Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt delivered his annual State of the City address to a packed crowd at the OKC Convention Center on Wednesday, but it was the unveiling of the city’s long-awaited new arena design that drew the biggest reaction.

“It is a statement piece for our city,” Holt declared, revealing renderings of the state-of-the-art facility that will become the new home of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The design, created by MANICA Architecture, features a sleek, modern structure with a glass-lined concourse offering panoramic views of downtown. The west-facing entrance will connect directly to the Myriad Botanical Gardens and include a vibrant street-level fan zone dubbed “Thunder Alley.” An elevated main entrance will lead fans to the central concourse.

Mayor Holt framed the new arena as a symbol of Oklahoma City’s evolution into a “big league city.”

“We did it,” Holt said. “We became a big-league city.”

David Manica, owner of MANICA Architecture, said the design was shaped by his experiences visiting the city and attending Thunder games.

“What struck me was the sense of community—the emotional connection and shared experiences, physically but also emotionally, so a lot of intermixing of people and a great joy in the house,” Manica said.

Manica said they created the seating bowl first, creating a 360-degree experience and designed to bring fans closer to the action, offering a more intimate feel, but just as loud as “Loud City.”

“There’s definitely a very intentional effort to bring the fans closer,” Holt said.

“We have pulled the seats closer to the action than the existing building, and anytime you do that, you increase the density, and you increase the volume, so ‘Loud City’ is just going to get louder,” Manica added.

While the initial design reflects Oklahoma City’s identity and spirit, Manica noted that further refinement is still to come.

“I think we’ve started something really special for this place, this city, and its people,” he said. “But there’s more to come.”

The final design will require approval from the Oklahoma City Council. The arena is expected to open by late summer 2028.