OKLAHOMA CITY — Cory Washam was here on Thursday night, when Indiana stole a Game 1 victory in the NBA Finals, and he will return for Sunday night’s Game 2.
Washam also was here — always in section 109 of the Paycom Center — for about 600 previous Thunder games. He was a season-ticket holder when the New Orleans Hornets played 2005-07 home games in Oklahoma City, and he has been a season-ticket holder since the Thunder organization moved here from Seattle in 2008.
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A section of Cory Washam’s Sperry home essentially is an Oklahoma City Thunder museum. Washam has been a Thunder season-ticket holder since 2008. Annie Davenport PHOTOS, Tulsa World
For NBA Finals contests played in OKC, it was determined that Washam’s 18-year-old daughter Annastyn would accompany him to Game 1, that 25-year-old son Corbin would get Washam’s second ticket for Game 2, and that 20-year-old son Braden would be with his dad for Game 5.
If a Game 7 is necessary, it also would be played in Oklahoma City. Cory Washam’s tickets would have great value. He could sell his tickets on the secondary market and make a tremendous profit.
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On a secondary sales platform like SeatGeek, Game 1 ticket prices ranged from $480 to $4,300.
Sunday’s Game 2 is the 70th home playoff game for the Thunder since 2010. Washam has never missed a playoff game played in OKC, and he says there’s “no way” that he would miss one of these Finals games.
“After the first Hornets game (in 2005), I knew I wanted to be able to attend basketball games,” Washam recalled. “I never dreamed that it would lead to 600-plus games and 60-something playoff games. I’m living a dream for me.
“As a kid, I always dreamed of going to an NBA game. I never got to do that until the Hornets. From there, I was hooked. And now, it’s Thunder forever.”
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A Kevin Durant display in Cory Washam’s Sperry home. Annie Davenport, Tulsa World
The Thunder markets itself as a state-of-Oklahoma entity. Dan Mahoney is a Thunder vice president who recently told the Tulsa World that the presence of Tulsa-area fans in the Paycom Center is comparable to what it was during the 2008-16 Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook era of NBA basketball in Oklahoma City.
“On any given night,” Mahoney said, “anywhere from 6% to 10% of the people in the arena are from the Tulsa area. Whether we’re talking about season-ticket members, half-season tickets, quarter-season tickets or single-game buyers — a lot of Tulsa-area fans drive down for games. “We’ve always had strong, consistent support from Tulsa.”
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Included in Cory Washam’s collection of OKC Thunder memorabilia is this basketball signed by each member of the 2015-16 team that advanced to the Western Conference finals. Annie Davenport, Tulsa World
For NBA games, the Paycom Center has a seating capacity of 18,203. Based on Mahoney’s percentages, the total on Tulsa-area fans who attend Thunder home games ranges from 1,800 to 1,100.
The Thunder has gotten strong, consistent support from Washam, whose nearly-every-home-game commitment is a classic example of a long-distance dedication.
The estimate on Washam’s highway mileage on Thunder round trips: 74,000.
A district manager for a major insurance company, Washam has a Sperry address. With a home that overlooks Lake Skiatook, he resides 19 miles north of downtown Tulsa and 123 miles from the Paycom Center.
Washam had been a pretty good high school basketball player in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. He loved Michael Jordan’s dynastic Chicago Bulls of the ’90s.
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Kevin Durant jersey on Tuesday, June 2, 2025 in Sperry, Okla. Annie Davenport, Tulsa World
However, as Washam stated, he hadn’t witnessed a professional basketball game until Nov. 1, 2005 — when the New Orleans Hornets played for the first time in their temporary home-away-from-home arena in downtown Oklahoma City.
The Hornets had been displaced when their New Orleans arena sustained Hurricane Katrina damage, so they played two seasons of 2005-07 home games in OKC.
Fired up by the opportunity to see a real NBA game being played in OKC, Washam secured two single-game tickets for the Hornets’ 2005-06 opener.
“I couldn’t believe the electricity in the building. The crowd noise and the atmosphere,” Washam recalls. “I decided that I wanted more of that.”
Washam typically takes one of his kids or a business associate to the Thunder games.
“This year, I’ve been to 10 or 12 games,” said Braden Washam, a University of Arkansas student. “Sometimes, I’ll make the drive from Fayetteville for a weekend game. If I’m not there, I’m watching on my phone. I’ve actually watched Thunder games while I’m in class.”
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Oklahoma City Thunder memorabilia on Tuesday, June 2, 2025 in Sperry, Okla. Annie Davenport, Tulsa World
One section of Cory Washam’s home essentially is a Thunder museum. There are framed jerseys and images celebrating Durant and Westbrook, along with the second-generation stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Shelves are lined with signed basketballs, photos and shoes.
Washam’s all-time favorite Thunder player is Gilgeous-Alexander.
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Oklahoma City Thunder memorabilia on Tuesday, June 2, 2025 in Sperry, Okla. Annie Davenport, Tulsa World
“Shai is great about signing autographs and interacting with the fans,” Washam explained. “When Kevin Durant was here, I liked him and appreciated his talent. But he tarnished his reputation with the way he left. I have forgiven him, but I wouldn’t want him back (on the OKC roster).
“Do I still think he’s a Hall of Famer who helped us do great things? Yes. But he’s not my No. 1 Thunder player. That would be Shai.”
The Thunder, Washam says, “has become a part of our lives and our traditions. For every home game and every road game, I’m either at the game or I’m watching (the telecast).”
Washam has traveled to several NBA cities for Thunder road contests, and on May 11 he was in Denver for Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals — a 92-87 OKC victory.
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Kevin Durant ball on Tuesday, June 2, 2025 in Sperry, Okla. Annie Davenport, Tulsa World
“I’m all in, for sure,” Washam said. “I get attached to each Thunder team. Even the role players. This whole experience has been awesome.”
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com
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