The Oklahoma City Thunder just won the franchise’s first NBA championship. The team’s connection to the LGBTQ community is a bit tenuous, as they abandoned the OK Pride Alliance last year and refused to host an LGBTQ Pride Night at a game this season.
Oklahoma City won this season’s NBA Championship by beating the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, 103-91. It was the first NBA title for the franchise, which started as the Seattle SuperSonics but moved to Oklahoma City in in 2008.
At the time, Kevin Durant — who was recently traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets — was the big star. Now it’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams who lead the team on the court.
Oklahoma City previously appeared in one NBA Finals, crushed by the Miami Heat in 2012, 4-1.
Related
Outsports learned that about a year ago, the Thunder withdrew from the OK Pride Alliance. In Oklahoma City there are apparently two Pride groups. The Thunder ended its relationship with one. Outsports could not confirm a relationship with the other.
In fact, OK Pride Alliance spokesperson Kylan Durant said the Thunder totally abandoned the group last year.
The Thunder claimed to Outsports that, while refusing to host a Pride Night, the NBA team was embracing the local LGBTQ community.
“We are not planning a Pride Night at a game this season,” Thunder spokesperson Dan Mahoney confirmed to Outsports earlier this year. “We have instead chosen to focus more on year-round support and advocacy.”
Of course, one does not exclude the other. The Thunder could have easily held an LGBTQ Pride Night and supported the local LGBTQ community. Yet the team couldn’t bring itself to host a Pride Night like over 80% of the rest of the NBA.
The NBA champions simply couldn’t bring themselves to host a Pride Night this season.
The Thunder was the only NBA team to confirm to Outsports that they refused to host an LGBTQ Pride Night in the 2024-25 season.
And here is this club, which refused to host an LGBTQ Pride Night, winning it all.
Make no mistake: The vast majority of NBA teams openly support the LGBTQ community. Does an NBA team’s refusal to host a Pride Night equal success? Of course not. Yet the NBA champions’ refusal of this simple act of support is disappointing.
Subscribe to the Outsports newsletter to keep up with your favorite out athletes, inspiring LGBTQ sports stories, and more.