The OKC Thunder need a new arena. The Paycom Center opened on June 8th, 2002, with a construction cost of 89.2 million dollars and a seating capacity of 18,203. The idea behind the downtown arena in Oklahoma City was to lure in an NHL team eventually. The Hockey world never descended upon Bricktown, but the New Orleans Hornets were forced to relocate to OKC’s vacant arena due to Hurricane Katrina. The City’s support of the Hornets opened eyes around the NBA.
Eventually, this small market was able to claim a team of its own when the Seattle Supersonics sold their franchise to an Oklahoma-based ownership group led by Clay Bennett.