OKLAHOMA CITY — In a powerful pregame moment on Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder presented the families of the 168 people killed in the 1995 Alfred P. Murrah bombing a custom “city” edition jersey.
Following a short video presentation, the families took the floor moments before tipoff and held the jerseys up showing the number 95 and the name of their loved one on the back.
At tonight’s OKC Thunder game, representatives for each of the 168 who were killed joined in a special unveiling of the Memorial City Edition uniform. Read more about it here –https://t.co/RDK1CqZfr0
— OKC Memorial (@OKCNM) November 6, 2019
The Thunder’s city edition jersey is a collaboration between the Thunder, Nike and the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The uniform features plenty of symbolism, including the gold coloring representing the “Gates of Time” from the memorial (9:01 and 9:03), a picture of the Survivor Tree on the belt (a 90-year-old American elm that stands at the heart of the memorial that survived the blast) and a number of other things.
Tuesday marked 168 days until the 25th anniversary of the bombing, which happened on April 19, 1995. Prior to Sept. 11, it was the deadliest domestic terror attack in United States history, killing 168 and injuring at least 680 more.
The Thunder have been closely aligned with the Oklahoma City National Memorial since arriving in OKC, with each new team employee, including players, taking a tour of the museum to learn of the significance of the event to the identity of the city.
The Thunder will wear the city edition uniform for the first time on Jan. 9 against the Houston Rockets.