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As the Oklahoma City Thunder make another playoff run, two new documentaries are putting renewed attention on a phrase many Oklahomans know well: “the Oklahoma Standard.”
Both films connect the Thunder to Oklahoma City’s response to the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, and both are debuting around the bombing’s anniversary and the team’s 2026 postseason.
One is a 48-minute ESPN E60 documentary aired on ESPN Sunday, April 26, and is now available to stream on the ESPN App. The other is a 14 1/2-minute short film executive produced by Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein through his Hartenstein Foundation and released for free on his YouTube channel.
Together, the films revisit the city’s history, the memorial’s role and how the Thunder organization says it has tried to carry that legacy forward.
More: New documentaries explore 'Oklahoma Standard,' Thunder's bond with OKC
There are two new films titled “The Oklahoma Standard,” but they come from different groups and have different lengths and formats.
ESPN’s E60 documentary is a 48-minute feature designed for an hour-long time slot. It is scheduled to debut at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 26, on ESPN and then be available on demand on the ESPN App.
More: See an excerpt of ESPN's new Thunder documentary 'The Oklahoma Standard'
The other is a 14 1/2-minute short documentary executive produced by Hartenstein through his Hartenstein Foundation. It is available for free on Hartenstein’s YouTube channel.
The phrase comes from the aftermath of the April 19, 1995, bombing in downtown Oklahoma City. A truck bomb detonated outside the Murrah Building at 9:02 a.m., resulting in the deaths of 168 people, including 19 children, and injuring more than 680 others.
In the days and years after the attack, the compassion, generosity and neighborly support shown by Oklahomans became known as the Oklahoma Standard.
More: Unity shown after OKC bombing still resonates at OKC Memorial Marathon
According to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, that history remains central to how the story is taught and remembered.
The ESPN documentary focuses heavily on the Thunder’s relationship with Oklahoma City and the team’s ties to the city’s painful past. It covers General Manager Sam Presti’s search for the franchise’s “origin story,” his early visits to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, and his decision to require new players and staff to tour the museum after arriving in OKC.
The film includes footage from the team’s first tour in 2008 and later visits by players. It also features interviews with Hartenstein, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Nick Collison, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, along with memorial and civic voices including Kari Watkins, Mayor David Holt and former Mayor Ron Norick.
More: The children of the Oklahoma City bombing remain symbols of the city's growth
The short film also includes Hartenstein, but from a more personal angle. It combines survivor and first responder interviews with Hartenstein’s account of how learning about the bombing and the Oklahoma Standard changed his perspective.
According to the notes, the E60 film covers the bombing’s impact, briefly addresses the capture and conviction of the bombers, and traces the creation of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
It also includes interviews with Thunder fans Kyle Genzer and Sara Sweet, who both lost parents in the bombing. The documentary was produced by Simon Baumgart with reporting by ESPN senior writer Baxter Holmes and directed by David Seronick.
Watkins said the film’s debut is set to coincide with the main events of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, the annual “Run to Remember” that brings thousands of runners, volunteers and visitors to downtown OKC.
This story was created by digital audience director Diane Pantaleo, [email protected], with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more: https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Two 'Oklahoma Standard" documentaries release. Four things to know
Continue reading...
Both films connect the Thunder to Oklahoma City’s response to the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, and both are debuting around the bombing’s anniversary and the team’s 2026 postseason.
One is a 48-minute ESPN E60 documentary aired on ESPN Sunday, April 26, and is now available to stream on the ESPN App. The other is a 14 1/2-minute short film executive produced by Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein through his Hartenstein Foundation and released for free on his YouTube channel.
Together, the films revisit the city’s history, the memorial’s role and how the Thunder organization says it has tried to carry that legacy forward.
More: New documentaries explore 'Oklahoma Standard,' Thunder's bond with OKC
What are the two documentaries?
There are two new films titled “The Oklahoma Standard,” but they come from different groups and have different lengths and formats.
ESPN’s E60 documentary is a 48-minute feature designed for an hour-long time slot. It is scheduled to debut at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 26, on ESPN and then be available on demand on the ESPN App.
More: See an excerpt of ESPN's new Thunder documentary 'The Oklahoma Standard'
The other is a 14 1/2-minute short documentary executive produced by Hartenstein through his Hartenstein Foundation. It is available for free on Hartenstein’s YouTube channel.
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What is the 'Oklahoma Standard'?
The phrase comes from the aftermath of the April 19, 1995, bombing in downtown Oklahoma City. A truck bomb detonated outside the Murrah Building at 9:02 a.m., resulting in the deaths of 168 people, including 19 children, and injuring more than 680 others.
In the days and years after the attack, the compassion, generosity and neighborly support shown by Oklahomans became known as the Oklahoma Standard.
More: Unity shown after OKC bombing still resonates at OKC Memorial Marathon
According to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, that history remains central to how the story is taught and remembered.
How do the films connect that history to the OKC Thunder?
The ESPN documentary focuses heavily on the Thunder’s relationship with Oklahoma City and the team’s ties to the city’s painful past. It covers General Manager Sam Presti’s search for the franchise’s “origin story,” his early visits to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, and his decision to require new players and staff to tour the museum after arriving in OKC.
The film includes footage from the team’s first tour in 2008 and later visits by players. It also features interviews with Hartenstein, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Nick Collison, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, along with memorial and civic voices including Kari Watkins, Mayor David Holt and former Mayor Ron Norick.
More: The children of the Oklahoma City bombing remain symbols of the city's growth
The short film also includes Hartenstein, but from a more personal angle. It combines survivor and first responder interviews with Hartenstein’s account of how learning about the bombing and the Oklahoma Standard changed his perspective.
What is included in the ESPN documentary?
According to the notes, the E60 film covers the bombing’s impact, briefly addresses the capture and conviction of the bombers, and traces the creation of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
It also includes interviews with Thunder fans Kyle Genzer and Sara Sweet, who both lost parents in the bombing. The documentary was produced by Simon Baumgart with reporting by ESPN senior writer Baxter Holmes and directed by David Seronick.
Watkins said the film’s debut is set to coincide with the main events of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, the annual “Run to Remember” that brings thousands of runners, volunteers and visitors to downtown OKC.
This story was created by digital audience director Diane Pantaleo, [email protected], with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more: https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Two 'Oklahoma Standard" documentaries release. Four things to know
Continue reading...
