The NBA Needs a Franchise Back In Seattle
It feels like a lifetime ago. In decades past, the Pacific Northwest region of North America played home to three NBA franchises. With the departure of the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Seattle SuperSonics, only the Portland Trail Blazers remain. And it’s a shame.
In particular, the Sonics leaving was a blow to both the city and the league. With talks of expansion to Las Vegas, it also may be time for the Sonics to return to Seattle. Reviving this key piece of NBA history could be instrumental in continuing the growth of the league.
The NBA in Seattle
Something people don’t talk about enough is the fact that the SuperSonics were the first major league sports franchise in Seattle. The team made its debut in 1966 and was part of the city until the franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2008.
This was a team with six divisional titles, three conference titles, and one NBA Championship. They defeated the Washington Bullets, now Wizards, in 1979 to capture that one and only title. That doesn’t change the fact that they were a championship franchise.
Most fans know them best from the Kemp/Payton era from 1989 to 1998. Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton became regulars in the post-season. Alongside Detlef Schrempf, the team faced off against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1996 Finals.
Like so many teams in the 90s, they fell to the Bulls and were unable to win a championship because they played in the era of Jordan’s dominance. While the franchise struggled in the 2000s, they did manage to draft Kevin Durant before closing their doors.
What Happened?
With a struggling franchise comes a decline in ticket sales and strained corporate relationships. That’s a nice way of saying there were cash flow issues. At least, that’s how the owners framed their issues at the time, which wasn’t exactly the true core of the move.
The core of the problem was the franchise’s home, then known as KeyArena. New ownership wanted the city to put hundreds of millions into a new home for the Sonics. Seattle didn’t want to spend the money. In the end, the owners got clearance to move the franchise to somewhere willing to spend.
Over the years, there has been a lot of discussion about the team owners negotiating in bad faith. They have been accused of planning the move to Oklahoma City even before new arena discussions with Seattle began. Naturally, there were denials that no Sonics fan believed.
Unlike the Grizzlies, the Sonics were part of the fabric of the NBA and played a big role in its popularity explosion in the 1990s. The loss of the franchise was a huge hit to Seattle but also to the NBA. It still feels like an integral piece of the league that is missing.
Time For a Comeback
Las Vegas has abruptly dived into the pro sports pool with the arrival of the NFL’s Raiders, the NHL’s Golden Knights, and the impending arrival of MLB’s soon-to-be-former Oakland A’s. At this point, their NBA franchise just needs to be officially announced.
Since the NBA is on the verge of expansion mode, a return to Seattle has been discussed in a more and more concrete fashion. Really, discussions never ended as multiple teams have been rumored to make the move since 2008. The closest they came was the Sacramento Kings in 2013.
Amazon has since sponsored a major renovation of KeyArena into Climate Pledge Arena, now the home of the NHL’s Kraken. It could easily do double duty as the home for the rejuvenated Sonics, as well. A franchise of that stature returning could be a huge moment for the NBA.
Seattle is a lot of things, including a basketball town. Their franchise got caught up in the usual behind-the-scenes shenanigans that come with major league franchises. But their endless support of the Kraken, the Mariners, and the Seahawks would seem to indicate Seattle residents still have room in their hearts for the Sonics.
