Mayor David Holt calls Thunder championship parade ‘greatest single day in the city’s history’
The Thunder recently paraded through the streets of downtown Oklahoma City, and one of the people who joined in on the celebration was Mayor David Holt.
PLUS FIVE DAY FORECAST. ALL RIGHT JONATHAN THANK YOU. WELL MAN WHAT A TIME FOR OKLAHOMA CITY. ON SUNDAY THE THUNDER MAKING HISTORY WINNING THEIR FIRST EVER NBA TITLE. AND THEN AFTER THAT THE DAYS AFTER FILLED WITH NOTHING BUT CELEBRATIONS. AND WE’RE STILL CELEBRATING TODAY. JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT IT AND THE MOMENTUM LEADING UP TO OTHER BIG EVENTS HERE IN THE CITY IS OKC MAYOR DAVID HOLT. I WANT TO SAY GOOD MORNING TO YOU. YES. THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING IN. I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN NONSTOP BUSY AS WELL. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE PARADE. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE NBA TITLE. HOW YOU FEELING? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR OKLAHOMA CITY? OH GOSH. I MEAN I FEEL I FEEL GREAT A LITTLE A LITTLE WORN OUT. I STILL HAVE A VOICE I COULD. YEAH. REMARKABLY. YES. YOU KNOW, TUESDAY WAS AND I AND I, I’M NOT PRONE TO HYPERBOLE. I SAY THIS WITH ALL INTENTIONALITY. TUESDAY WAS THE GREATEST SINGLE DAY IN THE CITY’S HISTORY. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD ALL SORT OF STAND IN AWE OF THAT. THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER MAJOR EVENTS ALONG OUR PATH, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE DISCOVERY OF OIL AND GAS, THE, YOU KNOW, THE THE LANDING OF OF TINKER AIR FORCE BASE HERE IN OKLAHOMA CITY. I MEAN, LIKE, THERE ARE OTHER THINGS, OTHER LANDMARKS ALONG OUR JOURNEY, BUT NONE OF THEM HAD A PARADE. YOU KNOW, NONE OF THEM HAD A MOMENT. AND THAT’S WHY I SAY IT’S THE SINGLE GREATEST DAY. BECAUSE, LIKE, LIKE THAT WAS A MOMENT WHERE WE ACTUALLY GOT TO CELEBRATE ONE OF OUR MAJOR HISTORICAL ACHIEVEMENTS. AND AND WHY IT’S SO MEANINGFUL IS, YOU KNOW, IS YOU HAVE TO LOOK BEYOND THE SPORTING ACHIEVEMENT. I MEAN, SURE, THAT’S AWESOME THAT WE HAVE THE BEST BASKETBALL TEAM IN THE WORLD, BUT IT’S REACHING, YOU KNOW, SPORTS IMMORTALITY, WHICH OPENS DOORS IN SO MANY OTHER WAYS. RIGHT. LIKE WHEN I, AS MAYOR, HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE BEYOND OUR CITY LIMITS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS. AND REALLY, MY SUCCESSORS FOR DECADES TO COME. LIKE EVERY CONVERSATION WILL START WITH, YOU’RE AN NBA CHAMPION CITY, RIGHT? IT JUST IT MAY SEEM SUPERFICIAL, BUT IT HAS A REAL WORLD EFFECT, LIKE IT GIVES YOU A CERTAIN CREDIBILITY. THE SAME KIND OF JUMP IN CREDIBILITY THAT WE GOT IN 2008 WHEN WE GOT THE TEAM THAT CHANGED OUR WORLD. THIS CHANGES OUR WORLD AGAIN. YEAH. AND AND SO YEAH, IT WILL IT WILL OPEN DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY FOR US FOR DECADES TO COME THAT GO SO FAR BEYOND BASKETBALL. BUT ALSO IT WAS AT ITS BASIC LEVEL TO AN UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF FUN. YOU KNOW, MEMORIES THAT THAT PEOPLE WILL HAVE FOR GENERATIONS. I MEAN, EVERYBODY WILL REMEMBER THAT DAY WHEN HALF A MILLION PEOPLE CAME TO DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA CITY. THERE’S NEVER BEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. AND, YOU KNOW, ALTHOUGH MAYBE THEY’LL BE SOMETHING LIKE IT. AGAIN, A REPEAT BACK TO BACK, RIGHT? YEAH. I MEAN, JUST TALKING ABOUT IT JUST GIVES ME CHILLS, JUST TAKES ME BACK TO THAT MOMENT. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE PARADE A LITTLE BIT MORE. YOU WERE IN IT. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO BE THERE, GOING DOWN THE PARADE ROUTE, SEEING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AND THEN AFTERWARDS BEING UP ON THAT STAGE WITH THE TEAM? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE AWAY WITH IT? WHAT ARE YOU TAKING AWAY WITH THIS? OH, GOSH. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I’VE BEEN IN A LOT OF PARADES DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, SAINT PATRICK’S DAY PARADE, YOU KNOW, RED EARTH PARADE. AND SO I STILL THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, I KNEW A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD BE THERE, BUT I STILL THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THEY’LL PROBABLY BE SOME LULLS. THERE’S ALWAYS A LULL IN A PARADE, YOU KNOW, HALF A BLOCK WHERE THERE’S NOBODY OR WHATEVER. NO, I MEAN, TWO MILES OF PEOPLE, 30 DEEP, SHOULDER TO SHOULDER, NO LULLS, FOR SURE. AND AND SO JUST BEING ABLE TO BE IN THAT MOMENT AND OF COURSE, HAVE AN EXCUSE TO JUST BE AS HYPE AS POSSIBLE AND, YOU KNOW, PUMPING MY FIST, LEADING OKC CHANTS. NO, I WAS GOING TO LIVE EVERY MOMENT OF THAT TO THE EXTENT I WAS PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE. I MEAN, I HAD TO TAKE SOME BREAKS. MY KIDS FINALLY SAID THEY’RE LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU JUST POINT AT YOUR RING FINGER, THAT’S GET PEOPLE THAT GETS PEOPLE EXCITED, RIGHT? SO I WAS LIKE, OKAY, I KNOW. YEAH. SO OKAY, I DID THAT FOR A WHILE TOWARDS THE END BECAUSE I WAS LIKE ALMOST OVERHEATING. BUT BUT IT WAS YEAH, IT WAS AMAZING. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE THE CLOSING EVENT ON THE STAGE AND SCISSORTAIL PARK, YOU KNOW, WE, WE BUILT THIS PARK DREAMING THAT, THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD HAPPEN THERE ONE DAY. AND HERE WE WERE, WE WERE CELEBRATING OUR NBA CHAMPIONSHIP IN OUR SCISSORTAIL PARK. THE TEAM ON THE STAGE, THEY WERE AMAZING. THEY I LOVED HOW. SO WE WERE LOOKING AT MY I WAS LOOKING AT MY SPEECH OFF TO THE SIDE, AND JEWELL WAS READING IT OVER MY SHOULDER AND AND HE SAW THAT HE WAS GETTING A DAY AND HE WENT CRAZY. HE WAS LIKE. HE WAS LIKE, WE’RE ALL GETTING DAYS. AND I WAS LIKE, YES, YOU’RE ALL GETTING DAYS LIKE, SO HOW AUTHENTICALLY EXCITED THEY WERE ABOUT THAT. AND JUST OBVIOUSLY THE AMAZING CROWD, THE CULMINATION OF THAT AMAZING DAY, YOU KNOW, THE PLAYERS OBVIOUSLY WILL CARRY JUST AS FOND OF MEMORIES OF THAT DAY AS EVERYONE ELSE. AND WE’RE ALL WE’RE ALL KIND OF BONDED FROM THAT, YOU KNOW? I MEAN, THESE PLAYERS, NO MATTER WHERE THEIR CAREERS TAKE THEM. AND OF COURSE, THERE’S THE BUSINESS OF BASKETBALL, RIGHT? BUT THEY’LL ALWAYS BE ONE OF THE 18 GUYS THAT WAS ON THAT TEAM THAT WON A CHAMPIONSHIP. AND NOT JUST ANY CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT OUR FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP WILL ALWAYS BE ESPECIALLY MEANINGFUL. YEAH. AND I THINK WE CAN ALL RELATE. WHAT I HEARD A LOT FROM PEOPLE WAS SAYING THAT THIS IS AN EVENT THAT BRINGS ALL OF OKLAHOMA TOGETHER, NO MATTER, YOU KNOW, OTHER BELIEFS, OTHER THINGS, BUT THEY WERE JUST HAPPY TO BE THERE TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY. I COULD KEEP TALKING ABOUT THIS, BUT YOU MENTIONED HERE THE MOMENTUM THAT THIS REALLY BRINGS TO THE CITY. YOU KNOW, ASIDE FROM SPORTS, WE’VE GOT A LOT OF OTHER BIG THINGS COMING UP HERE LOOKING WAY AHEAD TO THE SUMMER OLYMPICS. THIS IS ALSO SO HUGE FOR US. JUST KIND OF WANT TO CHECK IN WITH YOU AND SEE WHAT PREPARATIONS FOR THAT ARE LOOKING LIKE. YEAH. WELL, SO YEAH, WE’RE WE’RE THREE YEARS OUT ACTUALLY, NEXT MONTH WILL BE THE THREE YEAR COUNTDOWN FROM THE 2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS. OF COURSE, WE HAVE SEVEN EVENTS HERE, TWO SPORTS. WE ARE THINKING KIND OF A LITTLE LATER THIS YEAR, SORT OF HAVING A BIT OF A COUNTDOWN EVENT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE JUST HAD MICHAEL BURNS COME ON BOARD RUNNING OUR EFFORTS A FEW MONTHS AGO. SO HE’S STILL, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GETTING EVERYTHING LINED UP. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, BY LATER THIS YEAR WE’LL BE ABLE TO REALLY SHARE SOME OF THE PLANS FOR THAT. AND START TO GET EXCITED ABOUT THAT. I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN’T MENTION WE’RE ALSO BUILDING AN ARENA OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS. AND THAT AND IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS IN BETWEEN, I THINK GAMES FIVE AND SIX, WE SIGNED A DEAL WITH THE THUNDER TO KEEP HIM HERE UNTIL 2053. IT’S BEEN A BUSY MONTH AND AND SO WE’VE GOT THAT LOCKED IN. NOW WE’RE DESIGNING THAT ARENA. WE BELIEVE NEXT MONTH WE’LL BE ABLE TO SHARE THE RENDERINGS OF THAT ARENA SO THAT PEOPLE DON’T EVEN KNOW YET TO BE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. I MEAN, THAT ARENA DESIGN IS GOING TO BE AN AMAZING DAY WHEN WHEN EVERYBODY GETS TO SEE THAT AND GETS TO LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. AND OF COURSE, WE’VE YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT JUST WHAT’S NEXT, I MEAN, WE STILL HAVE A BUNCH OF MAPS, FOUR PROJECTS COMING. OF COURSE, WE CUT THE RIBBON ON THE COLISEUM. I THINK THAT WAS MAYBE BETWEEN GAMES ONE AND TWO, I DON’T KNOW. THIS HAS BEEN A CRAZY MONTH. IT HAS. AND SO WE CUT THE RIBBON ON THE NEW STATE FAIR COLISEUM. THE COLISEUM. AND OF COURSE, WE STILL HAVE ABOUT $1 BILLION WORTH OF MAPS FOR PROJECTS YET TO ROLL OUT. AND LATER THIS YEAR WE’LL WE’LL, AS A COMMUNITY, HAVE A VOTE ON CORE INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR BOND ISSUE, WHICH I’M SURE WE’LL TALK ABOUT IN A FUTURE VISIT. BUT YEAH, THERE’S A LOT GOING ON. THIS CITY’S MOMENTUM ISN’T STOPPING AT ALL. IN FACT, AS MUCH AS PEOPLE THINK HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST 25 YEARS, LOOK, LOOK, LOOK OUT FOR THE NEXT 25 YEARS. THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO COME. ALL RIGHT. MAYOR DAVID HOLT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN. WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN GET SOME REST. I KN
Mayor David Holt calls Thunder championship parade ‘greatest single day in the city’s history’
The Thunder recently paraded through the streets of downtown Oklahoma City, and one of the people who joined in on the celebration was Mayor David Holt.
Updated: 1:11 PM CDT Jun 26, 2025
The Thunder recently paraded through the streets of downtown Oklahoma City, and one of the people who joined in on the celebration was Mayor David Holt. He was part of the parade, hyping up fans along the route as excitement filled the city. The parade was a day the city would never forget. “Tuesday was, I’m not prone to hyperboles, I say this with all intentionality, Tuesday was the greatest day in Oklahoma City’s history,” Holt said. Video Below: Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt fires up crowd while going through Thunder championship parade Hundreds of thousands of people descended on Oklahoma City on Tuesday, with championship buses carrying players, team staff and more as the Thunder celebrated its first NBA title. The championship, according to Holt, will have an impact on the city for years to come. “Sports immortality, which opens the doors in so many other ways,” he said. “It may seem superficial, but it has a real-world effect. It gives you certain credibility.” Looking toward the future, Holt gave a quick update on the new downtown arena that will be the next home of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Video Below: OKC using technology to estimate parade attendance after NBA championship”We’re designing that area I believe next month. We’ll be able to show the renderings for the arena. People don’t even know yet to be excited about that,” Holt said. The arena is set to open in 2028, with the Thunder signing a deal to stay in the city through at least 2053. Top HeadlinesWhat to know before investing in cryptocurrencyLong line of Thunder fans wraps around OKC Raising Cane’s before Alex Caruso works ‘shift’TIMELINE: Storms with a severe weather risk return to Oklahoma on ThursdayIran’s supreme leader makes first public statement since ceasefire declared in Israel-Iran conflictThunder star Alex Caruso to work ‘shift’ at Oklahoma City Raising Cane’s location on Thursday
OKLAHOMA CITY —
The Thunder recently paraded through the streets of downtown Oklahoma City, and one of the people who joined in on the celebration was Mayor David Holt.
He was part of the parade, hyping up fans along the route as excitement filled the city. The parade was a day the city would never forget.
“Tuesday was, I’m not prone to hyperboles, I say this with all intentionality, Tuesday was the greatest day in Oklahoma City’s history,” Holt said.
Video Below: Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt fires up crowd while going through Thunder championship parade
Hundreds of thousands of people descended on Oklahoma City on Tuesday, with championship buses carrying players, team staff and more as the Thunder celebrated its first NBA title. The championship, according to Holt, will have an impact on the city for years to come.
“Sports immortality, which opens the doors in so many other ways,” he said. “It may seem superficial, but it has a real-world effect. It gives you certain credibility.”
Looking toward the future, Holt gave a quick update on the new downtown arena that will be the next home of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Video Below: OKC using technology to estimate parade attendance after NBA championship
“We’re designing that area I believe next month. We’ll be able to show the renderings for the arena. People don’t even know yet to be excited about that,” Holt said.
The arena is set to open in 2028, with the Thunder signing a deal to stay in the city through at least 2053.
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