When the Oklahoma City Thunder signed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to contract extensions this past offseason, that meant the NBA champions’ pillars will be at the housewarming party of the new downtown arena.

With blue and orange confetti still covering Paycom Center’s court, we reached another milestone this past offseason with the new OKC arena that will keep the Thunder around for 2050 and beyond. OKC Mayor David Holt released renderings of the new building. They provided fans pictures of what it will roughly look like when they cut the ribbon in time for the 2028-29 regular season.

Advertisement

It takes several years for a new NBA arena to be brainstormed and then actually constructed. The Thunder are through the first half of that process with a recent vote that approved the $900 million project.

At his 2025-26 preseason press conference, Sam Presti addressed the latest update on the OKC arena. He’s the highest Thunder authority figure who regularly talks to the media, which makes him the unofficial spokesperson for what the franchise thinks of the latest developments.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be at the very core of that process, and I’ve learned so much. It’s been really, really interesting to me. I just think in general, I’m fascinated by building anything, building things, so this was a great thing for me,” Presti said. “There’s governmental aspects to this that are way over my head, but I’m learning how all of these types of things work.”

Looking at Paycom Center’s life, it was about time for the Thunder to get a new home. The building opened in 2002. It’s where OKC relocated when it moved in during the 2008-09 season. The arena has gone through several name changes and renovations. But with their lease expiring, it was better for the long-term future to gain security with a new arena.

Advertisement

“I think the most important thing is the quality, and that’s something that is really important for us is that people can open these buildings, but shortly thereafter, things start to deteriorate, or you can see where things were shortcutted,” Presit said. “I just think the commitment that Mayor Holt and certainly our organization, saying we want to have something that’s lasting, that serves with the community.”

The new OKC arena will be located next to the Paycom Center. The Prairie Surf Studios has begun construction with the antique building taped off to the public. One of the ways the Thunder will honor the former venue is by laying out the basketball court at the exact location where it previously hosted basketball games decades ago.

“I’m really excited about it. We have a team of people that are working on that every day. But to see it from where it was to where it is now is fascinating,” Presti said. “It’s a community asset, and we’re going to try everything we can to make sure that it serves the community in more ways than just being a nod to the tradition of competition in Oklahoma.”

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Thunder GM Sam Presti details excitement over new OKC arena updates