Paris Lawson admits she has “one of the coolest jobs on the planet,” reporting for the OKC Thunder and WNBA. Many basketball fans would agree. Chronicling the Thunder’s story for seven seasons—including the team’s National Championship win in 2025—has been her highest honor, she said.
“The thing that will always live with me is the energy of the city. [The championship] was this moment where you just had to sit there and appreciate it, and watch that confetti fall, and just be present and soak it all up,” Lawson said. “Oklahoma City is so unique in the sense that we’ve got Loud City, this raucous arena that teams around the league agree is one of the loudest in the NBA. Then you multiply that by 1,000 during that playoff run, and then that championship game—seeing a city unite like that behind a team was so cool to see.”
The wins punctuate Lawson’s broadcast career, but she also values being able to report on the team’s smaller moments.
“I’m talking about the 2 a.m. arrivals back to Oklahoma City after a long road trip, or the practices leading up to a big game, or the community events that happen in between,” Lawson said. “I’m so proud of being able to be trusted with those moments, so that when the big moments come around, I can be the person that people can trust to explain why this matters so much.”
Basketball has been a mainstay throughout Lawson’s life. The Nashville native remembers, at age 10, waking up her dad at 6 a.m. to go shoot hoops at the YMCA. With passion and skill for the game, Lawson received a Division 1 scholarship to play for Belmont University in Nashville. However, three ACL injuries during her college years cut her playing time short. During her recovery, Lawson became a sideline reporter for Belmont’s volleyball, softball, baseball and soccer teams. Such extensive hands-on experience ignited another passion in Lawson: sports journalism.
At 22, Lawson applied for a job at the OKC Thunder—site unseen, so to speak. She had visited Norman and Tulsa briefly as a Belmont Bruin, but she had never been to Oklahoma City. (“The Thunder was all I knew about Oklahoma City,” she said.) Still, she yearned for a job in the NBA … and she got it. She had been working one year for the Thunder as a digital content writer when a broadcast position opened up.
“The folks at the Thunder gave me this opportunity at a very young age to step into this incredible role, and I’ve been a member of the broadcast team ever since,” said Lawson.
She credits her success to those who mentored and believed in her—especially her father and the Thunder staff. The camaraderie among the Thunder reporting team also propelled her forward. Earlier this year, when she was invited to become an WNBA broadcaster during the NBA’s offseason, Thunder colleagues cheered her on.
“It’s been a dream come true,” said Lawson. “As someone who grew up playing women’s basketball and always, always watching women’s hoops, the women of the WNBA were my absolute superheroes and role models growing up.”
The dream job continues for Lawson as she juggles the WNBA Finals with the beginning of another Thunder season in October. She’s thrilled to be there for all of it.
“I am pretty much living out of a suitcase for the majority of the year,” she said, “but honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
