Clay Bennett, an American businessman who serves as chairman of Professional Basketball Club LLC and owner of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, recently celebrated his first-ever NBA championship with the team and his family.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, owned by Clay Bennett, capped an extraordinary season by defeating the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, winning their first championship for the team since it relocated from Seattle in 2008, having won one title as the SuperSonics in 1979.
Furthermore, the recent victory has not only been a great achievement for Clay Bennett and his team, but also a proud moment for his wife, Thelma Louise Gaylord Ennis, who has been his constant supporter through all the good and bad times.
While Clay Bennett often grabs attention for his business and sports journey, his wife, Louise Gaylord Ennis Bennett, remains mostly out of the spotlight and prefers to maintain a low profile.
They say there’s a woman behind every successful man — for Clay Bennett, it’s his longtime wife, Louise Gaylord, who has been by his side long before he was known by many.
Clay and Louise Bennett were high school sweethearts at Casady School in Oklahoma City. Clay was a standout student-athlete at Casady, graduating in 1978, while Louise, also an exceptional student, graduated a year later in 1979.
The couple tied the knot in 1981 and have been happily married for over four decades.
While very little information about Louise’s professional life is available, she is the daughter of late media mogul and billionaire businessman Edward Lewis Gaylord, who controlled the Oklahoma newspaper and Gaylord Entertainment.
She serves as the board member of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, continuing her family’s legacy since 1987.
Louise, along with her sister Christy Gaylord Everest, served as the board member of The Oklahoman, now The Daily Oklahoman, until the sale of the company in 2011 to Philip Anschutz.
Clay Bennett And His Longtime Wife, Louise, Are Proud Parents Of Three Successful Children
The former San Antonio Spurs part-owner, Clay Bennett, and his wife, Louise Gaylor, are not only an amazing couple but also great parents to their three children: daughters Mollie Bennett McCurdy and Christy Bennett Lane, and their only son, Gaylord Graham Bennett.
All of Clay and Louise’s children —Mollie, Christy, and Graham —attended their parents’ alma mater, Casady School, where they excelled both academically and in sports.
Furthermore, their eldest child, daughter, Mollie Inz Bennett McCurdy, a 2002 graduate of Casady School, prefers to maintain a low profile and hasn’t shared much about her professional life.
However, she has been happily married to her longtime partner, Samuel Lawson McCurdy, for almost a decade. The couple tied the knot on August 1, 2015, and are proud parents of two kids, including a daughter named Francie.
Similarly, their other daughter, Christine ‘Christy’ Marie Lane, a 2006 graduate of Casady School, is a proud mother of two beautiful daughters named Charlotte Clayton and Mollie Eleanor.
Their youngest child and only son, Gaylord Graham Bennett, born on January 17, 1993, followed in his father’s footsteps in sports and is a former athlete.
Graham Bennett was a four-year letterman in basketball, track & field, and football at Casady School, where he was named to the S.P.C. All League Team. He graduated in 2012.
He continued his football journey at the University of San Diego, from which he earned his Bachelor of Arts in History degree in 2016. Graham earned his Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies from Harvard Extension School in 2023.
Graham Bennett has been serving as the managing director of Dorchester Capital Corporation since January 2024. Prior to his current position, Graham served on the advisory board of Dorchester Capital Corporation for six years.
He has also been serving as the advisor of the E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation for almost five years.
Likewise, he worked as a manager and on development initiatives for Reform Alliance in New York City, and as a commercial sales and marketing officer for W&W/AFCO Stell for almost four years.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Clayton Ike Bennett was born on November 14, 1959, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
- He is the chairman of Oklahoma City-based Dorchester Capital Corporation, as well as the Chairman emeritus of the board of directors of the Oklahoma Heritage Association.
