Ground Broken for OKC NBA Arena
Originally Published by OK Energy Today
March 26th 2026
Groundbreaking for the $1 billion new Continental Coliseum in Oklahoma City that will eventually be the new home for the Oklahoma City Thunder and will bear the name of one of the state’s prominent oil and gas companies was held Thursday morning.
It was at the site of the former Cox Convention center which was demolished to make way for the city’s new NBA arena. The coliseum will anchor the Thunder’s presence in the city through at least 2053. Harold Hamm, the founder of Continental Resources was among the speakers, joining Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, Thunder chairman Clay Bennett and Thunder Executive Vice President & General Manager Sam Presti.
“This moment speaks to our aspirations as a city,” Mayor David Holt said. “Not only are we making the statement that we wish to remain a big league city, the scale and beauty of this project also makes an aesthetic statement that will resonate for generations. This is the city’s most ambitious public project in our history.”
Continental Coliseum is being built on the site of the former arena and convention center that stood from 1972 to 2026 on the block bounded by Reno, Ron Norick, Sheridan and E.K. Gaylord. It will replace the Thunder’s current home, Paycom Center, which will be 26 years old when it opens in 2028.