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.

[@PiGuy007]

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

[@PointWithin]

Yeah it’s painful. Especially gut wrenching when the Raiders left for Vegas. Oakland to LA and back to the Town was no issue but damn! Now the A’s. It’s sad man

[@charlesgarrett7766]

I feel like it is a mix of greedy ownership and a declining Oakland

[@MatthewFreeman-fp9iw]

I'm from Virginia, we are constantly passed over for teams . No major league anything.

[@matthewtrauger3683]

It's a business. You don't go into business for anything except to make money. If you think otherwise you're a moron.

[@vhsqueen]

​@@MatthewFreeman-fp9iwi mean it sucks when youre not sports town and you wish you had a team, but it sucks even more when you are a hardcore sports town who loved your team and had it taken from you after promises they wouldnt relocate. People in WA still wear their supersonics gear like they're still there and still want them back.

[@drexlerb6031]

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.

[@TheLastSuperSonic]

Me too bro.

[@brucem.915]

I feel the same. I loved the Sonics growing up. I went to several games in the late 80s. I supported the team and bought their gear. I feel betrayed to this day. Shame on Howard Schultz, David Stern, and Clay Bennett. It's wrong for taxpayers to always foot the bill for facilities for rich owners. I thought David Stern in particular, was nasty on treatment of Seattle fans. What a weasel he was.

[@willisskull2676]

It's hard. I checked out shortly after they moved. Got back into it about 10 years ago. It's changed even since then. Players bounce around teams so much that it's hard to connect.

[@nova3752]

Trust me, nobody misses that team lol. You havent watched but nobody cares. Basketball is as popular as ever and your sadboi city is not a part of it

[@willisskull2676]

@@nova3752 I'm glad you know everything and are such a polite person.

[@FinnSwede906]

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

[@Whitesquall123]

They were my go-to team in NBA Jam.

[@rapgodreloaded9259]

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

[@yeahyuh123]

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

[@positrack99]

Aubrey McLendon - The man who was indicted by a grand jury for defrauding America by inflating energy prices and faking an energy shortage in alignment with the Enron scandal. The man who was so spineless instead of facing the judgement he ran his car into an overpass to take his own worthless life.

[@trillamannwinters6963]

As a thunder fan the best quote in sports history lol

[@DrLuke49]

​@trillamannwinters6963 yea but at least be grateful that you did not lose over $2 billion in the 2008 economic crash like Aubrey did when he lost 90% of his wealth.

[@MrJeebusWalks]

​@@DrLuke49sounds like I'd be left with a few hundred mill... compared to where I'm at now I'd be grateful to lose 2billion and still have a few hundred... 🤦‍♂️

[@mrmacross]

@@DrLuke49 That's hardly the worst thing that happened to McClendon, though. He was facing federal indictments for rigging gas and oil prices when he died in a fiery car crash. He was one of the least sympathetic NBA co-owners you could find.

[@positrack99]

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.

[@brianflansburg8934]

NBA could be creating more players and profit sharing generator instead of leech if they brought a team back.

[@briankiefer4101]

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

[@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.

[@jaimerosado3896]

Keep up the good work. I myself have never patronized a Starbucks that wasn’t at a highway rest area. And I live in New York City!

[@Zrich98]

From a Thunder fan, I hope yall get your team in the expansion draft. The Thunder Sonics rivalry would go hard. But the fans in Okc while appreciative we got the Thunder hate it came at the cost of a fanbase losing their team.

[@robertlindey2538]

Overpriced.

[@robertlindey2538]

@@Zrich98 No grudges against the fans of OKC. They took on the Hornets with no promise of a future permanent team.

[@bryanjensen300]

And he paid the price. I think he sold for $175,000,000 an asset that quickly skyrocketed in value. Before this year OKC was valued at $3.080,000,000. so maybe $3.5 Billion dollars now. Shultz current net worth sits around 3 Billion and is probably lower after this year. He gave away the golden goose .

[@bryanstagl4797]

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..

[@racingwithrob]

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

[@swishcountyproductions]

RIP

[@michaeljames4630]

calm down

[@angeloaaz]

It’s sad what happened to Oakland you guys lost the Raiders A’s and Warriors

[@racingwithrob]

@@angeloaaz warriors went to sf so it's nbd.... I'm not a raiders fan so I didn't care about them

[@adilhasan2]

@@racingwithrobthen what in the fuck compelled you to become an As fan

[@yanguskhan8513]

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.

[@brianflansburg8934]

It was rough having more people rooting for Jordan in Washington than the Sonics

[@gbalph4]

As a Laker fan I wanna hate you guys again like every other sport. Bring back the Sonics.

[@rjada5500]

As a Sonics fan, right back at you. 😁

[@skeezix8156]

Even Ice Cube misses them

[@jamescarsonn7603]

@@skeezix8156of course he does, it was a good day

[@markkostka6897]

Really....are you ignorant that your team came from Minneapolis? Where are all those lakes in LA in the desert, hmmm?

[@gbalph4]

@@markkostka6897 no I know that. But I do want Seattle to get their team back. They have the arena and it can host the NBA.

[@maxmeier532]

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.

[@itsjordandclay]

He’s with Starbucks I’m pretty sure he’s not hurting for money

[@bball3048mm]

Yea but the status quo back then was making the local tax payers foot the bill for the new stadiums just like the Seahawks and Mariners.

[@calvin_k3678]

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.

[@jarodwinkel6113]

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

[@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

[@jakemccoy2030]

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…

[@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

[@bball3048mm]

I remember walking by randomly in 2008 around the Seattle area and seeing all of the fans wearing green and gold.

[@chrisschaeffer9661]

As a Blazer fan I'd love to see the Sonics back where they belong. In Seattle!!!

[@SiGUYE]

Same here. I'm a Blazer fan too and I want the Sonics back in Seattle.

[@Stasis_lmao]

Been a Blazers fan ever since they left, and when Dame sent OKC home in 2019 I had the biggest grin on my face for a week

[@ceejames1563]

😢😢

[@FreeGunzz]

Blazers VS Sonic’s not a rivalry anymore. OKC would be Seattle’s biggest rival

[@MrPowderEater]

I was at the last Sonics home game and I haven’t watched an NBA game since they were stolen out of Seattle. The City definitely hold some of the blame as well The Glove The Rain Man and Big Smooth

[@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.

[@kmena05]

yea the Golden Seals they ended up moving to Cleveland then merging into the Minnesota North Stars now known as the Dallas Stars. but the Warriors won 4 Championships for Oakland the A's won 4 for WS for Oakland and the Raiders won 2 Super Bowls for Oakland that's 10 Championships not many cities have that many look at San Diego similar problems w sport teams but the teams that played there never won anything while they were there.

[@RowdyJr]

Ayo as a seahawks fan, research all about the infamous 90s in seattle where we had this piece of sh*t owner before paul allen who tried to relocate our beloved seahawks to anaheim or to any overrated ass californian city for more money and greed and it was a blessing that we beat against that pos who wants to rip us off like that. The same way with the past sonics management team who successfully ripped us off with our beloved sonics. I don't understand these greedy millionaire owners bro. I can not stand them at all.

[@jaklumen]

Oh, I remember when the Seahawks were jeered.. that alone was a huge shift, going from a generally losing team to going to the Superbowl.

[@ER.N.IK-29]

Support Sonics from Italy. Glove & Reign Man forever. Nba without Seattle isnt my Nba.

[@DerickFranks]

Tell them from Italy sir. 🙏

[@GotDamBoi]

I'm not gonna lie, I didn't appreciate the Sonics when we had them. I went to few games, had a Gary Payton poster on my wall....but by the time they left, I really didn't care. Granted I was like 16 when they left, I had a lot going on IRL. If they ever decide to come back, i'm going to be a day 1 fan, win or lose....

[@tobiaslimberis9798]

Same here man

[@jimmoore8951]

Still wearing my Sonics shirt waiting for the day...

[@FekalistaGrzybowory-lz8lh]

Sonics need die hard fans. We deserve to have a team in this beautiful city and Sonics deserves to have a true, die-hard fans. They brought championship in 1979, few HoF was a part of our Team. Let's bring Sonics back to home!

[@Zrich98]

From an Okc fan, yall have to be the number 1 priority for a team in the expansion draft. Seattle deserves a team and the Thunder vs Sonics rivalry would be awesome. Plus I’d really love to see a basketball game in CPA

[@theclown2393]

If I read up on it right, part of the agreement when the owner purchased the Seattle Supersonic was to keep the team in Seattle. Obviously the new owner didn't keep his end of the agreement and came up excuses to move the team because he couldn't get a big enough stadium built meaning he couldn't generate more income if he kept the team in Seattle which was BS. The owner cared about his pockets more then the fans.

[@zanetaylor7]

Find my comment if you can. There’s more to the story. OKC was booming through the recession and Bennett was a part of the oil and gas industry that was the reason for that boom. Bennett and company had god like money to play with and needed to attract talent to move to OKC from larger markets. An nba team was just the news they needed and put the cherry on top of all the projects OKC had been working on for decades to revitalize things.

[@SYratherripped]

Let me add, Clay Bennett (the new owner from OKC) intentions to move the team to OKC from obvious from the second it was news he was even trying to buy the team. I was a huge fan of the team and I remember exactly how it all unfolded. At the time OKC was kind of like the Seattle or Vegas now, they were a team wanting an NBA franchise, and a city that then-commish (David Stern) and the league liked. So the second an OKC businessman came in wanting to buy a team from a city that had an owner obviously about to sell, it was quite obvious of his intentions to move the team.

[@maninredhelm]

Of all the modern professional sports franchise movements, the Sonics feels like one of the most unjust. We're extremely spoiled in Boston to have never had to spend public money to build sports stadiums, just minor taxation restructuring and completely justified roadway improvements around Gillette Stadium. That said we had our own version of Schultz dead set on moving the Patriots to St. Louis in the early 90s. Fortunately our stadium lease deal was tougher and more bulletproof than Seattle's and they couldn't afford to leave town. At an absolute minimum, taxpayer-funded stadiums need to have deeply punitive terms in their contracts with sports teams attempting to back out. That's more than fair.

[@bball3048mm]

WA state hasn't been republican since the mid 80s. By the time the Sonics needed their new stadium it was 2004 and it was starting to become the full blown woke circus that it is today in 2024.

[@pablojuan7960]

We need our team back man . When we had the Sonics I wasn’t a huge fan but if we get them back I would be a die hard .

[@startrakambassador3632]

Fr, they earned a fan of me from this story

[@charlesgarrett7766]

Don't worry, Vegas and Seattle are getting a team soon

[@zaquarviousgaffney367]

well I like the thunder and seattle can create a new team

[@pablojuan7960]

@@zaquarviousgaffney367 that wasn’t right how the thunder took our stats/history . Thunder should’ve created their own .

[@zaquarviousgaffney367]

@@pablojuan7960 But I ain't travelling to seattle for a Thunder game You got me twisted plus Everyone in OKC Love The Thunder

[@thisguyzack9922]

I do feel bad for the seattle fans, especially when they won a championship with Bill Russell being the coach unlike the Vancouver Grizzlies who sucked

[@mosessupposes2571]

Going back in time a bit, aren’t you?

[@ncivpc]

Lenny Wilkens was HC, Bill Russell had resigned a few years prior.

[@thenbagreatteller1855]

Bill Russell left the team in 1977 lol. Learn your history.

[@michaeljames4630]

Unreal. It was Lenny Wilkens, ya dope

[@rileyholden-zc9ip]

Both teams were stolen

[@fufuemery4789]

I blame lebron James

[@101noz101]

Agreed he started all of this

[@USER-pk8ny]

Sha boing boing

[@sethpearl3863]

me too

[@swishcountyproductions]

Lebring back the Sonics😔

[@ultraradio5]

LeBlame

[@andre86w]

Although I'm an OKC resident and Thunder fan, this is a travesty and a lesson in professional sports that should never be repeated again. OKC has proven itself as an NBA city with the support over the last two decades, but it should not have gained a franchise in this shady way at the expense of an historic and treasured franchise in a supportive city like Seattle.

[@the503creepout7]

When Schultz sold the franchise to a guy from OKC, who'd just proven NBA basketball would work in OKC after Katrina, the writing was on the wall. i can't believe anybody believed Bennett when he said he had no plans of moving the team & that as owner he actually made it more likely for the team to stay in Seattle. 🙃

[@nicolesgaming8917]

The summer of 2008 was a tough one for then-KeyArena. Not only did the Sonics move to Oklahoma City, but the Thunderbirds, our WHL team, moved to ShoWare down in Kent, leaving the WNBA's Seattle Storm at the only tenant at the arena. (To think I was at one of the last T-Birds regular season games at KeyArena....)

[@travismcnasty4239]

Climate pledge could use another team.

[@jaklumen]

Eh, I'm in the Tri-Cities.. even the Spokane team regularly spanks the TC Americans, let alone the Thunderbirds

[@markkostka6897]

The owner wanted the city to pay for the arena. They didn't agree to what they wanted. Same as the St Louis Rams, San Diego Clippers, San Diego Chargers, Oakland Athletics, Oakland Raiders and many others. Saved you 12 minutes.

[@steveluhr5156]

Seemed very thorough. Thanks for the great synopsis and wow i still feel wronged.

[@swishcountyproductions]

Glad you enjoyed brother

[@LOON3Y2OONS]

You had me at SuperSonics 😢

[@skylarmccune9242]

I remember reading a bunch of emails my dad (who was in the WA State House of Representatives at the time) got begging him to do something to save the Sonics. Trouble was, he didn’t really have a say in the matter, being in the minority party.

[@lonegrimo6098]

Tax money shouldn't be use to build stadiums the owners are rich enough to pay for it themselves.

[@Jpark.]

Seattle has nothing left to prove for deserving the Sonics back. They shouldn't have left in the first place. I hope the NBA undo's the wrong they did.

[@zaquarviousgaffney367]

and what? kill the thunder and besides thunder got a new arena

[@elliemyers6435]

@@zaquarviousgaffney367 What? Do you know how expansion works? You don't have to disband teams when you expand a league. The NBA will most likely expand, and Seattle and Vegas are the two most likely destinations.

[@aliraid1295]

It’s so amazing to me that u can do such things to a sports team in America. If this happened to European football there would be riots violence anarchy and even casualties in the og city of that team

[@celtic69]

Happened to Wimbledon

[@aliraid1295]

@@celtic69 yes and hell broke loose at the time and the fans created a phoenix club also called Wimbledon with the same badge as a response

[@deltablueprint3186]

Washington has no State Income Tax, and yet the Billionaires have the audacity still ask for Tax Breaks and Subsidies $$$ to stay there. OKC is now one of the least valuable and lowest profit margin of any NBA team.

[@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.

[@nomadkeller8612]

I haven't watched an NBA game since 2008.

[@dnuck318]

This guy has watched Sonicsgate and I am here for it!! Bring back the Sonics!

[@bankrobber916]

A related story of how Seattle tried to take the Sac Kings a decade ago would be a good video...

[@kobehyperdunksfilthy]

There’s actually a documentary about how they kept their team on KZbin not sure what it was called but it’s pretty solid

[@azoldguy9025]

Nobody tried to take them, their owners ( Maloff brothers I believe) wanted to sell them and didn’t care if they left or not!

[@nigel200099]

the sac kings fans didn't care that the sonics moved to okc, so this is call karma...

[@2H2521]

One of the biggest disgraces in NBA history.

[@jameshaxby5434]

The same reason other cities have let their NBA teams go. Fans are sick of seeing out-of-of-control offensive players flatten defensive players and then get rewarded with trips to the foul line. If the NBA is gonna gain back it's respect they're gonna have to modify their rules and allow some defense.

[@Kiddman32]

Based on what the Starbucks owner did, I'm surprised that Starbucks is still open anywhere in Washington.

[@BigWillyWeese1701]

Shultz and Stern screwed us. Balmer wouldve rather bought the Sonics over the Clippers, but Shultz sold to an out of town ownership group without talking to anyone else. And Stern allowed the team to move from the 8th largest market in the country to the 30th. It was never about business it was about bad blood and revenge.

[@macmccrory9818]

OKC is cursed from the way Bennet stole the team. They won’t win a finals until after the eventual new Seattle team does… I’m convinced of this

[@Zrich98]

Well rn OKC looks pretty good lol. They will likely be on top of the NBA in a couple years

[@snuffedtorch3683]

Keep holding on to your delusion.

[@macmccrory9818]

OKC been top of the NBA before and will be again…. none of it matters if they can’t get the job done!

[@macmccrory9818]

@@snuffedtorch3683 so far so good

[@positrack99]

It pisses me off that it was done with dirty money defrauded by Chesapeake energy during the Enron scandal. They store the Sonics with the money they stole from American Consumers.

[@bubbaries]

Not only was the city paying for Safeco Field/T-Mobile Park and Qwest/Lumen Field, we were still paying for their predecessor - the Kingdome! City taxpayers were paying for 3 stadiums and were asking to fund a fourth.

[@positrack99]

Well Safeco field should have NEVER been paid for. We voted NO to Safeco and government officials ignored the voters and paid for it anyway. So it doesn't really matter what the voters think in the grand scheme of things.

[@nigel200099]

at the time they were still paying for the key arena renovation cost that was remodel just 10 years prior

[@samborgensjr6456]

This is also happening to the Oakland A's.

[@justinmunson1412]

Thanks for video took me years to be able to watch the nba after they left

[@justinland1208]

I couldn’t watch basketball until I saw this new guy named Jokic win his first MVP and was blown away with how fun he and the nuggets were to watch. So now I’m a nuggets guy.

[@Joel-zy2zw]

Houston is a pawn for the NHL and Seattle to NBA. Pawns as threats to other markets for building new arenas. Both markets are potential big time tv markets. Both Houston NHL and Seattle NBA should have teams

[@emmanuelcoffy2405]

Gotta do Emmanuel mudiay next

[@iclapdyomoms10x]

Wish the emerald city get their team back, I been saying that for years

[@modetoo]

Wouldn't say Key/Climate Pledge Arena is a "suburban stadium". Lower Queen Anne is pretty much a part of downtown. Anyway, it wasn't hard to tell Bennett had no intention keeping the team there from jump. Only Schultz was "surprised".

[@elliemyers6435]

yeah, I had that thought too...I have been to key arena/climate pledge many times, and it's definitely not suburban at all...As you put it, it's in Lower Queen Anne...It's just not next to the other two stadiums which are completely downtown. It's clear this guy has never been to Seattle :). But yes, Bennett and Schultz are total snakes, but it does seem like the Sonics will be back in the next five years.

[@gandix5516]

Seems to me at the time, one franchise had to go so that two could thrive in Seattle. A couple years earlier the Mariners had one foot out the door as well until Griffey saved baseball in Seattle. Great video.

[@justinland1208]

Considering they needed a new arena so they could have greater capacity, I completely disagree.

[@nickmiller1812]

10 years earlier

[@crungefactory]

⁠the new arena added a few hundred seats

[@bradleyrehwaldt5025]

Great video. RIP SONICS

[@robtaylor5483]

I remember when the 76ers sucked early 90s and relocating them was a conversation. Look at us now though. Seattle I hope you get your team back

[@Donough88]

Great vid, instant sub

[@ICGvids]

This was heart wrenching for this life long sonics fan. I lost interest in the NBA entirely after this. In a way though after seeing what the NBA has become I’m glad the Sonics weren’t there to go through that. As horrible as this was it’s a far better end than seeing them in the current NBA. I’m probably one of the few fans who doesn’t want them to return.

[@GBsavant]

When the price doesn’t match value, It’s usually tied to money laundering.

[@mrmacross]

I'm not from Seattle, but the theft of the Sonics had me so annoyed that I still refuse to root for OKC. Back in 2012 when the Thunder made their first Finals appearance, I was so tempted to get a Gary Payton Heat jersey.

[@FOUR7media47]

Swish county the #1 NBA youtuber 🙌

[@imsogud5663]

Ever since the sonics left my dad has refused to watch nba because the sonics are not forgotten

[@andreweisen3465]

I'm from Seattle and grew up during the 90s watching the sonics. When you have a team that sells out night after night the owners shouldn't be able to sell just like that.

[@gabriellasfunhouse]

Great Content 👍

[@niksocal]

If you don't have the funds to build a building for your business yourself, stop acting like such a big shot.

[@juliansmith4153]

Why would lebron do this?

[@robertburke2253]

They even had (their title year) unique and wonderful uniforms (cudos to whoever designed them; great franchise, of course, too!)

[@bball3048mm]

The Sonics left Seattle because of (in 1 word): greed.

[@Tony-l2e]

In 2006 Frank Chopp the Speaker of the House of Washington instantly tell's David stern and Howard Shultz in a meeting about just to renovate the old arena, "you know I will say no. I know I will say no. how long do we have to sit in a room together before we can pretend we tried and just say no ?" That's how and why Seattle lost the Supersonics....

[@briangruenewald7536]

I’m a Spurs fan, but I loved watching the Sonics play. Livid would be an understatement regarding how I felt when the Sonics were moved to OKC. Ever since then, I’ve been a Thunder hater as well as hopeful that Adam Silver and the NBAPA can work something out to get basketball back in Seattle again 💚💛🏀

[@NotKamalasBich]

Lawsuit or not Howard Schultz lied and said the new owners were not going to take the team out of town. He knew they were going to OKC from day one. Being a Blazer fan I miss the I-5 rivalry and heading up to KeyArena.

[@CouLands]

Seattle hating OKC because a businessman bought the failing team from a Starbucks idiot is wild to me. And nobody even started boycotting Starbucks until recently… for unrelated reasons. Also OKC taxpayers recently approved a tax increase for a billion dollar new stadium-something Seattle didn’t want to do. Nobody can deny how successful the Thunder has been since moving to OKC.

[@drexlerb6031]

Kind of like the Sonics of the 90s, really. Lots of winning seasons, no championships. Lots of playoff letdowns.

[@MrPhilbautista]

It's wrong to say the only winners were a small group of investors. The Sonics became the Thunder and were warmly welcomed by an appreciative Oklahoma populace that had never experienced pro basketball but immediately embraced their new team. They were big winners of the move and, despite not having won a championship since the move, continue to support their team to this day.

[@shein360]

Damn so thats the reason 😢 rip sonics. I hope we get our team back soon but im doubtful

[@startrakambassador3632]

I wholeheartedly believe Sonics will comeback

[@raharu.]

im pretty sure there was some news a bit ago that if the nba expanded in the next few years, seattle and las vegas would be the first in line to get a team

[@Zrich98]

From a Thunder fan I hope yall get it back, but I wouldn’t say doubtful. The NBA is expanding and there’s no way they leave Seattle out.

[@zanetaylor7]

Great video, I learned a lot! But I must say that from my pov in OKC, Hurricane Katrina wasn’t emphasized nearly enough. Let me explain a little. I was born and raised in OKC, and it’s easy to say that without hurricane katrina and the hornets having validated the market for an NBA team in OKC (2005) that it would not have taken place when and how it did (2007). It’s also worth mentioning that OKC was literally booming before and throughout the 2008 economic crisis relative to other cities (thanks to fracking and natural gas), and the city/corporations were focused on revitalizing the city to attract talent out of Chicago and other big cities. This means Bennett had godlike wealth and support at his disposal. So it’s not a surprise they rushed the team out of there like jerks only to be welcomed home like heroes. Fun fact: Byron Scott, the coach of the Hornets, became my next door neighbor for a year or two (while his mansion was being built). So I’d see Chris Paul roll up on in an impala on 24’s from time to time. Byron Scott was a genuinely nice guy. He would go to the municipal golf course in Edmond instead of the fancy country clubs and would talk with anyone who’d approach him. Nice dude and very down to earth for someone who played on the Lakers.

[@DKtrek21]

So Seattle declined to renovate the arena and when an arena was built in another city, they filed for a lawsuit? Dude. That is just fuckin dumb af. To me, it's the city's fault. They really lost their team. A very big source of tax just because they don't want to fund a renovation. That is just pathetic governance. Sure, the new owners have faults on their own but looking at it, it's more of the governance's fault. Don't worry Seattle fans, we are going to have a team again in the next expansion

[@yeahyuh123]

The Sonics lease with the city was supposed to last until after the 2010 season. However, the new ownership broke the lease early in 2008, causing the city to file a lawsuit so the team could fulfill the lease. But it was controversially settled. Seattle should've had until 2010 to find a solution. Steve Ballmer for instance, offered to buy the team from the Oklahoman ownership in 2008 and then fund half of a $300 million arena, but they refused to sell to him.

[@mosessupposes2571]

Whiners care nothing for facts

[@DonGivani]

You don't know sh't , why should the taxpayers fund a million dollar Franchise. There are enough poor people who needs food in their mouths

[@Zrich98]

Ngl Schultz is the biggest blame. He was the worst negotiator and gave up and sold the team to a group of investors from city the NBA was heavily interested in putting a team in

[@zackbleecker7630]

Seattle had just renovated a few years earlier and Stern was on tape saying what an incredible facility it was, while the city had its share of divisive things said when they upset Stern but the City isn't culprit number one, frankly not even top 3

[@eastsidetactown]

I was 13 when they left. Im now a vet whos pushing 30. I cant believe i might go my entire 20s without basketball in Seattle.

[@matthewhussey7723]

Sonics leaving Seattle is when basketball died as a professional sport to me--I never enjoyed it the same, after. Losing your home team sucks.

[@adamdavis5312]

As a Wisconsin sports fan I almost watched this happen to both Milwaukee teams. Almost lost the brewers and bucks. Milwaukee wouldn’t been the same ..

[@justinmunson1412]

Bring back our Sonics!

[@mosessupposes2571]

Back from where? Think again.

[@DonGivani]

They are back !!!!

[@DerickFranks]

Not my Sonics!😭😭 Save Our Sonics!

[@ryanflanagan329]

Vin Baker trade was the start of the Sonics demise in Seattle

[@XandateOfHeaven]

The most insane part is that the economics of it don't make any sense unless you consider tax payer money for stadiums. There are 5 million people in greater Seattle with $199K GDP per capita, compared with 1.5 million in OKC with $60K GDP per capita. So Seattle has four times as many people who make twice as much money.

[@Jaykerz]

I think the only reasonable thing to do is move the Grizzles to the east and add a team to Vegas and Seattle

[@tjjoshlj4968]

In terms of reducing travel time it makes more sense for Minnesota to go to the east, even though memphis is farther east geographically.

[@crungefactory]

Perfect idea!

[@mobbinkorrectly]

@@tjjoshlj4968move Minnesota and Memphis to the east and add two west teams. Either Vegas or Seattle or Mexico City

[@elliemyers6435]

This is what's probably going to end up happening

[@DannerBanks]

The NBA is a business. The teams shouldn't even be named after the cities they reside in.

[@eg4325]

Moving from a city like Seattle to Oklahoma is wild

[@JackAnthony47]

I cannot wait for the moment we get our Sonics back

[@crowtears2487]

SuperSonics deserve to come back.

[@jamesleyda365]

Still pisses me off! Supersonics were one of the greatest teams in NBA too🔥🏴‍☠️

[@ravenralph123]

The Seattle local government that time doesn't care about sports, that's why the NBA agreed to the relocation. Seattle had the chances, they had chances like The Kings or Bucks to relocate there but to no avail and those franchises got their new owners then the worst of it all when a local Seattle business group wants to revive their team but their hopes was squashed by their own local government.

[@maxmeier532]

to be fair, who wants to be blackmailed? Imagine you have a billionaire demanding couple hundred mill to build a stadium to advance his own business, an NBA team. Sure it brings in money but how much. And why cant the effin owner of starbucks build a stadium. It was a bad business decision on his part. He admitted as much saying, according to wiki: "Selling the Sonics as I did is one of the biggest regrets of my professional life. I should have been willing to lose money until a local buyer emerged. I am forever sorry."

[@Toastbastard]

If you are referring to Chris Hansen and his bid for a street vacation on his SoDo property, City Council didn't view him as a local, even though he was Seattle born and raised. He was seen as an outsider, a hedge fund manager from SF.

[@mexigabacho]

This is well done, but what's with the constant use of flashing and intentionally low res clips. It's an old effect to use some but watching this via KZbin on a TV is crazy distracting with all the constant flashing and effects. The content is great. But, there's only so many times you should use these transition effects before they make viewing difficult. I hope this is taken constructively because I genuinely like the content.

[@GeoffLebowski-n5q]

Because the owners want YOU to pay for their stadiums and lease them back for next to nothing.

[@andyjay729]

This is the key issue here, and also the cancer that's eating American pro sports in general. To top that shit off, the leagues have laws in place to prevent there being any other publicly-owned teams like the Packers.

[@LEBUMCHOKEDIN6FINALS]

I hate Seattle but they should of never lost their NBA team, there should be a team up there

[@UnbeatableJacob]

If we are being honest, it’s Lebron’s fault Seattle no longer has a team. Shame…

[@lhvac7846]

How is that remotely possible lol

[@moisesrodriguez3685]

tf does LeBron have to do with this. LeBron haters always tired of seeing LeBron posts but yet they mentioned him on a random video.

[@OhyeahMrKrabz]

What does he have to do with this?

[@andyjay729]

??? Do you think it's, say, Taylor Swift's fault too?

[@Tyrunner0097]

Really, Seattle didn't seriously stand up for the team until it was the 11th hour. Many have said that they got kind of naive and passive, thinking that somehow, someway, something was going to work out for the Sonics, like it did for the Mariners and the Seahawks, until it was too late to do anything substantial. Plus, the owners took advantage of dysfunction in the city and state governments, who probably can't agree on what color folders to buy, and Stern was willing to do anything he could to help Clay get a team in OKC. Seriously, Stern was WAY more supportive of keeping the Grizzilies in Vancouver and the Kings in Sacramento than he ever was with keeping the Sonics in Seattle. Clay could've bought even the Heat, Pistons, Sixers, or Bulls to move the team to OKC, and Stern would've been there cheering him on.

[@sea4our]

nobody (the city) wanted to pay for arena renovations, Howard Schultz is/was spineless and Clay Bennett pretended like he was Seattle's friend then lied and said he wasn't going to swoop the team from the city before their contract was up in 2009, then did in 2007. Seattle gifted OKC Kevin Durant AND Russell Westbrook (both drafted by the sonics) and OKC couldn't do a damn thing with their christmas present. that's the story. from someone who was there and lived it all.

[@steamboy9538]

Ever since I started watching NBA as a kid I wondered “why would you take a team from Seattle, an internationally known city, and move it to bumfuck Oklahoma?” Dumb business decision by NBA only reason OKC wasn’t a failure was cuz of Sam Presti the genius GM.

[@lyanreehan]

or maybe because oklahoma city proved very competitive for a sports scene after the new orleans/okc hornets played in okc after hurricane katrina. that and the fact that seattle has other sport teams to compete against, oklahoma has none. NBA saw that the opportunity to have an immediate loyal fanbase for not just oklahoma but areas in arkansas, kansas, missouri, etc. totalling to a market larger than the seattle area. so no, this was not a dumb business decision by the NBA and this franchise is better off in okc

[@wackoutoftune]

@kb5509 if they were so huge then why couldn’t they keep their team? The city of Seattle refused to replace that god awful arena, so they went somewhere that was willing to fund a basketball team properly. Did the NBA handle it well? Not at all. But you can’t blame Oklahoma City for taking advantage of such an opportunity, it’s allowed for huge growth and prosperity in Oklahoma’s economy, and the Thunder have failed to disappoint since their inception.

[@steamboy9538]

@@lyanreehan hey you make a rlly good point, they do have a loyal fanbase. I don’t want OKC to lose that team now that they’ve proven how much they value having that team there, just feel Seattle should not have been the team to move.

[@lyanreehan]

@@steamboy9538 as an okie myself, I wish it didn't have to be the way it did. We very well could've just been a future expansion team or even took the hornets as they were wanting to relocate anyway for a little bit. I do wish seattle gets their team back one day, I do not however agree that okcs players history rewards front office etc belongs to them especially given presti was hired specifically by bennet before any deals were made. I cannot wait for the brewing OKC SEA rivalry to come

[@lyanreehan]

@@kb5509 okay and? okc had 4 different chances back to back years that fell short to unfortunate circumstances. they proved to be damn good as prestis impact is better than the sonics previous gm. a singular ring and 50 years of (mostly) medicore basketball is nothing to brag home about