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On this day in 2008, the NBA Board of Governors gave approval for the Seattle SuperSonics to relocate to Oklahoma City in a 28-2 vote. After two years of rumors, speculation, and disappointment, the legendary SuperSonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder.
To look into the story behind the deal, we have to go back to 2006 when Oklahoma City men, including Clay Bennett, acquired the team from former Starbucks CEO and majority Sonics owner, Howard Schultz.
According to an article on ESPN by Frank Hughes, Schultz had decided to sell the team because he became “angry and bitter” with the NBA. Other internal clashes including discourse with star Sonics Gary Payton and ongoing issues with arena lease left Schultz uninterested in being a majority owner. When Schultz sold the team to Bennett, the two had come to an agreement that Bennett would secure a new arena and keep the team in Seattle in something called a “good faith effort.” At least for a year.
According to The New York Times, there was “immediate speculation” that the team would be relocated to Oklahoma City after their lease expired at Key Arena. In a whirlwind of events that are frankly enough to make your head spin, in November 2007, Bennett informed the NBA that he was planning on relocating the team, as soon as they “succeed in the pending litigation with the city, or are able to negotiate an early lease termination, or at the end of the lease term.”
I do not have the resources to talk about the dramatic events that occurred in Seattle. If you have the time, I highly recommend you watch the 2009 documentary Sonicsgate: A Requiem for A Team. It provides an exceptional in depth look into the corruption, lies, and politics behind the relocation.
I always wonder how a city gets chosen when it comes to relocation and league expansion. It’s a concept that’s uniquely American. Premier League teams never and will never just get up and relocate to a new city without the utmost disapproval of fans (although there was major backlash from fans about the relocation.)
What did Bennett see in Oklahoma City? Well, Bennett was born in Oklahoma City and went to the University of Oklahoma. He was an Oklahoma man. An Oklahoman. He had a vision for the city that did not have any other major sports team.
There are a few speculations on the internet that claim Hurricane Katrina was one of the reasons the team relocated to Oklahoma City. After the devastating events in 2005, the then New Orleans Hornets did not have a functioning arena. It seems lucky that Oklahoma City had built an arena a few years prior, but had no team to put it in. Oklahoma City lent the arena to the Hornets and played there for a year and a half. In that time, the Hornets averaged an even 18,000 fans per game. Despite speculation that the Hornets would not come back to New Oreleans, they eventually did. But the legacy left in Oklahoma City was enough to create conversation and a vision.
It would be on April 18th 2008, the NBA Board of Governors approved the move. Only Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks and Paul Allen of the Portland Trail Blazers voted against the relocation. Cuban allegedly disapproved because he did not think that the city would thrive in the NBA and said it would be bad for television business. Although Allen did not publicly state why he disapproved of the vote at the time, the Seattle native was a key factor in keeping the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks in the city. Even an article published in the Seattle Times a day before the vote begged Paul Allen to say no to the vote. It’s safe to say that many fans were not surprised by the move, but disappointed.
Sports is culture. It’s an item that people from geographic locations can attach to, to feel proud about where they came from. When a state or major city does not have a professional sports league, it creates a lack of unity or state/city identification. Take Connecticut which does not have any major men’s professional team. Half of the state is divided – one side in favor of New York and the other in favor of Boston. The loss of the Hartford Whalers was relatively detrimental to the city for economic reasons but also for culture. That being said, Seattle still has three major sports, the Seattle Kraken (established in 2018) of the NHL, Seattle Mariners of the MLB, and Seattle Seahawks of the NFL.
Two major protests against the relocation occurred in 2006 and 2008— each held by members of Save our Sonics, a group dedicated to preserving NBA and WNBA basketball in Seattle. Although these protests were unsuccessful, they still remain significant in understanding how important this team was for Seattle.
As for the actual relocation of the players, half of the Sonics went to Oklahoma, including Nick Collison and youngster Kevin Durant. Russell Westbrook and four others came from the 2008 draft. The rest of the players including Desmond Mason and Thabo Sefolosha were traded either at the beginning of the season or halfway through.
Previous head coach of the Sonics, P.J. Carlesimo relocated to Oklahoma City, but only lasted 13 games before he was fired and replaced with Scott Brooks who lasted seven years. In their inaugural season, the team did not do great, they finished third to last in the Western Division with a 23-59 record.
This brings us to the present day, where, if you have read NBA news recently, you might have heard a few rumors about the NBA coming back to Seattle. Unfortunately, they are only rumors and they happen pretty often. Back in November 2024 there was talk about the Sonics coming back by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the media. Again in March 2025, more conversations led to nowhere.
Although the team no longer exists in Seattle, it’s not forgotten. The group Save Our Sonics are hopeful for a possible return.