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Key Summary:

Oklahoma City‘s population grew from 601,040 in 2012 to 710,000
MAPS initiatives fueled downtown revitalization and development
The Thunder’s playoff return puts global spotlight on the city
Officials highlight improved quality of life and business climate

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City has seen significant growth since the last time its NBA franchise was on the biggest stage in basketball.

The population of Oklahoma City in 2012 was 601,040, according to Census data. Led by a star trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, the Thunder, just four years old, went on a run through the Western Conference Playoffs to reach the finals, but lost in five games to the Miami Heat. The team’s success in that era introduced many people across the globe to Oklahoma City, the 29th most populous city in the U.S. at the time.

The city looked a lot different then, undergoing revitalization efforts, including MAPS 3 projects like the 500,000-square-foot convention center. The Devon Energy Center, now the city’s tallest building, was nearing completion that summer.

It could be said Oklahoma City’s transformation into what it is today was kickstarted in 1993. If it wasn’t for the first MAPS initiative that year, Seattle Supersonics brass probably wouldn’t select Oklahoma City for relocation because the city wouldn’t have an arena that met NBA standards. It was at the Ford Center, now known as Paycom Center, where the city showed it has what it takes to support an NBA team. After Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Hornets relocated to Oklahoma City for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 NBA seasons. A year later, Clay Bennett moved the Supersonics to the Heartland.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt has seen the city embrace what he believes it takes to grow. He would tell you the turning point came in 1991 under former Mayor Ron Norick. The city was competing to secure a United Airlines maintenance facility that would create 6,000 jobs, but ultimately the company chose Indianapolis. When leadership from one of the largest airline companies in the world was asked why their city lost out, despite having an attractive incentive package on the table, they said Oklahoma City simply didn’t offer the same quality of life as Indianapolis and other larger cities.

Since that realization, Holt said Oklahoma City’s trajectory has been in one direction only. The population of Oklahoma City is now estimated to be about 710,000, according to Census data, making it the 20th largest city in the U.S.

The Thunder experienced a down period after its star and first MVP, Kevin Durant, left Oklahoma City for San Francisco, California to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016. Under its second MVP, Russell Westbrook, a name still affectionately embedded in the hearts of many Oklahomans, the team would make it to the playoffs multiple times but failed to advance past the first round. Now with its third MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the team is moving in the same direction as the city it represents.

The mayor spoke to NBA and corporate partners about the growth trend ahead of the Thunder’s first NBA Finals game in 13 years last week. He used a picture of the skyline on the wall behind him to illustrate the changes to the downtown area since then, pointing at the BOK Tower, completed in 2018 and the 70-acre Scissortail Park.

Holt highlighted the Oklahoma River revitalization project. He said putting water in the river in the early 2000s was originally done for an aesthetic purpose. Little did city leaders know that would later unlock an opportunity to host canoe slalom in the 2028 Olympics.

The Olympics and the NBA Finals put an international spotlight on Oklahoma City. Holt said these moments should be cherished.

“I’ve done interviews in the last 24 hours with Italian media, British media, Canadian Media,” Holt said. “Billions of people around the world are going to be paying at least a passing glance to the events here and in Indiana in the next two weeks, and they will think about Oklahoma City. I always say people don’t visit, invest in or live in places they’ve never heard of, and so they will have heard of Oklahoma City, if they haven’t already, in the next couple of weeks, and that is going to present opportunities we will capitalize on for years to come.”

Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell said Oklahoma now has not only the quality of life that companies look for, but also the business climate to support them. He highlighted Oklahoma’s standing as the ninth-highest GDP growth and job creation over the last five years.

Pinnell said the Thunder’s playoff run this spring allows Oklahoma City to show it now has the quality of life that the next generation of talent would want.

“We can go anywhere in the world with a straight face and tell people they should be living in Oklahoma City,” Pinnell said. “Let’s take that responsibility. Let’s run with it. Let’s win this series.”