Who is Clay Bennett, the OKC Thunder majority owner? What is his net worth?
The Oklahoma City Thunder are fighting in the NBA Finals, but who is the person who sits at the top of the boardroom?
During the Thunder’s march to the NBA Finals, it’s likely you’ve heard the name of Clay Bennett, who has been everywhere as his team go up against the Pacers in the showpiece event of American basketball.
Bennett is the chairman of Professional Basketball Club LLC, the group that owns the Oklahoma City Thunder, but his business ideas and ventures extend much further than basketball. Here’s a breakdown of the man behind their recent success.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Clay Bennett was part of a minority ownership group of the San Antonio Spurs but it was in 2006 when he made his first deep dive into the world of NBA ownership.
Bennett masterminded Sonics’ move from Seattle
Bennett led a group of investors who purchased the Seattle SuperSonics, as well as their WNBA affiliate, for around $350 million.
Though he initially gave assurances that he would attempt to keep the historic team in Seattle, Bennett ultimately ripped the franchise from Seattle, relocating it to Oklahoma City - his hometown - for the 2008–09 season after failing to secure public funding. This controversial move saw a lot of backlash at the time, as the Sonics were former champions (1979) and had a passionate fanbase who were devastated to see their side taken from the city.
Under his ownership, the Thunder made the playoffs consistently from 2009 to 2020, reaching the NBA Finals in 2012 and multiple Western Conference Finals appearances.
Anyway, the American businessman has a net worth of $400 million thanks to his ventures in private investment, commercial real estate developments and strategic civic positioning. Bennett married his high‑school sweetheart, Louise Gaylord Ennis, in 1981. They have three children together.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s next game is tonight, Sunday, June 8, 2025, against the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
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