OKLAHOMA CITY — On June 6, amid the NBA Finals, Oklahoma City celebrated a different kind of victory as the NBA and Emirates unveiled a newly renovated space at the Boys & Girls Club of Oklahoma County. The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of the Wonder Room, a redesigned learning environment.
Located in their building on Western Avenue near NW 36th, the new Wonder Room transforms a former classroom into a multi-use space featuring a STEAM Zone, reading nook, lounge seating, mindfulness area, and updated technology, along with new flooring, colorful paint, custom wall graphics, and game tables like ping pong and air hockey.
The renovation is part of the NBA Cares Finals Legacy Project, an annual initiative that upgrades community spaces in cities tied to the NBA Finals. Each year, one city from each conference is selected in advance. If that city’s team makes the Finals, a local renovation is completed. Oklahoma City and Indianapolis advanced, so Oklahoma City’s project moved forward, and Indianapolis will see a similar renovation.
This year’s renovation was made possible through a partnership with Emirates, the NBA’s Official Global Airline Partner and presenting sponsor of the NBA Finals Legacy Project. Since joining the league in early 2024, Emirates has expanded its role through event sponsorships and community initiatives.
According to Matthew Jones, Vice President of U.S. Operations, the Oklahoma City renovation is the airline’s first full-scale legacy project, reflecting its commitment to giving back through its partnership with the NBA.
“When Emirates makes relationships with different brands, leagues, and sports, we want to make sure that we have a conservation or give-back piece to it,” he told Free Press in an interview. “We see this partnership not just as when the lights are brightest, but also throughout the course of the year.”
Emirates partnered with the Oklahoma City Thunder to identify the local site, trusting their guidance to find the right fit. Jones said the Wonder Room reflects how strong partnerships can create meaningful opportunities by blending education, innovation, and inspiration.
“This Wonder Room inspires the next generation of Oklahoma to aim higher and reach higher heights,” Jones said during the ceremony.
A community united
Thunder sideline reporter Paris Lawson emceed the event, spotlighting the team’s 17-year partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County through Thunder Cares, which has provided facility upgrades, player visits, and youth programs. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County now serves over 1,200 kids daily across 18 sites and will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year.
“The Boys & Girls Club of Oklahoma County and their partnership with Oklahoma City Thunder has been integral over the last 17 seasons,” Lawson said during the event. “We couldn’t be more proud to be here to celebrate that partnership, but also to celebrate the youth of the Boys & Girls Club here today.”
Thunder Chairman Clay Bennett echoed those sentiments.
“We’ve been connected to the Boys & Girls Club since the day we arrived, and we want to keep that going very strong,” he said on stage.
Teena Belcik, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County, said the investment will have lasting effects for the organization.
“I think all of us are so aware of the great things that all the NBA teams, including our Oklahoma City Thunder, do on the court, but I’m happy that we get an opportunity to highlight what they do off the court to enrich our community,” she said at the ceremony.
She told Free Press they were excited to learn they’d been chosen for the project, which then launched into an eight-day sprint to completion.
“We were in shock that we were chosen for this. We’re beyond grateful and beyond thrilled,” Belcik told Free Press. “We knew that there might be a possibility of this if we made it to the Finals, but a lot of things had to fall into place. We just couldn’t believe it.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also attended the event and stressed the value of community spaces like the Boys & Girls Club.
“There’s nothing more important that the NBA does than these kinds of events,” Silver said at the event. He pointed to the new STEAM Zone as an especially important addition, offering young people valuable tools for learning and exploration.
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt called the Thunder a “rallying point” for the community, highlighting how their NBA Finals run brings benefits to the city.
“They’re great for morale, and they bring us together in a way that nothing ever had before,” Holt said in an interview with Free Press. “If we hadn’t made the Finals, we wouldn’t be a recipient of the project. This is just the latest in two decades of generosity from the Thunder and the NBA.”
Holt also tied the project to the city’s broader MAPS 4 initiative, which includes the construction of four new youth centers in underserved areas. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County have been selected to operate those future centers.
“We’re going to have life-changing facilities like this in some of the most challenged places in Oklahoma City,” Holt told Free Press. “And lives are going to be changed, but in the meantime, lives are going to be changed right here.”
Current Thunder players also joined the celebration, answering questions from Boys & Girls Club youth. When asked what it felt like to be in the NBA Finals, point guard Nikola Topić told the crowd, “I remember being a kid like you guys and watching NBA Finals and highlights of all those great players, and now to be a part of it…it’s really surreal.”
Jurney, named the 2025 Youth of the Year by the Boys & Girls Club of Oklahoma County, also shared how the organization has shaped his life.
“For the past 13 years, this club has been my safe space and a place where I can make friends, have fun, and discover my talents,” said Jurney, now a student at Langston University.
As the celebration wrapped up, community members, NBA leaders, and Boys & Girls Club youth explored the newly renovated Wonder Room, now filled with Thunder colors and fresh opportunities for learning and growth.
Zoe Elrod covers events and happenings around Oklahoma City for Free Press bringing her skill as a reporter and photographer. Zoe has spent her career covering local musicians, artists, politicians, and everyday folks.
