Paycom Center
The Ford Center opened its doors on the 8th of June 2002. This date marked the end of three years of construction in downtown Oklahoma City. The building was not originally called the Paycom Center. It carried the name Ford Center from 2002 until 2010. A naming rights deal with the Oklahoma Ford Dealers group created this title. That group represented state dealerships rather than the Ford Motor Company itself. The facility served as a key part of the city's 1993 Capital Improvement Program known as MAPS. A temporary one-cent sales tax funded these new sports and entertainment facilities within city limits. Local concerns initially prevented luxury amenities because no major-league tenant existed yet. Officials planned to retrofit the arena if a professional team relocated there. The structure remained a minimum specification venue for NBA and NHL standards during those early years.
Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005. The NBA reached a deal allowing the New Orleans Hornets franchise to temporarily move to the Ford Center. The team leased the facility for the 2005, 06 season and extended that option for 2006, 07. During this period, the arena acquired a $200,000 renovation focused on lighting and sound improvements. Fans attended games at an average of 18,716 people in 2005, 06 across 36 games. Attendance averaged 17,951 fans over 35 games in 2006, 07. The team operated under the name New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. This arrangement gave Oklahoma City credit for hosting the home team. David Stern stated that Oklahoma City was at the top of the relocation list of cities. The response from fans provided impetus for future sports bids before 2008. The Hornets played their last game in Oklahoma City on the 9th of October 2007.
Oklahoma City billionaire investor Clay Bennett purchased the Seattle SuperSonics in 2006. His Professional Basketball Club LLC bought the franchises from Howard Schultz. A provision allowed Seattle officials one year to solve its arena situation or permit Bennett to seek relocation. League approval came in April 2008. On the 2nd of July 2008, officials announced the Sonics franchise would relocate to Oklahoma City. The agreement retired the SuperSonics moniker, color, and logos. On the 2nd of September 2008, the team announced they would be called the Oklahoma City Thunder. The deal included $1.6 million in annual rents to the city for use of the Ford Center. It also included a $409,000 annual supplemental payment for naming rights transfer. NBA ownership approved the move on the 18th of April 2008. The facility hosted playoff games every year between 2010 and 2014. It also hosted playoff games in 2016. In 2012, the arena became host of the NBA Finals for the first time when the Thunder faced the Miami Heat.
The venue hosted the 2007 Big 12 men's basketball tournament for the first time in 2007. It held NCAA Men's Basketball First and Second Round games in 2010 and 2016. March 2014 saw the arena play host to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Starting in 2024, it has hosted the men's basketball portion of Bedlam Series as a neutral site game. Professional wrestling shows have been frequent visitors since 2005. WWE Raw came to the Chesapeake Energy Arena on the 25th of September 2006. Cheech & Chong appeared as guest hosts during that show. A blackout occurred at the opening of the 25th of September 2006 event but lights were restored shortly after. UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard returned to Oklahoma on the 16th of September 2009. The Professional Bull Riders held Premier Series events from 2002 through 2006 and again from 2009 through 2022. In 2024, the Wildcatters team began calling Paycom Center home.
Citizens passed a $121.6 million initiative on the 4th of March 2008 to renovate and expand the facility. Financing consisted of a temporary 15-month one-cent sales tax starting the 1st of January 2009. Economic crisis caused tax receipts to total only $103.5 million instead of the projected $121 million. Major construction work was delayed from summer 2010 to summer 2011 due to this shortfall. Plans included upscale restaurants, clubs, additional suites, office space, and Kid's Zone upgrades. An integrated video and scoring system from Daktronics was installed during these improvements. A new 28,000-pound scoreboard with wraparound video display arrived in September 2023 at a cost of $7.5 million. Basketball seating capacity adjusted over time to fit venue configurations. The arena seats up to 19,711 people across three levels with a fourth added for concerts. It features 3,380 club seats and seven party suites alongside 49 private suites.
The initial term of the 2008 use license agreement expired in 2023. Thunder exercised an option to extend the agreement for three years to allow time for city plans. On the 12th of December 2023, Oklahoma City voters approved a 72-month extension of a one-cent sales tax. This funding will build a new publicly owned downtown arena. The new facility is slated to open no later than the opening of the 2029-30 NBA season. On the 17th of May 2024, officials revealed the site of the former Cox Convention Center as the location for the new arena. The property lies north of the Paycom Center across Reno Ave. In June 2024, the city and Prairie Surf Studios agreed to terminate their lease one year early. Demolition was scheduled to begin in early 2025. Once the new arena opens, the current structure will likely convert to another type of property. Paycom announced on the 14th of July 2025 that they would end their naming rights deal when the team moves into the new facility in 2028.
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Common questions
When did the Ford Center open its doors in Oklahoma City?
The Ford Center opened its doors on the 8th of June 2002. This date marked the end of three years of construction in downtown Oklahoma City.
What was the original name of the Paycom Center before it changed to that title?
The building carried the name Ford Center from 2002 until 2010. A naming rights deal with the Oklahoma Ford Dealers group created this title rather than a deal with the Ford Motor Company itself.
How many people attended games at the Ford Center during the 2005, 06 season when the New Orleans Hornets played there?
Fans attended games at an average of 18,716 people in 2005, 06 across 36 games. The team leased the facility for the 2005, 06 season and extended that option for 2006, 07.
On what date did officials announce the Sonics franchise would relocate to Oklahoma City?
On the 2nd of July 2008, officials announced the Sonics franchise would relocate to Oklahoma City. The agreement retired the SuperSonics moniker, color, and logos.
When will the new publicly owned downtown arena open after the current structure closes?
The new facility is slated to open no later than the opening of the 2029-30 NBA season. On the 17th of May 2024, officials revealed the site of the former Cox Convention Center as the location for the new arena.