JASON BURGER HAS THE STORY. EVEN IF WE WEREN’T THE LAST TEAM STANDING. IT DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT THESE FOLKS LONG AGO COULD SEE OKLAHOMA CITY FOR WHAT IT COULD BE, AND NOT JUST FOR WHAT IT WAS AT THE PRESENT TIME. AND THAT, TO ME, IS WHAT VISION IS. THUNDER GENERAL MANAGER SAM PRESTI HAS A BRAND NEW SHINY GOLD TROPHY, BUT HE DIDN’T TAKE A TON OF CREDIT FOR IT. DURING HIS MONDAY PRESS CONFERENCE, MAYOR NORICK AND MAYOR CORNETT, THEY’RE THE PEOPLE THAT ALLOWED THE CITY TO RECOVER FROM 1995, AND THE TRAGEDY THAT OCCURRED HERE AND PUT IN PLACE THE VISION FOR THE THE CITY TO BE ABLE TO HAVE AN NBA TEAM ONE DAY IN THE FUTURE. SAM PRESTI CAN HAVE ALL THE DAYS HE WANTS. AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED, HE’S HE’S BEEN A MAGICIAN AND AND THIS CITY HAS BENEFITED FROM HIS LEADERSHIP. FORMER MAYOR MICK CORNETT REMEMBERS WHAT DOWNTOWN WAS LIKE BEFORE THE THUNDER BECAME A SERIOUS IDEA. KNOWING WHAT I KNEW BACK IN 2005, THERE WAS NO WAY OKLAHOMA CITY WAS GOING TO GET AN NBA TEAM AND THEN A SERIES OF EVENTS HAPPENED, AND WE DID. WHEN HURRICANE KATRINA HIT, CORNETT HELPED BRING THE NEW ORLEANS HORNETS TO OKC TEMPORARILY. BUT LIKE SAM PRESTI, MAYOR CORNETT SAYS HE WAS JUST BUILDING ON A FOUNDATION LAID BEFORE HIM. I STARTED MEETING WITH THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE NBA AND THE NHL, TRYING TO SEE IF WE COULDN’T GET A SPORTS TEAM TO ATTACH ITSELF TO OUR BRAND. WHAT MAYOR NORICK DID TO HELP PUT AN ARENA IN DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA CITY, AND THEN MAYOR HUMPHREYS AFTER HIM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ARENA GOT BUILT TO NBA OR NHL STANDARDS. MAYOR DAVID HOLT MADE A DECLARATION THAT JULY 1ST WOULD BE SAM PRESTI DAY IN OKLAHOMA CITY, RIGHT AFTER THE THUNDER’S PARADE EXACTLY A WEEK AGO, A MAN WHO UNDERSTANDS HOW A CITY AND A STATE BUILT HIS TEAM, ALTHOUGH WE WON AND WE WERE THE LAST TEAM STANDING, WE DIDN’T REALLY NEED THAT FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO RECOGNIZE ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT IT MEANS TO BE FROM HERE OR TO LIVE HERE IN THE CITY OF THE 20
‘See OKC for what it could be’: Thunder’s Sam Presti credits past leaders for having vision for OKC
The Oklahoma City Thunder are remembering what all that it took to get to an NBA title, including those who came before them.
Updated: 10:23 PM CDT Jul 1, 2025
The Oklahoma City Thunder are remembering what all that it took to get to an NBA title, including those who came before them. July 1 was declared “Sam Presti Day” by Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. Presti, the Thunder’s general manager, was humble during a news conference Monday, making sure he gave credit to all who paved the path to the Larry O’Brien Trophy. “Even if we weren’t the last team standing, it doesn’t change the fact that these folks, long ago, could see OKC for what it could be, and not just for what it was at the time, and that to me is what vision is,” Presti said. “Mayor Norrick, and Mayor Cornett—they are the people that allowed the city to recover from 1995, and the tragedy that occurred here and put in place the vision for the city to be able to have an NBA team in the future.”>> Video Below: Thunder win franchise’s first NBA championship since moving to Oklahoma CityFormer Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett remembered what downtown was like before the Thunder became a serious idea. “Sam Presti can have all the days that he wants as far as I’m concerned. He’s been a magician, and this city has benefited from his leadership,” Cornett said. “Knowing what I knew back in 2005, there was no way OKC was going to get an NBA team, and then a series of events happened, and we did.”>> Video Below: Oklahoma City Thunder’s playoff run brings increased revenue to downtown businessesWhen Hurricane Katrina hit, Cornett helped bring the New Orleans Hornets to Oklahoma City temporarily. But like Presti, Cornett said he was just building on a foundation laid before him. “I started meeting with the commissioners of the NBA and the NHL trying to see if I could get a sports team to attach itself to our brand,” Cornett said. “What Mayor Norrick did to help put an arena in downtown OKC and then Mayor Humphries after him to make sure it got built to NBA or NHL standards.”>> Download the KOCO 5 App | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channelPresti understands how a city and a state built his team. “Although we won and were the last team standing, we didn’t really need that for other people to recognize all the great things that it means to be from here or to live here,” Presti said. Top Headlines Suspect accused of starting blaze, killing firefighters lived in Oklahoma before moving to Idaho New Mexico wrestler inducted into hall of fame at 15 years old 100 new Oklahoma laws take effect on July 1, 2025 Fourth of July mattress sales you don’t want to miss Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signs supermax contract extension with Thunder
OKLAHOMA CITY —
The Oklahoma City Thunder are remembering what all that it took to get to an NBA title, including those who came before them.
July 1 was declared “Sam Presti Day” by Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. Presti, the Thunder’s general manager, was humble during a news conference Monday, making sure he gave credit to all who paved the path to the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
“Even if we weren’t the last team standing, it doesn’t change the fact that these folks, long ago, could see OKC for what it could be, and not just for what it was at the time, and that to me is what vision is,” Presti said. “Mayor Norrick, and Mayor Cornett—they are the people that allowed the city to recover from 1995, and the tragedy that occurred here and put in place the vision for the city to be able to have an NBA team in the future.”
>> Video Below: Thunder win franchise’s first NBA championship since moving to Oklahoma City
Former Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett remembered what downtown was like before the Thunder became a serious idea.
“Sam Presti can have all the days that he wants as far as I’m concerned. He’s been a magician, and this city has benefited from his leadership,” Cornett said. “Knowing what I knew back in 2005, there was no way OKC was going to get an NBA team, and then a series of events happened, and we did.”
>> Video Below: Oklahoma City Thunder’s playoff run brings increased revenue to downtown businesses
When Hurricane Katrina hit, Cornett helped bring the New Orleans Hornets to Oklahoma City temporarily. But like Presti, Cornett said he was just building on a foundation laid before him.
“I started meeting with the commissioners of the NBA and the NHL trying to see if I could get a sports team to attach itself to our brand,” Cornett said. “What Mayor Norrick did to help put an arena in downtown OKC and then Mayor Humphries after him to make sure it got built to NBA or NHL standards.”
>> Download the KOCO 5 App | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel
Presti understands how a city and a state built his team.
“Although we won and were the last team standing, we didn’t really need that for other people to recognize all the great things that it means to be from here or to live here,” Presti said.
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