Why Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' is the OKC Thunder's victory anthem at Paycom Center
Thunder fans want lots of things on Sunday afternoon.
A big game from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. A better game from Jalen Williams. A defensive gem from Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Oklahoma City's band of greedy guardians of the goal.
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But above all, the fans want a Game 7 win against the Nuggets to close out the Western Conference semifinals and advance to the Western Conference finals.
Then, cue the celebration.
The music, too.
Regulars at Paycom Center know the routine: As soon as that final buzzer sounds on a Thunder victory, the opening strains of Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' pump through the arena. It starts with just Freddie Mercury and some piano.
Don't stop me now.
Don't stop me now.
'Cause I'm havin' a good time …
And with that, the tempo picks up and it's raucous and energetic and fun.
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Look around the sports world, and you'll hear all sorts of victory music. Some of it has been used by the team for decades, and a few even have victory music written especially for the franchise. Others have songs that have a connection to their city or state. But more often than not, especially in the NBA, the victory music is random, often fast paced in the 'Jock Jam' model of tunes.
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Quite frankly, the Thunder's victory music is one of the more unique choices in all of sports.
So, how did a franchise in the buckle of the Bible belt that has a deep and rich country music history land on a 1978 song by a British rock band known to be flamboyant and defiant?
Dan Mahoney said it was hard to ignore the lyrics.
'You come upon Freddie Mercury and Queen — that's a pretty good place to start,' the Thunder's vice president for broadcasting and corporate communications said. 'And a lyric like, 'Don't stop me now, I'm having a good time,' you can't beat that.'
The Thunder started using 'Don't Stop Me Now' during the 2022-23 season. Before that, the team had used several other songs for its victory music.
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'Thunderstruck' by AC/DC.
'Takin' Care of Business' by Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
'Celebration' by Kool & The Gang.
'I Gotta Feeling' by Black Eyed Peas.
'We look to keep things fresh,' Mahoney said.
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Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates a 3-point basket during Game 1 of the NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City , Sunday, April, 20, 2025.
That's the franchise's approach to all things related to what the fans see, hear and feel during games. Promotions. Skits. Entertainment. Lighting. Videos. Advertisements. And yes, music. It's collectively the game experience.
'Our whole approach has always been, what can we do to make a wonderful game experience for our fans even better?' Mahoney said. 'We're constantly striving for that.'
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He said the team that internally focuses on such things strives to give fans moments that they'll always remember.
'And obviously, the game ends and if we win, everyone's happy, everyone's walking out excited,' Mahoney said. 'We want to just help enhance that. Music is a very important part of that.'
So, what's important in a victory song?
First off, it needs to be something that sticks with fans. It doesn't have to be the most popular song in the world, but it needs to be catchy and almost earwormy.
'We want a song that people will sing all the way out of the building, all the way to their cars and all the way home to keep the moment going, keep the fun going,' Mahoney said.
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Second, it needs to be a song that reflects the mood. Something celebratory and jubilant, and if it has a smidge of togetherness and community, all the better.
Listen to other teams' victory songs, and you'll hear many of the same attributes.
The Minnesota Twins, for example, use 'Let's Go Crazy' by Prince after they win, and while the artist and team are a perfect fit — Prince was born, raised and lived in Minneapolis — the song would be great even without those ties. It is loud and upbeat, and the idea of 'Let's Go Crazy' after a win is perfect.
'Cleveland Rocks' is similarly fitting for the Cleveland Guardians. The peppy tune covered by the Presidents of the United States of America is a musical love letter to the sometimes besmirched city.
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While it has a different vibe, 'New York, New York' by Frank Sinatra has a similar resonance with Big Apple residents when played after Yankee wins.
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3rd September 1984: British rock group Queen in concert with singer Freddie Mercury (Frederick Bulsara, 1946 - 1991) and guitarist Brian May. (Photo by Rogers/Express/Getty Images)
Speaking of songs and artists with strong ties to a team, Oklahoma City has no shortage of options. There are all sorts of songs about Oklahoma. The state song, 'Oklahoma!', is a classic. 'Oklahoma Breakdown' by Stoney LaRue is lively. And there's about a million options from Garth Brooks and Vince Gill and Reba McEntire.
If you don't want country, The Flaming Lips have quite the catalog, too.
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No doubt the Thunder has considered all of those options and more. Who knows? Maybe there'll come a day when one of them gets the nod.
Maybe a victory song might even stick.
Mahoney said the Thunder isn't opposed to one song becoming the tradition.
'We look for ways that we can keep things going as tradition,' he said. 'Sometimes, that's important, but sometimes, changing it up, keeping things fresh is important.'
Change has been the constant with the team's victory song.
Who knows? If the Thunder keeps winning, it might be the soundtrack to a return to the NBA Finals or perhaps even an NBA title. That might enshrine 'Don't Stop Me Now' as the team's victory music for years to come.
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Or it might be a reason to retire it.
'There's no expiration date on it,' Mahoney said of 'Don't Stop Me Now' as the victory song, 'but we'll continue to evaluate what's the best for the game experience like we do with everything else.'
More: Thunder vs Nuggets grades: Julian Strawther, foul trouble spell trouble for OKC in Game 6
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at @jennicarlsonok.bsky.social and twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' is OKC Thunder's home victory song
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