OKC Thunder fanbase has been spoiled with historic events, in line for another

The coffee tastes a little sweeter today. But today is another bright spot in Oklahoma City history, even as the rain falls outside and the weather turns chilly again. If LeBron James scores 36 or more points tonight against the OKC Thunder, he will become the NBA’s All-Time leading scorer. That will be yet another historical moment that is forever tethered with our city, our state.

I will never forget the surreal feeling I had in third grade going to watch Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks take on the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. Nowitzki was battling an illness and hardly played, but Avery Johnson was still screaming and squeaking on the sidelines. Fast forward to 2008, I was so excited that we had a permanent team as the Sonics relocated to Bricktown and became the OKC Thunder we all know and love.

The OKC Thunder fanbase has been spoiled with many historical events over the years and is in line to see another one, as LeBron James needs 36 points to become the NBA’s All-Time leading scorer.

Since 2008, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been part of many historical events. From groundbreaking NBA milestones to NBA icons playing their final road games in Oklahoma City, there will be trivia questions ending with Oklahoma City in the answer.

From Russell Westbrook becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for the season, a record no one thought would be broken, to being the team LeBron James beat on his way to his first NBA Title, Westbrook’s 20-20-20 game, Kobe Bryant playing his final NBA road game in Bricktown, Dirk Nowitzki playing his last playoff series against the Thunder, and so many more.

Even this season alone, as the Thunder are having a surprisingly fun season but are not NBA Finals contenders, they have already carved themselves into NBA History. Damian Lillard became the Portland Trailblazers’ All-Time leading scorer in Bricktown as the OKC Thunder spoiled the night on a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander buzzer-beater.

There is a good chance that LeBron James will become the NBA’s All-Time leading scorer with a 36-plus point night. With James showing no signs of slowing down, he will make this record untouchable by the end. Forever, the team tied to that record will be the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 7th, 2023.

Who would’ve thought our little fly-over state would become all of this? But, whether the OKC Thunder spoils LeBron James’ historic night or not, this is one of those moments as a pure NBA fan that it is incredible to be part of.