Thunder Kids Club

Lore & Background

It details the $121 million improvement initiative passed by Oklahoma City voters on March 4, 2008, which funded renovations to the arena and a separate practice facility for the relocated Seattle SuperSonics. The narrative covers the naming rights transitions from the Oklahoma Ford Dealers (Ford Center, 2002-2010) to Chesapeake Energy Corporation (Chesapeake Energy Arena, 2011-2021) and finally to Paycom (Paycom Center, 2021-present). The arena hosts 'family and social events' and 'concerts' but provides no specific details about any Thunder-affiliated youth club or mascot-driven programming.

Reader's Guide

The arena has 18,203 seats in basketball configuration and can seat up to 16,591 for concerts. It lists amenities such as The OLD NO. 7 Club, The Pub, The Courtside Club, Victory Club, Sunset Carvery, and Terrace Lounges, but does not specify which are designated for children or how they are utilized by any youth organization. It confirms the venue hosts events from Oklahoma City University, the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, and local high schools, but offers no procedural information for young fans or details about a Thunder Kids Club.

Did You Know?

• The Paycom Center opened on June 8, 2002, three years after construction began.
• The arena was originally named the Ford Center, but the naming rights were held by the Oklahoma Ford Dealers group, not Ford Motor Company itself.
• From 2005 to 2007, the arena served as the temporary home for the New Orleans Hornets, who were known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets after Hurricane Katrina.
• The $121 million improvement initiative passed on March 4, 2008, by a 62% to 38% margin, funded by a temporary 15-month, 1-cent sales tax.
• A new 28,000-pound scoreboard with wraparound video display was installed in September 2023 at a cost of $7.5 million.