The NBA will reportedly vote later this month on the potential expansion of the league into Seattle and Las Vegas. That means the Seattle SuperSonics could be returning to the Pacific Northwest.
Most people already know how LGBTQ-infused Seattle’s culture is. Maybe not as many know that Seattle’s gay vibes extend to the SuperSonics, the city’s basketball history, and the other teams in the area.
Openly gay CEO Rick Welts started with the SuperSonics
Rick Welts is a favorite here at Outsports. One of the most powerful LGBTQ figures in sports, Welts is the openly gay CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. His half-century-long career in hoops started in Seattle with the SuperSonics.
Welts worked with the SuperSonics from 1969 to 1979 after being born in Seattle in 1953. He didn’t come out to the public until 2011, but its fitting that his start in the league as a teenager was in one of the most LGBTQ cities in the world.
Seattle Storm have kept basketball interest alive
Oct 4, 2020; Bradenton, Florida, USA; Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird (10) laughs during game two of the 2020 WNBA Finals at IMG Academy. Mandatory Credit: Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports | Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports
Seattle has remained a hotbed for basketball interest in the two decades since the SuperSonics left partially because of the success of the WNBA’s Storm.
The team has won three WNBA titles since the Sonics left and have been the home for two legendary LGBTQ players in Sue Bird, Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart.
The Storm were originally purchased by the same ownership group that ripped the Sonics from Seattle, but they thankfully sold the team in January 2008 before leaving town with the men’s team. The Storm colors (green, yellow/gold) have kept the memory of the Sonics alive while carving out a niche deserving of their own fandom.
The Mariners and Seahawks are also gay-friendly
Seattle’s other men’s sports teams are also very gay-friendly, so the Sonics will just be making the pie even bigger and better.
The Seahawks sponsored an LGBTQ football league in 2019. The Mariners’ superstar, Julio Rodriguez, wears Pride gear during June to make sure the baseball fans in the city feel accepted. The Kraken hired the first openly gay head trainer in NHL history in 2024.
It’s wonderful to live in Seattle, be gay, and love sports in the city. The SuperSonics will simply make everything that much more colorful!
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