Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

OKC Thunder – Top 10 moments of 2008-2009 season

By Stephen Dolan

UNITED STATES - MARCH 24: Fans wait to enter the Ford Center for a National Basketball Association (NBA) game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., on Tuesday, March 24, 2009. Nearly three decades after an energy bust that forced 122 banks to close statewide, Oklahoma City is in the fifth year of an economic expansion that's produce the lowest jobless rate for a major metro U.S. area. Oklahoma City demonstrated it could support a NBA team, encouraging the Seattle Supersonics to move permanently and become the Thunder, which now draw crowds as large as the Boston Celtics. (Photo by J.P. Wilson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
UNITED STATES - MARCH 24: Fans wait to enter the Ford Center for a National Basketball Association (NBA) game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., on Tuesday, March 24, 2009. Nearly three decades after an energy bust that forced 122 banks to close statewide, Oklahoma City is in the fifth year of an economic expansion that's produce the lowest jobless rate for a major metro U.S. area. Oklahoma City demonstrated it could support a NBA team, encouraging the Seattle Supersonics to move permanently and become the Thunder, which now draw crowds as large as the Boston Celtics. (Photo by J.P. Wilson/Bloomberg via Getty Images) /
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It’s on

The Oklahoma City professional basketball team did not have colors, or a name, or a logo yet. They went to Orlando Summer League wearing boilerplate black and white, Oklahoma City across their chests.

In a way, it was totally appropriate. Those who were already fans of this un-named team knew nothing about it. Kevin Durant was good, probably, but that was the only intel. The team was a blank slate, a lottery, a black jersey without a name.

As far as I can tell, there are no videos of the Thunder playing in this league. Apparently Russell Westbrook was a stand-out. Apparently, PJ Carlesimo couldn’t stop raving about him. Allegedly, there was a player on the OKC bench wearing Sonics shorts, and Russ had green on his shoes.

Jeff Green took the first shot in the history of the franchise. He missed. DJ White scored the first basket over two minutes into the game. If there had been Thunder fans there, and if the tradition had existed at that point, they’d have remained standing.

There weren’t, and it didn’t, but in that moment, OKC basketball began. We just didn’t know that they were the Thunder yet.

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