What did playing on OKC Bombing anniversary mean to OKC Thunder?

Here's what the Thunder had to say about opening the 2026 NBA playoffs on the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing:

Mark Daigneault

"That was, I think, Oklahoma City's first introduction to the country nationally. First time the city was really on a national stage. It was obviously a tragic situation where the whole country saw what the city was about. A more positive way that the city has been on national stages since the team has come here. The city has been able to represent itself in a more positive way or in better circumstances. For us to represent the city and honor the victims and the families today with a home playoff game is a privilege for us. We don't take it lightly. We addressed the team on it yesterday and certainly we're thinking about all the families of the victims in the city itself as we take the floor today.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

"It's huge for the city. It’s so much bigger than just a basketball game. People in the city who were affected. Everyone who comes to the organization goes and visits the museum. It’s pretty heavy. That's the top of everyone's mind in Oklahoma waking up this morning. We just try to go out there, compete, give them a show. Take their minds off the tragedy and give them something to be happy about today. Nonetheless, it has created the character and empowered this city. We rode off that tonight for sure."

Jalen Williams

"It’s special. Obviously, we had that in the back of our minds today. Just speaks to the city. When you have something like that happen, time doesn't really heal it all the way. I think about how hard we play and just how much we mean to the city and the city means to us. I think that bond brings everybody really close. You feel a little more sense of urgency and a little more want to win from the fans today. We're happy to give that to them. It's just one of those moments that bring us closer together and what the city is built on."

"I think the biggest thing I got from going to The Memorial my first year was I didn't know — and a lot of guys can say the same thing — how much that kinda shaped Oklahoma. When you're not here and from somewhere else, I went to college in Santa Clara, two totally different ends of the spectrum, I didn't realize how integrated that made the city. People are really close because of it. And how much people rally around the actual team. That's really cool. You go from something that was a tragedy and turned into a triumph story. How much the city was able to come together instead of splitting apart. And that was through the team. That's really special."

Chet Holmgren

“I was born after the event. I never saw it on the news or anything. I kinda heard of it, but I didn't really know the extent of that event until I got here. Went to the Memorial Museum, really understood how it impacted the community. I think seeing that and learning the response the city had to that and how they came together. That was my first time really understanding what Oklahoma City is. The fanbase reminds me of that same thing every single night. I couldn't be happier to be there. Glad to come away with the win."

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: What did playing on OKC Bombing anniversary mean to OKC Thunder?