Thunder riding streak of 65 consecutive home sellouts 

Thunder riding streak of 65 consecutive home sellouts

Oct 28, 2012 (Menafn - Tulsa World - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Before the start of the 2011-12 NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder organization celebrated a 94 percent renewal rate on season tickets. This year's renewal rate: 99 percent. The Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat are the only teams at the 99 percent level.

Because the demand for Thunder tickets remains high, the team is almost guaranteed to sustain its streak of sellouts at 18,203-seat Chesapeake Energy Arena. Entering the 2012-13 season, Oklahoma City has a streak of 65 consecutive sellouts (including playoff games). By the end of the upcoming regular season, the streak likely will have been extended to 106.

"We don't take anything for granted. There are tickets available for every game," said Brian Byrnes, a Thunder senior vice president. "Our season-ticket base is very strong. Our single-game sales are very strong. The conditions are there to have sellouts throughout the season, but tickets are still available for every game."

The Oklahoma City arena is outfitted with 36 suites and 48 terrace boxes. All are sold out for each of the Thunder's 41 regular-season home dates. The team caps its season-ticket sales total at 14,000. For each home contest, 4,203 single-game tickets are made available.

"In the league the last 10 years or so, I think there's only been four or five franchises to do 97 percent or better," Byrnes said. "For us to be at 99 percent is just a remarkable metric of how loyal our fans are."

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