What’s happening, Oklahoma? It is May 29, and here are a handful of national headlines before we get started:

• A federal court has blocked President Trump from imposing tariffs under emergency powers law… (AP)

• … and the markets approve. Dow futures are up big after the block. (CNBC)

• Elon Musk says he’s done with DOGE, leaving the White House. (CNBC)

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Weather Update ☁️

After some overnight, early-morning storms move out, it looks like it will be cloudy and mild. The weekend is looking pretty sweet… ☀️

🌡️ Thursday's high in OKC 74°
🌡️ Thursday’s high in Tulsa 72°

Oklahoma City dominates Minnesota 124-94 to win NBA’s Western Conference.

The NBA Finals are next. 💙🧡

By Ryan Welton, Oklahoma Memo

Game 5 of the NBA’s Western Conference finals was over by the end of the first quarter.

With a defense as dominant as you’ll ever see in the NBA this side of the ‘90s and an offense that gets up and down the floor like Showtime, Oklahoma City is headed back to the NBA Finals — and this time, LeBron James doesn’t stand in the Thunder’s way.

Series MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34, and Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams had 22 and 19 respectively in Wednesday night’s 124-94 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

And dare one say, it wasn’t that close.

In the post-game celebration, SGA made it clear that the team’s eyes are on the real prize, the franchise’s first NBA championship since moving to Loud City from the Emerald City. Those Supersonics won the NBA title in 1979 over the Washington Bullets.

This time, it appears Oklahoma City will be facing off with Indiana, unless the New York Knicks are able to come back from a 3-1 deficit.

Possible. But Indiana has been formidable, especially offensively.

The national media will say it’s a championship matchup made in TV ratings hell, but from a basketball perspective — as a fan — it’s a tremendous matchup. The Pacers have been great this postseason.

A championship series win over No. 4 Eastern Conference seed Indiana is not a given — just as ever getting back to an NBA Finals is. The 2012 Thunder team surely remembers, losing 4-1 to the Miami Heat.

The time to put this to bed and have a parade in downtown Oklahoma City is now.

Not next year.

Now.

See also: 👀

• The Thunder have won the Western Conference title. Here's where you can get NBA Finals gear (KOCO)

• NBA Finals schedule, tickets: What Thunder fans need to know (News 9)

• Thunder NBA Finals berth highlights Oklahoma City’s rise as a ‘big league city’ (KFOR)

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Judge set to rule on future of controversial Oklahoma social studies standards

By Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice
Click to read the story.
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OKLAHOMA CITY — After nearly three hours of oral arguments Wednesday, an Oklahoma County district judge said he isn’t ready to rule on a legal challenge to the state’s controversial social studies standards.

District Judge Brent Dishman said he wanted to wait for a written response from the group challenging the standards after the Oklahoma Board of Education moved to dismiss the case, arguing that critics failed to point to any violation of statute, and the state agency followed the process as required by law. 

Dishman has been asked to either enact an injunction to block the standards from being implemented or to dismiss the legal challenge outright.

A group of seven Oklahoma parents, grandparents and teachers represented by former Republican Attorney General Mike Hunter have sued and asked Dishman to nullify the controversial academic standards, which include language about discrepancies in the 2020 election, the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and biblical lessons. 

Click to finish the story.

Sports entertainment district coming to OKC, and Russell Westbrook is helping to lead the effort

By OKC for Soccer Staff
Click to read the full story.

NBA star Russell Westbrook has a long history of positive impact on Oklahoma City. He starred for the Thunder for a decade and he has invested in OKC for Soccer, the initiative to bring high-level pro soccer to the city.

Now, Westbrook is aiming to expand his influence in Oklahoma City after being named Creative Director of the sports-anchored entertainment district being developed in downtown OKC.

Westbrook is widely considered one of the most stylish and culturally impactful athletes in the world. From fashion to design to philanthropy, Westbrook has transcended sports to become a leading voice for creative empowerment and innovative approaches to community-building.

“We’re not just building a sports-anchored entertainment district — we’re reimagining how a city comes together,” said Russell Westbrook, investor, entrepreneur, and founder of RWE. “I’m personally bringing everything I’ve seen and experienced around the world — design, culture, energy — to help create something that’s never been done before in OKC. I’m proud to be part of a vision that’s not just about buildings, but about belonging — a place where people from every neighborhood feel seen, connected, and inspired.”

The district is envisioned as a dynamic hub, seamlessly integrating retail, dining, public spaces, and the new stadium. Located on the former Producers Co-Op site just north of the Oklahoma River, it is uniquely positioned to unite Oklahoma City’s most vibrant destinations — Bricktown, the OKANA Resort, the Boathouse District, and Scissortail Park — transforming a historically underutilized site into a seamless, walkable neighborhood that stitches the city together through commerce, sports, culture and community. 

Click to finish the story.

The Oklahoma Rundown 📰

A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:

• 3 people found dead in apparent murder-suicide in Broken Arrow (2 News Oklahoma)

• Bixby man, former coach gets 22 years in prison for child sexual abuse (Tulsa World)

• Cucumbers lead to salmonella outbreak nationwide. What Oklahomans need to know (The Oklahoman)

• Investigators say a former DHS worker and a man died in an apparent murder-suicide in Checotah (News On 6)

• 9 arrested after deputies bust illegal cockfighting operation (Guthrie News Page)

• Parts of Grand Lake, Illinois River have high levels of E. coli (KGOU)

• Nearly 15 thousand marijuana plants seized from Pontotoc County farm (KXII)

• More than 4,100 Oklahomans have yet to claim Native American settlement awards (KOSU)

• Governor signs income tax cut bill as Oklahoma lawmakers prepare to end session (Oklahoma Voice)

• Stitt vetoes food truck bill, advocates against what bill didn't even have (2 News Oklahoma)

• Legislature slaps restrictions on who can oversee Oklahoma’s mental health settlement agreement (Oklahoma Voice)

• Legislature acts to reinstate vetoed licensing boards for cosmetology, funerals (Tulsa World)

• Oklahoma State Cowboys claim 12th golf national title (OKState.com)

• City moves forward with transfer of parks to Muscogee Nation (Public Radio Tulsa)

• Georgia Energy Company to Pitch Project to Luther Town Board (The Luther Register)

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