It has now been almost 25 years, but the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995 will forever be remembered as one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in American history.
A total of 168 people died on April 19, 1995 when a bomb went off from a truck just outside the building. Timothy McVeigh, a U.S. Army veteran, was found responsible for the incident and was executed in 2001.
On Tuesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder recognized the families of the 168 victims in the attack prior to their game against the Orlando Magic. According to Royce Young of ESPN, family members received jerseys with the number 95 and the last name of the victim on the back.
On the court, the Thunder improved to a record of three wins and four losses on the season. Six Thunder players reached double digits in scoring. Aaron Gordon led Oklahoma City with 15 points. Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz, D.J. Augustin and Al-Farouq Aminu each had 13 points. Nikola Vucevic also reached double digits in scoring as he had 10 points and led the Thunder with 11 rebounds. The Magic dropped to a record of two wins and five losses.
It should be noted that the National Basketball Association did not have a team in Oklahoma City in 1995 at the time of the bombing. The Seattle Supersonics moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder in 2008. The New Orleans Hornets were also in Oklahoma City for two years from 2005 to 2007 as the city of New Orleans needed to rebuild and clean up after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The Thunder will recognize the victims of the terrorist attack again on January 9 by wearing special jerseys when they host the Houston Rockets.
