On April 19th, 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was bombed by a cowardly terrorist, killing hundreds and injuring more.
With the 25th anniversary happening next year, the Thunder have decided to pay tribute to the victims through a special tribute jersey.
As the 25th anniversary of 4/19/95 approaches, we were honored to work with the OKC National Memorial & Museum to create our 2019-20 City Edition uniform. It's a tribute to those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever.
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— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 23, 2019
The new City Edition jerseys were created in partnership with the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Per the team’s release on their site:
“The Thunder and the memorial worked closely with Nike to embody the spirit of resilience and remembrance to pay respect to the lives lost and all those impacted by the bombing. It also captures the memorial’s mission of educating current and future generations about the Oklahoma City community’s response to the tragedy, with a focus on the Oklahoma Standard of service, honor and kindness.”
“April 19th, 1995 changed our city forever. The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum serves our community by helping us remember those lost, yet also tells a story of a city that comes together with compassion,” said Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti in the release. “The Thunder is honored to continue to strengthen our relationship with the Oklahoma City Memorial with this endeavor. Additionally, the chance to help further the memorial’s efforts around the Oklahoma Standard expands our support beyond that of the uniform. Although the Oklahoma Standard means something unique to everyone individually, raising awareness of its importance and ultimate evolution alongside that of our city is essential. Any progress we can make to help preserve and ultimately further articulate the simple acts of service, honor and kindness that have helped contribute to Oklahoma’s community identity is a pivotal aspect to the broader civic impact we envision.”
The uniform’s design pays tribute to the memorial in a variety of ways. The times 9:01 and 9:03 are in the vents of the shorts, the former representing the city before the bombing and the latter when the city bonded together to help and heal. In addition, the Survivor Tree is emblazoned on the belt of the shorts, depicting the 90-year-old elm which withstood the blast from the 4,000 pound bomb.
The team is also helping to underwrite a permanent exhibit at the museum and fill fund free admission to the National Memorial Museum once a month for all of next year.
