Company stops selling Oklahoma City Thunder T-shirts following death threats
The company that created offensive Oklahoma City Thunder T-shirts stopped selling them after receiving death threats.
“After receiving death threats we have decided to take the shirt down offline. Sorry if we offended you Seattle,” tweeted Warpaint Clothing Co. in Oklahoma.
The shirts read “OKC Thunder” on the front and “Thank you Seattle — OKC” on the back.
The Thunder are playing the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. The Thunder used to be the Seattle Sonics. But the team relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 following a dispute between the team’s owner and Seattle lawmakers.
The Sonics made the NBA Playoffs 22 times. They won their division six times and won the 1979 NBA Championship. In Oklahoma City, the Thunder qualified for their first playoff berth during the 2009–10 season. They won their first division title as the Thunder in the 2010–11 season.
Earlier in the day, Warpaint Clothing joked about the backlash they received.
“That shirt really stirred up some shit. Got hate mail from Sonics nation. Hahahahahaha,” the company tweeted.
The company backpedaled as fans when on the attack.
“So much hate in the world. No disrespect meant. We appreciate where our team came from actually. Put your energy into something positive.”
By the end of the day, Warpaint Clothing finally realized that they made a mistake by creating the T-shirts in the first place. The company removed the shirts from its website.
I believe it was a sign of respect. But, I do not blame Sonics fans for being pissed. Chiefly when the Thunder started winning right after they left. Condolences (ex-)Sonics fans!