Hours after The Oklahoman published an article Tuesday morning about Bob Mills Furniture’s mattress promotion that appeared to be tied to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s championship run, the team took a preliminary step to take legal action against the retailer.
Dan Mahoney, vice president of corporate communications for the Thunder, told The Oklahoman Wednesday that a cease-and-desist letter was sent to Bob Mills on Tuesday due to violations of exclusive marketing rights.
The promotion, which has run on television, offers customers at Bob Mills locations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa a full refund on mattress purchases if the “Oklahoma City team” wins the championship. The company did not provide a specific end date for the promotional period.
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Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) signs shoes before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) signs a toy before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.Fans wait to have items signed before Game 1 of their the round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.Fans take their seats before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.Fans take their seats before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.Fans take their seats before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.Fans take their seats before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.Fans take their seats before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.Phoenix guard Devin Booker (1) walks into the arena before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.Oklahoma City guard Jalen Williams (8) walks in the arena before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) walks in the arena before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.1 / 11Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns in NBA Playoffs Game 1Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) signs shoes before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.1 / 11Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns in NBA Playoffs Game 1Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) signs shoes before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.2 / 11Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns in NBA Playoffs Game 1Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) signs a toy before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.3 / 11Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns in NBA Playoffs Game 1Fans wait to have items signed before Game 1 of their the round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.4 / 11Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns in NBA Playoffs Game 1Fans take their seats before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.5 / 11Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns in NBA Playoffs Game 1Fans take their seats before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.6 / 11Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns in NBA Playoffs Game 1Fans take their seats before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.7 / 11Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns in NBA Playoffs Game 1Fans take their seats before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.8 / 11Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns in NBA Playoffs Game 1Fans take their seats before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.9 / 11Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns in NBA Playoffs Game 1Phoenix guard Devin Booker (1) walks into the arena before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.10 / 11Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns in NBA Playoffs Game 1Oklahoma City guard Jalen Williams (8) walks in the arena before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.11 / 11Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder vs Phoenix Suns in NBA Playoffs Game 1Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) walks in the arena before Game 1 of the first round NBA playoff series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.Although the promotion uses similar blue, orange and yellow hues to the city’s NBA franchise, the campaign doesn’t specifically mention the Thunder, but it does tie the promotion to “the Oklahoma City team.”
The Thunder sent a statement to The Oklahoman Wednesday, saying the organization is aware of a current retail promotion in the marketplace that references team performance in connection with a conditional consumer offer.
“We take this matter very seriously. The retail business conducting this promotion is not an official partner of the Thunder and is not authorized to use or otherwise associate with the Thunder brand in any capacity,” the statement reads.
The organization goes on to state it has longstanding policies to protect their intellectual property, brand integrity, and the exclusive rights granted to their official partners.
“We are actively reviewing the situation internally and with the NBA. We will explore all available options to address it, including appropriate legal remedies,” the statement reads. “The Thunder organization is committed to ensuring that any use of Thunder-related themes and intellectual property, whether explicit or implied, is conducted in a manner that is authorized, compliant, and respectful of our loyal corporate partners. We are committed to avoiding confusion in the marketplace as to source, sponsorship, and affiliation.”
Bob Mills, president of Bob Mills Furniture, sent an email to The Oklahoman Tuesday afternoon, stating that Bob Mills Furniture has no affiliation with the Oklahoma City professional basketball team or any other professional sports franchise. He maintains that the outcome of professional basketball games are public domain, and “no licensed trademark, logos or intellectual property from any third-party group has been used.”
He told The Oklahoman on Tuesday afternoon that he had not received a cease-and-desist letter.
The company didn’t respond to a request for comment on the cease-and-desist notice by deadline Wednesday.
Mahoney also said the San Antonio Spurs basketball team was taking a similar action after Bob Mills ran a sperate promotion for his stores in San Antonio and Schertz, Texas, that ran from April 1-12.
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, Mahoney said the Thunder had yet to receive a response from Bob Mills Furniture.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder challenges Bob Mills Furniture free mattress promotion