The Seattle SuperSonics, a historic NBA franchise, moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 due to their new owner Clay Bennett's inability to secure a new arena deal in Seattle, becoming the Thunder.
Over the last few seasons, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the best NBA teams.
However, until 2008, the Oklahoma City Thunder did not exist; their creation coincided with the end of a historic NBA franchise, the Seattle Supersonics.
But how did it come to this? What happened to the Seattle Supersonics? We're here to answer your questions.
Why did the Sonics leave Seattle?
Throughout much of their history, the Seattle SuperSonics were a successful NBA franchise.
They won a title in 1979, and between the mid-1990s and early 2000s, the team was consistently among the most competitive in the Western Conference, boasting players such as Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf, and Ray Allen, to name a few.
Ray Allen Seattle Supersonics
Ray Allen Seattle Supersonics
Credit Reuters-Scanpix
The Sonics' last playoff appearance before their disappearance was in the 2004-2005 season, when they were eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals by the San Antonio Spurs, who went on to become NBA champions.
So, how is it possible that that team disappeared from the league within a few years?
Why did the Supersonics move to Oklahoma City?
Between 2001 and 2006, the majority owner of the Seattle SuperSonics was Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks.
For many years, Schultz had been in negotiations with the state of Washington to obtain the funds needed to improve the arena where the SuperSonics played, KeyArena.
However, the negotiations did not lead to any concrete results, and at the end of the 2005-06 season, Schultz and his partners decided to sell the SuperSonics and the Seattle Storm WNBA franchise to a group of entrepreneurs led by Clay Bennett, originally from Oklahoma City.
Initially, it was thought they wanted to keep the team in Seattle, or at least that's what Schultz said at the time of the franchise sale.
Instead, things turned out differently. Bennett was unable to reach an agreement with the city of Seattle to build a new arena and decided that the best thing to do was to move the team to Oklahoma City.
When did the Sonics leave Seattle?
The city of Seattle, at least initially, opposed the decision, as the existing agreement was that the SuperSonics would play at KeyArena until 2010.
But in April 2008, the NBA board, by an overwhelming majority of 28 to 2, voted in favor of the franchise's relocation.
A few months later, Bennett reached an agreement with the city of Seattle, paying $45 million, plus another $30 million to be paid by 2013 if the city did not obtain a new franchise.
This cleared the last hurdles for the SuperSonics' move to Oklahoma City. So, starting with the 2008-09 season, Oklahoma City began its history, playing at the Ford Center.
Under the settlement, the SuperSonics' name and colors were reserved for a potential future Seattle team, though no guarantees were made for a replacement. Therefore, the team couldn't be named the 'Oklahoma SuperSonics,' and the Seattle SuperSonics' new name became the Thunder.
Will Seattle get an NBA team again?
Between 2012 and 2013, Seattle actually came very close to getting a team back.
A group of entrepreneurs led by Chris Hansen, which also included Steve Ballmer, the current owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, had decided to buy the Sacramento Kings from the Maloof family and then move the team to Seattle.
In early 2013, Hansen and his partners reached an agreement with the Maloof family to purchase a majority stake in the Kings for approximately $525 million and immediately began the process of relocating the team.
However, the city of Sacramento decided to fight back, so the mayor, former NBA player Kevin Johnson, began looking for entrepreneurs who were willing to keep the team in Sacramento.
Vivek Ranadivé, who at the time was one of the minority owners of the Golden State Warriors, came forward and presented an alternative plan to the NBA to keep the Kings in Sacramento.
Current Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive
Current Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive
Credit AP - Scanpix
In the decisive NBA board meeting in May 2013, the majority of owners voted against the plan to relocate the Kings to Seattle, preferring to keep the team in Sacramento
A few days later, the Maloof family reached an agreement with the group of entrepreneurs led by Ranadivé, and the team remained in California.
Since then, the city of Seattle has continued to hope that NBA basketball would return, and it seems to be getting closer.
Firstly, KeyArena has been renovated, and the league has returned to Seattle to host preseason games starting in 2022.
Secondly, and most importantly, the NBA is planning to expand, and Seattle, along with Las Vegas, is one of the leading candidates.
All this points to the Seattle Sonics' return in the near future.
Orazio Cauchi
Orazio Cauchi started his career in basketball at 21, having worked for several years at Sportando as the lead writer of the website. He also covered several live events, including the Euroleague Final Four, Italian Cups, Serie A league finals, and EuroBasket. He also contributed to American media, such as LibertyBallers and Def Pen Hoops. Cauchi joined BasketNews in 2021 as a Staff Writer. Holds a degree in Politics & International Relations.
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