Women's Basketball in Oklahoma City: Beyond the Thunder
When you search for basketball in Oklahoma City, the Thunder dominate results. What doesn't surface easily is that the city has hosted women's professional basketball for years, and the landscape shifted significantly in 2024. This guide covers what Oklahoma City's women's basketball presence actually is, where to watch it, and how the current setup compares to what existed before.
The WNBA Expansion Announcement and What It Means
In September 2023, the WNBA announced that Oklahoma City would receive an expansion franchise beginning in the 2025 season. The team will be called the Oklahoma City Comets. This is the city's first major professional women's sports franchise and the league's first expansion team since 2008, when the Atlanta Dream joined.
The Comets will play home games at the Paycom Center, the same 20,000-seat venue where the Thunder play. Sharing arena infrastructure means the Comets will have professional-grade facilities without requiring a new building. The arrangement allows both teams to use the same locker rooms, practice courts, and support staff during their respective seasons, though scheduling will need coordination since the NBA and WNBA seasons overlap in late fall.
Ticket pricing for the Comets' inaugural 2025 season has not been formally released as of this writing, but comparable WNBA teams in newer markets typically price single-game seats between $15 and $75, depending on opponent and seat location. Early season games against league stars like Las Vegas Aces or New York Liberty command higher prices than games against mid-tier opponents.
Oklahoma City's Women's Basketball History Before the Comets
The city was not basketball-barren before the WNBA expansion announcement. Tulsa Shock, a WNBA team based 100 miles northeast in Tulsa, drew some Oklahoma City area fans from 2008 to 2016. However, a one-hour-plus drive to Tulsa World Arena meant the team never became deeply rooted in Oklahoma City itself. Tulsa Shock relocated to Dallas in 2017 and became the Dallas Wings.
For nearly seven years, Oklahoma City had no professional women's basketball presence. High school and college programs filled the void. Oklahoma City Thunder play-by-play broadcasters occasionally called college games, and the University of Oklahoma Sooners women's team (based in Norman, about 20 miles south) retained regional interest, but neither delivered the consistency of a local professional league.
What Happens Between Now and the 2025 Season
The Comets will conduct a dispersal draft in early 2025, where they will select players from existing WNBA rosters as the league allows new franchises to do. They will also have early picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft, which typically occurs in April. The front office, coaching staff, and roster construction remain to be finalized.
One practical detail: season ticket holder information and group sales packages will likely open in fall 2024, several months before the first tip-off. Fans interested in guaranteed seating for multiple games should monitor the official Comets website and Paycom Center ticketing channels starting around October 2024.
How Oklahoma City Compares to Other Recent WNBA Markets
The Comets join a wave of WNBA expansion. Las Vegas Aces began play in 2018; Atlanta Dream joined in 2008. A few leagues comparisons provide context.
Arena Quality: The Paycom Center is newer and larger than some WNBA arenas but smaller than NBA venues. It seats 20,000, which is adequate for WNBA games but will not feel packed unless attendance runs above 8,000 to 10,000 per game. By contrast, the Aces play in T-Mobile Arena (20,000 capacity, opened 2016) in Las Vegas, which commands higher ticket prices because the surrounding metro is larger and sports betting drives additional fan interest.
Market Size: Oklahoma City proper has roughly 680,000 residents, making it the 29th-largest city in the US. The metro area adds another 500,000. That gives the Comets a smaller immediate base than, say, Atlanta (metro 6 million) or Las Vegas (metro 2.3 million), but larger than some smaller WNBA markets. Building attendance will depend partly on how aggressively the Thunder organization promotes women's basketball to existing fans.
Competition for Attention: Unlike Las Vegas, where basketball is a cultural centerpiece, Oklahoma City's sports landscape is dominated by Thunder basketball from October through June. The Comets will play in the WNBA season (May through September), which avoids direct scheduling conflict with the NBA. However, summer months in Oklahoma are extremely hot, which historically has suppressed attendance at outdoor events. Indoor arena games should not have this problem, but marketing will need to overcome the perception that summer sports compete with outdoor activities and vacations.
Practical Expectations for Attendance and Ticket Strategy
Early-stage WNBA franchises typically draw 4,000 to 8,000 fans per game in their first season. The Atlanta Dream averaged around 6,400 in 2008. Las Vegas benefited from strip tourism and opened to higher attendance (about 7,100 in 2018) but also had significant marketing advantages as a destination city.
For fans deciding whether to invest in season tickets or single games: watch the roster announcement in April 2025. If the Comets land a known star or an All-WNBA candidate, ticket value will increase. If the inaugural roster is primarily second-year or rookie-heavy, first-season pricing will likely remain accessible. Single-game tickets typically go on sale 2 to 3 weeks before the season opener.
The Paycom Center's location on Oklahoma City's core urban blocks (in the Bricktown/deep downtown area near the Chesapeake Energy Center) means easy access via I-35 and reasonable parking availability. Public transportation is limited compared to major metros, so plan for driving or ride-share.
What to Watch in Year One
The Comets' inaugural roster construction, coaching hire, and pre-season marketing will determine whether this franchise becomes a genuine community asset or a novelty that settles into small crowds. Oklahoma City has a proven ability to support professional basketball at the highest level; the Thunder have maintained competitive teams and fan support for 15 years. Whether that translates to women's basketball is the open question the 2025 season will answer.
