ON FIVE. ABBY THAT’S RIGHT. AND MANY OKLAHOMANS AND DEDICATED THUNDER FANS WILL REMEMBER THAT EARLY SUPERSTAR TEAM. BUT FOR ONE THUNDER STAFF MEMBER, SHE TELLS ME SHE REMEMBERS IT LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY. WE’RE A LOT BIGGER NOW AND IT’S JUST SO FUN TO SEE WHERE WE WHERE WE WERE AND WHERE WE ARE TODAY. BUT I LOVE IT SO IT’S GREAT. TRUE, FANS WILL REMEMBER THE ORIGINAL RUMBLE OF THUNDER AND THEIR STARTUP IN 2008, BUT WHO YOU MAY NOT HAVE SEEN IS ONE WOMAN BEHIND THE SCENES. I HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE SEPTEMBER ZERO EIGHT OF WITH THE TEAM AND IT’S BEEN AN AMAZING JOURNEY AND WATCHING IT GROW FROM THE UNKNOWN WHEN WE WEREN’T REALLY KNOWN IN THE COMMUNITY UNTIL NOW, WHEN WE ARE GOING TO THE FINALS. JENNIFER HAS BEEN ON BOARD FROM THE BEGINNING. IT WAS A SMALLER STAFF. WE WERE PROBABLY ABOUT AROUND 100 OF US OR SO. YOU KNOW, WE WERE SORT OF JUST GETTING NEW TO THE FIELD OF THE ROLES OF WHAT WE WOULD DO TO SUPPORT THE TEAM AND THE COMPANY. SHE’S LIVED THROUGH THE COMPANY’S HISTORY FROM THOSE HUMBLE BEGINNINGS. IT’S A LITTLE SURREAL TO CURRENT SUCCESS. JENNIFER SEEN IT ALL. I DIDN’T REALLY THINK WE’D BE HERE AGAIN, BUT I’M SO EXCITED THAT WE ARE. YOU KNOW, OUR TEAM HAS WORKED SO HARD TO ACHIEVE THIS GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT, AND I’M JUST SO GLAD THAT WE’RE PART OF SOMETHING TO SUPPORT THEM. AS 144 THUNDER STAFF MEMBERS BOARDED UP FOR GAME THREE OF THE NBA FINALS, JENNIFER REMINISCES ON THE TIME SHE TRAVELED WITH THE TEAM IN 2012 FOR THAT FINAL SERIES. I’M A LITTLE BIT OF A VETERAN, SO I’M GOING TO EXPLAIN TO THEM HOW EXCITING IT WAS AND WHAT WE DID IN 2012. WE’RE GOING TO BE JUST AS LOUD AND ROBUST IN 2025. AND SHE SAYS SHE CAN’T WAIT TO CONTINUE BRINGING THAT THUNDER SPIRIT TO INDIANA. I AM EXCITED FOR TRAVELING, BEING WITH MY COWORKERS. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THEM THAT WEREN’T HERE IN 2012. SO THEY’RE GOING TO EXPERIENCE FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND OF COURSE, LIKE WE’VE BEEN TELLING YOU, KOCO IS YOUR FINALS HEADQUARTERS. WE WILL HAVE A PREGAME SHOW AIRING ON OUR CHANNEL STARTING AT 630, REPORTING LIVE IN
OKC Thunder employee makes journey to second NBA Finals with team
As staff for the Oklahoma City Thunder arrive in Indianapolis to cheer on the team, one employee is having some déjà vu.
Updated: 10:21 PM UTC Jun 11, 2025
As staff for the Oklahoma City Thunder arrive in Indianapolis to cheer on the team, one employee is having some déjà vu. Jennifer Watson has been with the Thunder since the beginning, and this isn’t her first NBA Finals trek. While many Oklahomans and dedicated Thunder fans remember the team’s trip to the finals in 2012, Watson remembers it like it was yesterday. “We’re a lot bigger now, and it’s fun to see where we were and where we are today. I love it. It’s great,” Watson, director of community engagement for the OKC Thunder, said. >> Video Below: Oklahoma City bars and restaurants ready for Thunder watch parties during Game 3 of NBA FinalsTrue fans will remember the original rumble of Thunder and the team’s start in 2008. But who they may not have seen is one woman behind the scenes. “I have been here since September of ’08, with the team, and it’s been an amazing journey, and watching it grow from the unknown, when we weren’t really known in the community, to now when we’re going to the finals, so it’s really exciting,” Watson said. “It was a smaller staff. We were probably about 100 of us or so. We were sort of getting into our roles of what we would do to support the team, the company.” >> Download the KOCO 5 App | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channelShe lived through the company’s history. From those humble beginnings to its current success, Watson has seen it all. “It’s a little surreal,” Watson said. “I didn’t really think we’d be here again, but I’m so excited that we are. Our team has worked so hard to achieve this great accomplishment, and I’m just so glad we’re a part of something to support them.” >> Video Below: NBA Finals excitement buzzing in Indianapolis as Thunder and Pacers get ready for Game 3 matchupAs 144 Thunder staff members boarded a plane for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Watson reminisced on the time she traveled with the team in 2012 for that finals series. “I’m a little bit of a veteran, so I get to explain to them how exciting it was and what we did in 2012, and we’re going to be just as loud and robust in 2025,” Watson said. She said she can’t wait to continue bringing that Thunder spirit to Indiana. “I am excited for traveling. Being with the rest of my coworkers, a lot of them weren’t here in 2012, so they get to experience it for the first time,” Watson said. More Thunder Headlines Thunder NBA Finals: Tickets, schedule and what to know NBA Finals Tickets: See how much Thunder tickets cost NBA Finals: Loud City environment prepares Thunder for road crowd Sports bars and restaurants to watch OKC Thunder in NBA Finals NBA Finals: Thunder fans at home and on road ready for Game 3
INDIANAPOLIS —
As staff for the Oklahoma City Thunder arrive in Indianapolis to cheer on the team, one employee is having some déjà vu.
Jennifer Watson has been with the Thunder since the beginning, and this isn’t her first NBA Finals trek. While many Oklahomans and dedicated Thunder fans remember the team’s trip to the finals in 2012, Watson remembers it like it was yesterday.
“We’re a lot bigger now, and it’s fun to see where we were and where we are today. I love it. It’s great,” Watson, director of community engagement for the OKC Thunder, said.
>> Video Below: Oklahoma City bars and restaurants ready for Thunder watch parties during Game 3 of NBA Finals
True fans will remember the original rumble of Thunder and the team’s start in 2008. But who they may not have seen is one woman behind the scenes.
“I have been here since September of ’08, with the team, and it’s been an amazing journey, and watching it grow from the unknown, when we weren’t really known in the community, to now when we’re going to the finals, so it’s really exciting,” Watson said. “It was a smaller staff. We were probably about 100 of us or so. We were sort of getting into our roles of what we would do to support the team, the company.”
>> Download the KOCO 5 App | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel
She lived through the company’s history. From those humble beginnings to its current success, Watson has seen it all.
“It’s a little surreal,” Watson said. “I didn’t really think we’d be here again, but I’m so excited that we are. Our team has worked so hard to achieve this great accomplishment, and I’m just so glad we’re a part of something to support them.”
>> Video Below: NBA Finals excitement buzzing in Indianapolis as Thunder and Pacers get ready for Game 3 matchup
As 144 Thunder staff members boarded a plane for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Watson reminisced on the time she traveled with the team in 2012 for that finals series.
“I’m a little bit of a veteran, so I get to explain to them how exciting it was and what we did in 2012, and we’re going to be just as loud and robust in 2025,” Watson said.
She said she can’t wait to continue bringing that Thunder spirit to Indiana.
“I am excited for traveling. Being with the rest of my coworkers, a lot of them weren’t here in 2012, so they get to experience it for the first time,” Watson said.
More Thunder Headlines