The Seattle Supersonics were one the NBA's best franchises in the 1990s. They were led by All-Stars Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton. In 1994, they won a league-best 63 games before being ousted by the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Two years later, they lost to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in the Finals.
Despite all the success, the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 after a dispute between team ownership and the city over a new arena. Still, there were plenty of great moments in Seattle with the fans and team.
One of them occurred during the 1994-95 season when they decided to market Kemp, their biggest star, in a unique way.
Kemp was nicknamed "The Reign Man" during his playing days. It was a play off his incredible leaping ability and the city's rainy weather. So the team decided to chronicle his days from being "Reign Boy" to becoming a man.
The ad depicted Kemp as a cartoon who used to the power of rain and lightning to overcome the rest of the league. At one point, he throws a basketball that knocks off the head of the Chicago mascot (Benny The Bull). Perhaps it was an attempt to say the Sonics were ready to overtake the Bulls as the marquee organization in the NBA.
It never happened. After the Finals loss to the Bulls, Kemp was traded before the start of the `97 season.
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