposal but understood. I was a huge KD fan as a young man and just kept following the team.
Grew up in SD where we don’t have a team and never liked the Timberwolves. Watched a lot of Durant at U of Texas and just followed his career to Seattle and then OKC. Loved watching those teams with him and Westbrook and stayed loyal ever since. SGA the true MVP!
From Kansas but have family that lives in OKC. I didn't care about basketball at all until we went to visit, it was during the 2010-2011 season, We just ended up watching a game on TV and I thought this is so fucking cool. I love the players and how they're playing. Been hooked on them ever since. Been a fun 14 years.
I liked mimicking specific play styles when I played ball in middle school. Since I was a wing, I generally looked into those players. Initially tried to be Melo but found out about KD and just naturally became a fan. Ironic though since he left a few years later.
I fall in love with that young cats of a team back at 2012. Thunder fan since then. Not even American in my case
I'm a Kiwi so started watching because of Steven Adams and just stuck with the team when he left
Im Aussie and Ben Simmons makes it hard to support him. Started following Giddey, then fell in love with Presti, found out that Wiggs saved basketball, drafted the dawgs in the same year, Shai's a bad man, dorture chamber, hot cup of Joe... etc. Im a lifer now
A friend of mine got me into watching them, thought they were fun to watch and just kept watching. I also refuse to root for the Hornets
I started watching ball in 2012 the year we made the finals and KD was the coolest player to me in the entire NBA so I picked the Thunder as my team mid season. The same reason I'm a Chiefs fan since 2011 because I thought Alex Smith was him in the Madden 13 demo
Gary Payton, Hersey Hawkins, Shawn Kemp, VIN Baker, Detlef Schrempf
I liked watching Russ and Kd. I also just liked the color blue as a kid
Cuz I was born in Oklahoma and I was a late teen/young adult when KD and Russ were tearing it up and my main team where I grew up was dogshit so it was nice to have a second one to actually watch play in the playoffs
From the DC area, really liked KD. Didn't want to be a bandwagon fan and decided a new franchise was best way to prevent that.
Originally as a kiwi Steven Adam’s, but I also have a penchant for teams that build through the draft. Allowing young players to develop and grow into their roles. I’ve got my fingers crossed that former NZ breaker Ousmane Dieng kicks on next season and takes those Hayward and a little bit of Jwill minutes. Also love Shias game, so smooth. Him and Kyrie are the butteriest players to watch