Paycom Center Game Day Guide
Oklahoma City Thunder · Oklahoma City, OK
Know Before You Go
- Bag policy
Permitted bags must be smaller than 6 x 9 x 2 inches, including clear bags, and every bag is searched at entry.
Items brought for autographs must also fit within 6 x 9 x 2 inches; full-size basketballs, binders, and unworn adult shoes do not meet the rule.
- Bag storage
Paycom Center does not store or safeguard rejected bags or other personal belongings.
A guest must return a prohibited item to a vehicle or surrender it for confiscation.
- Gate opening
Arena doors are scheduled to open 90 minutes before each Thunder home game.
Check the specific event page or call 405-602-8700 if an event notice changes the timing.
- Mobile tickets
Thunder tickets use mobile entry through a smartphone barcode in the Thunder app or online Account Manager; print-at-home PDF tickets have been discontinued.
Apple users may add tickets to Apple Wallet. Android users should add tickets to Google Wallet because barcodes do not populate inside the Android Thunder app.
- Re-entry
Once a guest exits Paycom Center, re-entry is prohibited.
- Prohibited items
Prohibited items include weapons, mace and pepper spray, oversize bags or signs, professional cameras, recording equipment, tablets and laptops, outside food or drinks, lasers, fireworks, noisemakers, drones, hazardous materials, illegal substances, hard-sided containers, and non-medical mobility devices.
Poles, selfie sticks, tripods, chains, wrapped gifts, balloons, beach balls, and frisbees are also prohibited. Management may reject other inappropriate items.
- First aid
First Aid is on the entry level across from Section 112.
Notify the nearest staff member during a medical emergency. AEDs are distributed on arena levels near elevators.
- Nursing and lactation
A private mother's room next to First Aid at Section 112 is available to nursing parents.
The room also provides a calm, quiet space for guests with sensory needs.
- Family restrooms
Paycom Center has 12 accessible unisex family restrooms with diaper-changing stations, with family restrooms available on every level.
- Tickets for children
Children age 2 or younger may enter a Thunder game without a ticket; guests age 3 or older need a game ticket.
A child of any age needs a ticket to occupy a separate seat.
- Guest services
Four Guest Relations desks are near the main-concourse entrances, with additional desks at the club and suite-level entrances.
Ask any staff member or visit a desk for arena information and assistance; courtesy phones are available at the desks near each entrance.
- Service animals
Trained guide dogs and service animals are permitted to assist guests inside Paycom Center.
A service animal may pass through the detector with its handler, or both may use the marked ADA lane for wand or pat-down screening.
- Smoking and vaping
Smoking is prohibited inside Paycom Center and on the surrounding city-owned grounds, including the use of e-cigarettes and vaporizers.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Paycom Center, hour by hour.
Arrive in Bricktown
Park near the arena or in Bricktown. Explore the Bricktown canal, restaurants, and entertainment venues.
Pregame dining
Grab dinner at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar, Bricktown Brewery, or Cattlemen's Steakhouse. Oklahoma BBQ and onion burgers are the move.
Doors open
Enter the arena and explore the concourse. The Thunder team store is packed with blue and orange gear.
Find your seat
Settle in for the Thunder's electric intro, 'Thunderstruck' by AC/DC sets the tone. The arena fills early and loud.
Game time
Thunder games are LOUD. The fanbase is passionate and engaged from tip to buzzer. Loud City in the upper deck rivals any arena in the NBA. Total game time is about 2-2.5 hours.
Halftime break
Hit the concourse for an Oklahoma onion burger or BBQ brisket. Lines move fast at this arena.
Post-game scene
Walk to Bricktown for post-game bars and restaurants along the canal. OKC's downtown nightlife has grown significantly.
Tips & Fan Reports
Doors open 1.5 hours before tip. Get to the arena early and have your tickets pulled up on your phone. The fans are very respectful - just cheer for your team and don't be a jerk and you will have a great time.
Bricktown entertainment district (5 min walk) is OKC's premier pregame dining and nightlife area.
OKC is one of the most affordable NBA cities. You can do a full game-day experience for under $100.
Halftime lines move quickly. This is one of the more efficient arenas for concessions.
Free street parking is available after 6 PM. Arrive early to grab a meter spot.
OKC fans are LOUD. Bring earplugs if you're sensitive to noise. Loud City is no joke.
Paycom Center is one of the loudest arenas in the NBA. Thunder fans are consistently top-5 in crowd noise measurements.
Do not bring a basketball to be signed. A full-size ball explicitly fails the policy.
The arena manages no parking at all, so downtown and Bricktown lots are the whole of the answer.
Rideshare drops at Second and Harvey on the west side, not at the arena doors.
Before the Game
Paycom Center sits at 100 W Reno Avenue, on the southwest corner of EK Gaylord and Reno, a short walk from Bricktown, and ASM Global does not own or manage any of the parking around it, which is why no tailgating policy exists to publish. Doors open 90 minutes before each Thunder home game. The bag rule is the strictest of any venue on this site: nothing larger than 6 by 9 by 2 inches, clear bags included, with every bag searched. The guide names what that excludes: a full-size basketball, a binder, or adult shoes you are not wearing, while a jersey or individual basketball cards are fine.
Where to Go Before the Game
Bricktown and downtown Oklahoma City
The arena is steps from the hotels, dining and entertainment of downtown and Bricktown, which is the pregame here. The arena runs no parking and holds no tailgate.
Known for Steps from the arena · Dining and entertainment · Bricktown
The Cox Center parking garage
Reached by continuing north on EK Gaylord past Reno Avenue and turning left. One of the named options among the downtown garages around the arena.
Known for North on EK Gaylord · Past Reno Ave · Covered
Rideshare pickup at Second and Harvey
The Uber and Lyft pickup and drop-off point, on the west side of the arena at Second and Harvey rather than at the doors.
Known for Uber and Lyft · West side · Second and Harvey
Downtown city lots and garages
Many lots and garages sit around the arena in downtown Oklahoma City, none of them arena-managed. City facilities can be checked on (405) 235-PARK or at parkingokc.com.
Known for City-operated · (405) 235-PARK · Not arena-managed
Pregame Rules
What Paycom Center allows before the game, and what it does not.
- All bags are searched on entry. Bags smaller than 6" x 9" x 2" are allowed, and this includes clear bags.
- Jerseys and individual basketball cards may be brought in. Full-size basketballs, binders and adult shoes not being worn do not fit the policy.
- Arena doors open 90 minutes prior to the start of each Thunder home game.
- The arena is at 100 W Reno Ave., on the southwest corner of EK Gaylord and Reno Avenue, just off I-40 in downtown Oklahoma City.
- Rideshare pickup and drop-off is at Second and Harvey, on the west side of the arena.
- The Cox Center parking garage is reached by continuing north on EK Gaylord past Reno and turning left.
- ASM Global and Paycom Center do not own or manage any parking around the arena. City parking facilities can be reached on (405) 235-PARK or at parkingokc.com.
Weather
Paycom Center is indoor, so these are the conditions for the parking lot and the walk in, not the seats.
Across the NBA season the warmest month is October, with an average high of 73°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 27°F. April is the wettest month at 3.6 inches and January the driest at 1.3 inches.
That January low ranks 11th coldest of the 30 NBA venues, and April here ranks 20th wettest.
October
3.3 inchesDecember
1.8 inchesJanuary
1.3 inchesMarch
2.5 inchesApril
3.6 inchesWhat to Bring
- Only the outside food and drink the rule allows
Outside food and beverages are prohibited; guests who need food for medical reasons should arrange assistance with the arena before the event.
- A card or a phone wallet
Paycom Center is cashless and accepts cards throughout the arena.
- A coat for the walk in
January lows average 27°F between the lot and the door at Paycom Center.
- A rain layer for the walk in
April averages 3.6 inches of rain outside Paycom Center.
How We Checked This Page
Every section below names the source it was read from and the day it was read. Where we could not reach a published figure, the page says so rather than presenting an estimate as a checked fact.
- Game day timeline
Gate opening time checked against the venue's own gate-opening policy: Arena doors are scheduled to open 90 minutes before each Thunder home game.
- Pregame
Paycom Center official site: A-Z Guest Guide, Security Policies, Parking & Public Transportation, and Directions & Visitor Info
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Paycom Center and Oklahoma City Thunder accessibility, security, ticketing, parking, and concessions guidance reviewed for Thunder policies.