Want the Sonics back? Never cheer the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA playoffs

I did not always hate the Oklahoma City Thunder.

I mean, I always hated the reality of its existence and loathed the disingenuous owners, but for the first few years after the franchise’s forcible extraction from Seattle, that animosity did not extend to the players or the fans.

That changed in 2011 when I watched Oklahoma City’s crowd relish a series-clinching win in the first round against Denver. I felt an unmistakable swirl of hostility in that dark, cob-webbed corner of my psyche where I keep all my petty resentments and bone-deep grudges.

I’ve wished for nothing but on-court misfortune to befall that team ever since, and if I’m being honest, this has been among the most rewarding and joyful experiences I’ve ever had as a sports fan. That’s why I’m a bit worried. You see, the NBA playoffs start next week and the Thunder are among the favorites. Oklahoma City holds the best record in the NBA heading into Tuesday’s game against the Lakers, set a league record for non-conference wins and have the likely MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

But I’m not ready to give up just yet. This is Ch-oklahoma City we’re talking about, and the Thunder have found a way to muck up better situations than this one.

This is a franchise that drafted three future MVPs in three consecutive drafts—Kevin Durant in 2007, Russell Westbrook in ’08 and James Harden in ’09—and parlayed that batch of generational talent into exactly one NBA Finals appearance where they lost to Lebron James and the Heat in 2012.

Four years after that, the Thunder had a record-setting Warriors team on the ropes in the Western Conference finals. Oklahoma City was up 3-1 on Golden State only to lose three straight games. Then – after the season ended – Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors as a free agent.

I laughed so hard when that happened. Almost as hard as I laughed a few years later when Damian Lillard dropped a nuke from the logo to bounce the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.

Turns out, being a hater is kind of fun.

With Seattle inching closer to having its franchise restored, I’ve been asked if my animosity toward the Thunder will start to wane. The recent sale of the Boston Celtics has reportedly cleared the way for the league to talk turkey on expansion, and while I suppose it’s possible I’ll stop hating the Thunder so fervently once the Sonics return, I kind of doubt it. It’s actually much easier to root against a team than it is to root for one.

When you’ve got a favorite team, you need it to be the last one standing to experience maximum joy. You can rationalize lesser achievements by adorning the season with adjectives like “successful” or “encouraging,” but any time you do that, you know that there was something left on the table.

When you’ve got a least favorite team, though? You just need it to be one of the 29 teams that DOESN’T win the championship to trigger a celebration. In fact, the closer a team gets to the championship, the more painful any loss becomes and the more satisfying it feels to those people like me who possess souls the color of charcoal.

I understand that this is not a mature perspective. It is not even particularly fair. I have always understood that Oklahoma City’s fans were bystanders in the extraction of the Sonics. The unwitting beneficiaries of Howard Schultz’s cowardice, David Stern’s indifference and Clay Bennett’s conniving. Thunder fans are doing exactly what fans should do: rooting for their team.

I just want that enthusiasm to be rewarded with unrelenting frustration and outright suffering, and for the past 14 years I have gotten my wish. It is the single greatest uninterrupted run of sports satisfaction that I’ve experienced. As a Huskies fan, I had to endure the purple helmets of Jim Lambright, two years of Jimmy Lake and the departure of Kalen DeBoer. As a Mariners fan, I’m subjected to the payroll limits of an ownership group that refuses to be shamed into doing the right thing.

But my hate for the Thunder? That has always been rewarded.

I don’t want to get cocky about this, though. I recognize how good this specific team is. Gilgeous-Alexander is a truly effortless scorer, Chet Holmgren is a uniquely gifted big man and Jalen Williams has grown into a devastating player on the wing.

The Thunder were good last year, too, though. Oklahoma City finished with 57 wins, tied with Denver for the most in the Western Conference. The Thunder were the West’s No. 1 seed only to get bumped out in the first round by Luka Doncic and the Mavs.

I know the Thunder have it in them to blow this opportunity, too, and I’ll be ready to point and laugh when they do.

Danny O’Neil was born in Oregon, the son of a logger, but had the good sense to attend college in Washington. He’s covered Seattle sports for 20 years, writing for two newspapers, one glossy magazine and hosting a daily radio show for eight years on KIRO 710 AM. You can subscribe to his free newsletter and find his other work at dannyoneil.com.

This story was originally published April 8, 2025 at 12:13 PM.