The REAL REASON Seattle Lost the SuperSonics

The Seattle Supersonics relocation was easily the most heartbreaking loss of a franchise that the NBA has ever seen. With a history as storied as theirs, today we relive the ugly breakup of the City of Seattle and their once loved Supersonics.

[PiGuy]

Thank you. I’ve heard so many people said, “if you supported the team, they wouldn’t had leave” without knowing the FULL details of what really happened.

[Captain_Solo]

As an Oakland Athletics fan currently going through this, my heart goes out to all the Sonics fans. I remember watching it unfold and thinking to myself no way they move the sonics after they were purchased. I thought they had been saved, but a year later they were gone. Sports only care about money

[FinnSwede]

The Sonics were one of my favorite teams as a kid in the 90s, that Kemp/Payton/Schremp squad was great.

[rapgodreloaded]

I was a huge Supersonic fan cause of the jerseys and history.

[drexlerb]

I quit watching the NBA when the Sonics left Seattle. Used to be a huge fan. I don't know if I could ever come back now, given how much the league has changed since then.

[briankiefer]

Not even from Washington, but as a teen the Sonics were my favorite team. Detlef Schrempf was awesome with Payton and Kemp.

[racingwithrob]

Being an Oakland A's fan this one hits hard....

[bryanstagl]

I’m from Portland so a blazers fan but I miss the sonics..remember the sonics flag waving on top the space needle after they left..

[yeahyuh]

"We didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle, we hoped to come here [OKC]" - Aubrey McClendon

[calvin_k]

Thanks for breaking this down. My mom worked for the Sonic’s in the 90’s and I was fortunate to be a part of some events there as well as model for their kids clothing in a catalogue. It must have been 1996ish, good memories I only remember being watched for a bit by the cheerleaders lol.

[jarodwinkel]

Such a heartbreaking chapter. I miss them so much. Thank you for covering this fairly!

[jakemccoy]

Man, this digs up a lot of buried feelings. I was born and raised just north of Seattle, and didn’t really get into basketball until 2009/2010 when I was in 6th grade. My first attended NBA game was in Portland, first attended playoff game was in Portland. I basically grew up as a Trailblazer fan instead of a Sonic fan because we lost our team. It’s sad to think of the memories and history we could have witnessed and enjoyed during the last 16 years if they were still here. In a lot of ways, I liked and respected Stern as a commissioner, but I felt so wronged by him allowing that relocation and with Bennett for pulling the move that he did. But I guess we just gotta keep waiting for the day we finally get a team back, because that day is gonna be incredible to witness… Kemp and Payton already said that they want their jerseys retired in Seattle, and I can’t think of a cooler scene in the first season, or even opening night, than those two guys watching their jerseys getting raised to the rafters with the crowds roaring around them…

[positrack]

Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Lenny Wilkens, and others all kept allegiance to the Seattle Area and it's Fans. We never really lost our Supersonics. The real Supersonics never abandoned Seattle.

[SYratherripped]

Little known fact: there were only 2 NBA owners who voted against the move of the SuperSonics. Paul Allen of the Portland Trailblazers (also Seattle Seahawks owner at the time), and Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks. I'll never forget that, and one of the reasons why I have so much respect for Mark Cuban.

[GrizzlyTree.]

I was 14 years old when the Sonics moved and growing up 60 miles north of Seattle my dad and I went to so many games sitting in the back row of the arena, some of my favorite sports memories of my life, and being at the courthouse protesting with Gary Payton and other fans was awesome. Still makes me sad but the newly renovated arena is massively improved and hopefully the league will expand because I don’t ever want a kid in another city to feel the way I did and lose their team

[maxmeier]

Considering even the Hornets are worth 3 billion dollars now and teams like the dubs are 8 billion, it is safe to say all previous owners of the Sonics are regretting their decision to sell. Either of those poor rich men should have just built the stadium themselves.Schultz bought the Sonics for 200 mill, sold it for 350. Now OKC is worth 3 billion dollar. Ouch. And Schultz had no need to sell, he could have easily afford a stadium and lose a hundred mill on that team each year, he'd still be a billionaire today.

[yanguskhan]

after the sonics lost the finals in 96, my love of basketball started waning, once the sonics left, it killed my love of the game.

[vastucson]

Schultz betrayed his home town and reneged on his promise not to let the team get moved. That’s why longtime Sonics fans like me still boycott Starbucks to this day. So far, many of us have been true to our word that we will NEVER spend a cent there.

[kincamell]

At least Seattle still has a few professional sports teams left.
I've seen The Raiders leave twice and taxpayers are still paying for it. I saw The Warriors leave (then have Oakland on their jerseys) and The A's are leaving. I recently found out that Oakland even had a NHL team leave.

[Big_Krone]

As a man who lives in seatte. This was a very lame moment in time. We really lost the sonics as we drafted 3 mvps and now we have to sit back and watch OKC have the brightest future in the league