Seattle Super Sonics

Seattle Super Sonics

The Seattle SuperSonics (also commonly referred to as the Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1967 until 2008. After the 2007–08 season ended, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as the Oklahoma City Thunder. Settlement terms of a lawsuit between the city of Seattle and Clay Bennett's ownership group stipulated the SuperSonics' banners, trophies and retired jerseys remain in Seattle; the nickname, logo, and color scheme are available to any subsequent NBA team; and the Sonics' franchise history will be shared with the Thunder.

The SuperSonics won the NBA Championship in 1979, and are one of three teams out of the six major-league men's professional sports franchises that have existed in Seattle (the Sonics, Mariners, Pilots, Seahawks, Sounders, and Metropolitans, winners of the 1917 Stanley Cup) to have won a championship.

Sam Schulman owned the team from its 1967 inception until 1983. It was also owned by Barry Ackerley (1983–2001), and the Basketball Club of Seattle, headed by Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz (2001–2006). On October 31, 2006, the SuperSonics were purchased by Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett. The sale was finalized and the new ownership group took control. After failing to find public funding to construct a new arena in the Seattle area, the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City before the 2008–09 season, following a $45 million settlement with the city of Seattle to pay off the team's existing lease at KeyArena in advance of its 2010 expiration.

In 2012, a group of investors came forward with a plan to build a new arena in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. The investors hope to revive the SuperSonics name and archives. On October 15, 2012, the King County Council voted unanimously in favor; while the Seattle City Council voted 7-2 to approve the amended SoDo multipurpose arena proposal. On January 9, 2013, media reports documented advanced negotiations for the sale of the Sacramento Kings to Seattle investors led by venture capitalist Chris Hansen and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, intent on relocating the franchise to Seattle as early as the 2013–14 NBA season. On January 11, 2013, NBA reporter Matt Steinmetz reported the Kings had been sold for $525 million to the Seattle group, with both parties and the NBA subsequently declining comment. On January 20, 2013, Aaron Bruski of ProBasketballTalk reported that "...Chris Hansen is ready to announce a tentative agreement to purchase the Sacramento Kings in the coming days," with Marc Stein of ESPN.com reporting, "The Maloof family that owns the Sacramento Kings has reached a purchase agreement to sell a 65-percent controlling interest in the franchise to a Seattle group led by Chris Hansen for $525 million, according to league sources. Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski stated the sale was on a $525 million valuation, with the Seattle purchasers paying approximately $340 million for a 65% stake. On January 21, 2013 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), Chris Hansen stated that there was a "binding agreement with the Maloofs to purchase a controlling interest in the Sacramento Kings NBA franchise" with the sale "obviously subject to approval by the NBA Board of Governors." On February 6, 2013, David Stern stated the Seattle ownership group had filed with the NBA for franchise relocation from Sacramento to Seattle.