Never Forget How the NBA Screwed Seattle

DavidSterned · Post #1 » by **DavidSterned** » Mon Jun 23, 2025 4:58 am

Congrats to OKC and their fans, nothing against them, but the Sonics hijacking still has to be among the most egregious sports moves in history.

Raps in 4 · Post #2 » by **Raps in 4** » Mon Jun 23, 2025 5:00 am

Can someone TLDW the events that led to the move? It's something I never cared to look into.

JimmyPlopper · Post #3 » by **JimmyPlopper** » Mon Jun 23, 2025 5:05 am

Raps in 4 wrote:Can someone TLDW the events that led to the move? It's something I never cared to look into.

Seattle at the time was owned by a musician consortium of Sade, the Allman Brothers, and Johan Sebastian Bach. They forced the move to Oklahoma City to help promote a new cross-generational tour they were launching at the point in time.

Post #4 » by **Cactus Jack** » Mon Jun 23, 2025 6:25 am

Raps in 4 wrote:Can someone TLDW the events that led to the move? It's something I never cared to look into.

1. The former Starbucks chairman (Howard Schultz) sold the team to a group from OKC, led by Clay Bennett & Aubrey McClendon, the former Chesapeake Energy billionaire, who got in trouble with the law & later committed suicide. Yes, that guy.

Anyway, the group initially lied to Schultz about wanting to keep the team in Seattle.

2. The team also needed a new arena at the time because Key Arena was the smallest venue around the league. But the city/county passed legislation that made it difficult to get approval for arena public funds. Which pissed off David Stern. Basically, it gave the greenlight for the OKC owners to buy the team & relocate.

Essentially, Seattle lost the Sonics because of a cheap, ***hole owner who stabbed fans in the back. As well as a few local politicians, who didn't really care all that much for the NBA.

P.S. There was a deadspin article written on Schultz that basically goes into detail on how he ran the team on the cheap. It's a good read if you have a few minutes.

https://deadspin.com/howard-schultz-gave-out-3-50-starbucks-gift-cards-an-5907371/