The Oklahoma City Thunder is an American professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It plays in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was known as the Seattle SuperSonics from 1967 to 2008. The team plays its home games at the Paycom Center.[1] The Thunder is owned by Professional Basketball Club LLC with Sam Presti as its general manager. The team was formed in 1967. After spending 41 seasons in Seattle, Washington, the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City. Owner Clay Bennett, who purchased the team in 2006, sought to get public funding for a new arena in Seattle, or a major renovation of the KeyArena in 2007. After failing to do so, he decided to move the team to Oklahoma City.[2] Seattle sued Bennett's group to enforce the lease that required the team to stay until 2010. The two sides reached a $45 million settlement to pay off the team's lease with KeyArena in July 2008.[3][4]
![exterior view Paycom Center](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Paycom_Center%2C_Oklahoma_City_%28Sep._2021%29.jpg/220px-Paycom_Center%2C_Oklahoma_City_%28Sep._2021%29.jpg)
There have been 16 head coaches for the Thunder franchise. The franchise won its only NBA championship in the 1979 NBA Finals while coached by Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens. Wilkens is the only member of the franchise to have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach.[5] He is also the franchise's all-time leader in regular-season games coached, regular-season games won, playoff games coached, and playoff games won. Wilkens, Paul Westphal, Nate McMillan and Bob Weiss formerly played for the team in Seattle.[6][7][8] Former head coach Scott Brooks is the only coach to have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award with the franchise.[9]
Key
editGC | Games coached |
W | Wins |
L | Losses |
Win% | Winning percentage |
# | Number of coaches |
* | Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the SuperSonics/Thunder |
† | Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach |
Coaches
editNote: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2023–24 season.
# | Name | Term | GC | W | L | Win% | GC | W | L | Win% | Achievements | Reference | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||
Seattle SuperSonics | |||||||||||||||
1 | Al Bianchi | 1967–1969 | 164 | 53 | 111 | .323 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | [10] | ||||
2 | Lenny Wilkens† | 1969–1972 (as player-coach) | 246 | 121 | 125 | .492 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history[11] | [5] | |||
3 | Tom Nissalke | 1972 | 45 | 13 | 32 | .289 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | [12] | ||||
4 | Bucky Buckwalter | 1973 | 37 | 13 | 24 | .351 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | [13] | ||||
5 | Bill Russell† | 1973–1977 | 328 | 162 | 166 | .494 | 15 | 6 | 9 | .400 | [14] | ||||
6 | Bob Hopkins* | 1977 | 22 | 5 | 17 | .227 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | [15] | ||||
— | Lenny Wilkens† | 1977–1985 | 634 | 357 | 277 | .563 | 69 | 37 | 32 | .536 | 1 NBA championship (1979) One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history[11] |
[5] | |||
7 | Bernie Bickerstaff | 1985–1990 | 410 | 202 | 208 | .493 | 27 | 12 | 15 | .444 | [16] | ||||
8 | K. C. Jones | 1990–1991 | 118 | 59 | 59 | .500 | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | [17] | ||||
9 | Bob Kloppenburg | 1991 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | [18] | ||||
10 | George Karl† | 1991–1998 | 534 | 384 | 150 | .719 | 80 | 40 | 40 | .500 | [19] | ||||
11 | Paul Westphal | 1998–2000 | 147 | 76 | 71 | .517 | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | [20] | ||||
12 | Nate McMillan | 2000–2005 | 395 | 212 | 183 | .537 | 16 | 8 | 8 | .500 | [21] | ||||
13 | Bob Weiss | 2005 | 30 | 13 | 17 | .433 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | [22] | ||||
14 | Bob Hill | 2006–2007 | 134 | 53 | 81 | .396 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | [23] | ||||
15 | P. J. Carlesimo | 2007–2008 | 82 | 20 | 62 | .244 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | [24] | ||||
Oklahoma City Thunder | |||||||||||||||
— | P. J. Carlesimo | 2008 | 13 | 1 | 12 | .077 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | [24] | ||||
16 | Scott Brooks | 2008–2015 | 545 | 338 | 207 | .620 | 73 | 39 | 34 | .534 | 2009–10 NBA Coach of the Year[9] | [25] | |||
17 | Billy Donovan | 2015–2020 | 400 | 243 | 157 | .608 | 41 | 18 | 23 | .439 | [26] | ||||
18 | Mark Daigneault | 2020–present | 236 | 143 | 175 | .450 | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 | 2023-24 NBA Coach of the Year |
Gallery
edit-
George Karl was the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1991 to 1998, and led them to their third NBA Finals in 1996.
-
Scott Brooks was the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2008 to 2015, and led them to their first NBA Finals in 2012.
References
edit- General
- "Oklahoma City Thunder Coach Register". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 13, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
- Specific
- ^ "City Preparing Ford Center For NBA Team". KOCO Oklahoma City. Hearst Television Inc. July 3, 2008. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
- ^ Johns, Greg (November 2, 2007). "Bennett says Sonics going to Oklahoma". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hearst Seattle Media, LLC. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
- ^ "SuperSonics, Seattle reach last-minute settlement". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. July 3, 2008. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
- ^ "Sonics, city reach settlement". The Seattle Times. July 2, 2008. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Lenny Wilkens Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ "Lenny Wilkens Playing Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
- ^ "Nate McMillan Playing Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
- ^ "Bob Weiss Playing Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2008.
- ^ a b "Coach of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ "Al Bianchi Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ a b "Top 10 Coaches in NBA History". NBA.com. National Basketball Association. Archived from the original on January 19, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2008.
- ^ "Tom Nissalke Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on March 9, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ "Bucky Buckwalter Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ "Bill Russell Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 19, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ "Bob Hopkins Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ "Bernie Bickerstaff Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ "K.C. Jones Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ "Bob Kloppenburg Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ "George Karl Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ "Paul Westphal Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 7, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
- ^ "Nate McMillan Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
- ^ "Bob Weiss Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on March 23, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
- ^ "Bob Hill Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on June 14, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
- ^ a b "P.J. Carlesimo Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
- ^ "Scott Brooks Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ^ "Billy Donovan Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.