Thunder investor and former Chesapeake Energy CEO AUBREY MCCLENDON died yesterday "in a fiery single-vehicle crash," a day after his "indictment on federal charges," according to a front-page piece by Don Mecoy of the OKLAHOMAN. McClendon's car crashed around 9:00am CT "into a bridge" in Oklahoma City. Police Captain PACO BALDERRAMA said, "He pretty much drove straight into the wall." He added that McClendon was "traveling well over the posted speed limit of 50 mph." Mecoy notes the investigation into the crash, which left McClendon's SUV "engulfed in flames," will not be complete "for at least two weeks." McClendon's influence "was felt throughout Oklahoma City," particularly for "his role in bringing major-league sports to a downtown arena that carries the name of the company he created" (OKLAHOMAN, 3/3).
PIVOTAL ROLE IN GETTING NBA TO OKC: In Oklahoma City, Berry Tramel in a front-page piece writes it is "no stretch" to say that without McClendon, the NBA "would not be in OKC." When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in '05 and the Hornets needed a temporary home, now-Thunder Chair CLAY BENNETT "put together a corporate sponsorship team." The Pioneer Partners, which was led by McClendon and Chesapeake, "wowed the NBA with its speed and breadth." When Bennett later "formed an ownership group to buy the Seattle SuperSonics," McClendon was a partner "so enthusiastic his emails of OKC support drew a $250,000 fine from the NBA" (OKLAHOMAN, 3/3). Former Hornets Dir of Corporate Communications MICHAEL THOMPSON said of Chesapeake's support of the team during its stint in Oklahoma City, "They were one of the first ones to jump in and say ‘Whatever it takes.'" He added, "Aubrey played such a huge role, not only in the sponsorship dollars that he brought to us from Chesapeake, but also in the number of doors he opened for us in Oklahoma City." In Oklahoma City, Darnell Mayberry notes Chesapeake signed then-Hornets G CHRIS PAUL "to partner in the company's advertising, promotions and community relations programs." That "became the blueprint for local endorsements with today's Thunder stars" like G RUSSELL WESTBROOK. The success of the NBA in the city "ranks high" among McClendon's "contributions to his hometown" (OKLAHOMAN, 3/3).
