In July 2008 , the Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City . They play their home games at the Ford Center under the new team name , Oklahoma City Thunder . In July 2008 , the Seattle SuperSonics , owned by a group of Oklahoma City businessmen led by Clayton Bennett , relocated to Oklahoma City and announced that play would begin at Ford Center as the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008 , becoming the state 's first permanent major league franchise .