The REAL REASON Seattle Lost the SuperSonics

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LANGUAGE WARNING

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.

The Seattle Supersonics had a long, illustrious history in the NBA, but in 2008 the team moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder. It caught a lot of fans off guard, and in this video I talk about all of the events leading up to the team's relocation from Seattle to Oklahoma City.

In this All Sports History video we'll look back at what happened to the Seattle SuperSonics after Howard Schultz sold the team to Clay Bennett, and accused him of lying about his true intentions of moving the team away.

Here's what this "Seattle SuperSonics History" video covers:

The Seattle SuperSonics were the first major professional sports team in Seattle, and were a huge part of the sports scene in the pacific northwest. So what exactly led to Sonics leaving Seattle, the city they called home for 40 years? In today’s video we’ll take a look back at how the sale of the team turned sour, after one side claimed that the other fraudulently misrepresented themselves over their true intentions of moving the team away.

We'll also look back at some Seattle SuperSonics highlights throughout their history, such as how the name was influenced by Boeing's SuperSonic transport plane. Then we'll go through playoff runs of the late 1970s and through the mid 1990s, featuring matchups like the Seattle SuperSonics vs Washington Bullets, and the Seattle SuperSonics vs Chicago Bulls. Finally, we'll see how the team's legacy has has been preserved with the Oklahoma City Thunder allowing the city of Seattle to keep the Sonics 1979 NBA championship trophy, banners, and retired jerseys.

What did you think about the SuperSonics moving to Oklahoma City and becoming the Thunder? And what’s one of your favorite memories of the Sonics?

Seattle… home to one of the NBA’s most memorable and electrifying franchises, a team that produced icons and banners for the better part of a half-century, right up until the bitter end - when it was sold and relocated under contentious circumstances.

Seattle… home to one of the NBA’s most memorable and electrifying franchises, a team that produced icons and banners for the better part of a half-century, right up until the bitter end - when it was sold and relocated under contentious circumstances.

Why The Super Sonics Left Seattle For Oklahoma City to Become The Thunder was such a fun video to make. I loved finding more about different teams in the NBA. The Sonics won a championship and Seattle deserves a team of their own. I wonder when Seattle will get a team of their own again.

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Discussing the Seattle SuperSonics, a defunct NBA team.

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In 2008, the Seattle Supersonics would be relocated to Oklahoma City. The story behind this NBA move is one that you will have to see to believe.

How the NBA Stole Seattle’s Team! The Sonics' Betrayal.

The Seattle Supersonics, after 16 years, will be returning to the NBA sooner than later. Since way back in 2008, when David Stern and Clay Bennett stole the Sonics away from Seattle - the sports fans of Emerald City have sorely missed their team. How did we get here?

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.

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The NBA will hold a vote at the board of governors meetings next week to explore adding expansion teams exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle, sources told ESPN, with the two new franchises being targeted to start play in the 2028-29 season.

There is momentum within the board of governors and league office to approve moving forward with taking bids for franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle, according to sources with knowledge of the discussions.

Industry executives project proposals in the $7-10 billion range for each team and estimate that both markets would be among the NBA's top eight revenue generators. The market appeal of Las Vegas and Seattle, plus the parity-friendly collective bargaining agreement, will likely lead to a robust purchase market for expansion.

• Sources: NBA set for 1st vote in Las Vegas-Seattle expansion

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Explore the history of professional basketball franchises that no longer exist or have moved cities. Discover how financial struggles, league decisions, and relocations shaped the NBA landscape.

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The relocation of the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City is one of the most painful chapters in NBA history. But many fans don't realize how the devastation of Hurricane Katrina played a pivotal role in creating the path for the franchise to leave Seattle forever.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 — Intro
• 0:26 — Who The Seattle SuperSonics Were
• 1:10 — How Hurricane Katrina Started Everything
• 2:20 — The Hornets In Oklahoma City
• 3:47 — Howard Schultz Sells The Team
• 4:37 — Clay Bennett Emails
• 6:20 — Seattle Fights Back
• 7:30 — The Last Game In Seattle SuperSonics History
• 8:57 — The NBA Expansion Vote
• 9:13 — Closing

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KIRO 7 SPECIAL CELEBRATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SONICS NBA CHAMPIONSHIP TO DEBUT ON JUNE 1ST AT 7:30PM
Only KIRO 7 has the footage from the 1979 NBA Finals, coverage of the championship parade, and current interviews with the players reflecting on one of Seattle’s most important sports stories

Seattle, WA – On Saturday, June 1st, KIRO 7 will debut Supersonics: Golden Era of Basketball, a 30-minute special celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Seattle Supersonics 1979 NBA Championship. The special will air exactly 40 years to the day that the Sonics defeated the Washington Bullets 97-93 in Game 5 of the 1979 NBA Championship.

KIRO 7 dove into the station archives so viewers can relive the pivotal championship game and experience again the excitement created by the hundreds of thousands of fans that gathered for the championship parade around the city.

KIRO 7 also met with the players from that memorable team when they gathered in Seattle to be honored at the Seattle Sports Commission’s 84th Annual Sports Star of the Year Awards. From a round-robin discussion with KIRO 7’s Steve Raible and several of the players at the Chihuly Garden & Glass Museum, to our one-on-one interviews with Lenny Wilkens, Gus Williams, and Paul Silas, it’s a visit back to Seattle's golden era of basketball as well as a look ahead to when a reborn Sonics franchise might return to the Northwest.

The special will first air on KIRO 7 on Saturday June 1, at 7:30pm. After the initial airing, viewers can watch the complete hour-long production streaming daily on KIRO7.com and on-demand on our KIRO 24/7 Smart TV App.

http://sonicsgate.org | Winner - "Best Sports Film" - 2010 Webby Awards. A free educational documentary chronicling how after 41 years of playing NBA basketball in Seattle, the SuperSonics were moved to Oklahoma and became the Thunder. This film was created by Sonics fans in order to educate the public. This film is in High Definition, Close Captioned and has a soundtrack provided by Seattle area musicians. Visit SONICSGATE.ORG for more info.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. This constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law.

Features original HD interviews including Gary Payton, George Karl, Slade Gorton, Brad Keller, Sherman Alexie, Paul Lawrence, Kevin Calabro and many more. This film is being distributed for free online by the Seattle SuperSonics Historical Preservation Society. All rights reserved.

Music was provided for the film by Seattle-area hip-hop artists.

This is an original educational work created by loyal Sonic fans with additional footage provided by local news organizations. Visit http://sonicsgate.org for more information.

Adam Silver made an announcement that the NBA will not consider expansion teams for the time being, but...what caused him to make this decision? Especially with so much momentum in recent years for the Seattle Supersonics to return...

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Iso Jack explores the history of professional basketball, examining why franchises collapsed due to financial instability, poor management, or relocation. This deep dive into defunct teams highlights the league's evolution from its experimental 1946 roots to the modern era, uncovering how ownership decisions and shifts in market focus fundamentally transformed the NBA landscape.