Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault confirmed Monday that several of the team's biggest names, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, will sit out Tuesday's preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans in Tulsa because of a tight back-to-back schedule. The exhibition tips off at 7 p.m. at the BOK Center, and Tulsa fans are getting a full day of basketball-themed festivities to go along with it.
The rest for Oklahoma City's stars doesn't mean the night is light on hoopla. According to Sports Illustrated, all of the resting starters are still traveling with the team to Tulsa, even though they're being held out ahead of Wednesday's home game back in Oklahoma City. That setup gives the Thunder's younger prospects a chance to soak up meaningful minutes in front of a Tulsa crowd that doesn't often get to see NBA basketball up close.
Before the opening tip, the Thunder are bringing a full day of activities to Guthrie Green in downtown Tulsa. As detailed by News On 6, the free Thunder Up on the Green event runs from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and features live music, food trucks, performances and inflatable games. Mascot Rumble, the Thunder Girls and the Thunder Drummers are all scheduled to make appearances, and fans 18 and older can enter a giveaway for pairs of game tickets by scanning QR codes at the event.
A Tradition Returns After a Year Away
Tuesday's game marks the 16th Thunder preseason game played in Tulsa since the franchise relocated to Oklahoma in 2008, according to the BOK Center. The matchup also represents a return after a venue scheduling conflict kept the Thunder from holding a Tulsa preseason game last year, the station's report notes, breaking what had otherwise been an annual tradition for local basketball fans.
Landis Tindell, who previewed both the Guthrie Green event and the game itself, said the Thunder loves Tulsa and is excited to return, per the same account. The organization has long treated Tulsa as central to its identity as Oklahoma's team rather than a strictly Oklahoma City franchise, regularly scheduling preseason games in the city as part of that outreach.
Tickets for Tuesday's game remain available through the Thunder's website and the BOK Center's website, per News On 6's report. The 17,839-seat arena enforces a clear bag policy and operates as a completely cashless venue for all food, beverage and merchandise purchases, per the BOK Center, meaning fans carrying cash will need to exchange it for arena vouchers before buying anything inside.
A Packed Preseason Before the Regular Season Opens
Tuesday's Tulsa matchup opens a compressed five-game, 10-day preseason slate for the Thunder before the team begins its 2026-27 regular season on October 20 in San Antonio, according to Radio Oklahoma News. The tight turnaround, which includes two back-to-back sets, is part of why Daigneault opted to rest his top players ahead of Wednesday's home preseason game in Oklahoma City.
Thunder's Deeper Ties to Tulsa
Beyond the court, the Thunder's connection to Tulsa runs through community programs the team operates regularly, including the Rolling Thunder Book Bus, a basketball clinic for local high school students and the Thunder Fellows program. In August, the Tulsa-based Thunder Fellows program selected a record 64 high school and college students for its 2026-27 cohort in the city's historic Greenwood District, according to okcthunder.com. Since its launch, 168 students have completed the program, with alumni securing more than 100 internships.
Thunder Fellows was founded in 2020 as a joint initiative between the Oklahoma City Thunder and CAA Sports, created as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to address racial wealth and opportunity gaps for Black students in Tulsa, according to Creative Artists Agency. The program offers professional development and exposure to sports, technology and entertainment. Separately, the Thunder's statewide Rolling Thunder Book Bus has completed more than 3,000 stops and distributed over 200,000 free books to elementary school students across Oklahoma, including stops in the Tulsa area, according to KOKH FOX 25.
An Arena Built for Big Nights — and Big Bills
The BOK Center itself, designed by architect César Pelli and opened in 2008 at a construction cost of $196 million, generated $350 million in economic impact for downtown Tulsa, according to Pelli Clarke Architects. The arena was built as the flagship project of Tulsa County's Vision 2025 initiative. In February, a Hoodline hotel tax report covered city officials weighing a hotel tax increase to fund more than $100 million in long-term capital repairs and upgrades for the BOK Center and the Arvest Convention Center, underscoring the ongoing public investment required to keep the nearly two-decade-old venue hosting marquee events like Tuesday's Thunder game.
