The Oklahoma City Thunder is an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma based professional basketball franchise. Oklahoma City thunder plays in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Their home arena is Oklahoma City's Ford Center.
Formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics, the Thunder was established in the year 2007 after a dispute between owner Clay Bennett and lawmakers in Seattle, Washington. As the Seattle SuperSonics, the club qualified for the NBA Playoffs 22 times and won its division six times and won the 1979 NBA Championship against the Washington Bullets.
The Thunder's preceding incarnation, the Seattle SuperSonics, were formed in 1967 and appeared in two successive Finals against the Eastern Conference champion Washington Bullets currently known as Washington Wizards, losing in seven games in 1978 and winning in five in 1979. Seattle's victory remains the only modern era competition in Major Seattle sports history. The team included renowned players such as Spencer Haywood, Fred Brown, Jack Sikma and Dennis Johnson. The Thunder team was coached by Lenny Wilkens. The coach holds several historical NBA coaching records. During the next decade, Seattle had moderate success until it drafted the duo of Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton in the year 1989 and 1990 respectively.
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