Bring back the Seattle Supersonics
Once upon a time, there was a team clad in green and gold, capturing the heart of the great Northwest. The National Basketball Association was in its dark ages of tape-delayed NBA Finals and rampant drug abuse, but the Seattle Supersonics were becoming champions, winning the 1979 championship. It was the first time in Seattle professional sports, and the only one until the Seahawks won the Super Bowl last year.
The Supersonics went on to field great teams and employ great players for the better part of the next 30 years, and then disappeared. They were shipped off by Clay Bennett with a wink and a nod from former NBA commissioner David Stern, going to the Midwest to become the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Seattle was abandoned as an NBA city not because of fan support lacking, but rather the failure to build a new stadium. It was an injustice of the highest order, and leaves many diehard NBA fans with a foul taste in their mouths. Despite being out of commission since the end of the 2007-08 season, the Supersonics have not been forgotten.
Seattle was one of the most iconic teams of the past 25 years during the Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton years. The duo was spectacular to watch along with role players such as Sam Perkins, Detlef Schrempf and Hersey Hawkins. George Karl paced the sideline, presiding over seven consecutive playoff appearances and four Pacific Division championships, along with a Finals appearance in 1996.
If you are too young to picture, the Supersonics of this era, think the Sacramento Kings during the Chris Webber era, except better. It was fast, fun, exciting basketball which never quite raised a banner. Yet even without the hardware, the memories endure. If you have an extra few minutes, do yourself a favor and YouTube that group, it is worth the time.
Over at SB Nation, a sports media company which has blogs for every current professional franchise in the four major sports and most college teams, there is a blog entitled Sonics Rising. There is not a daily update about scores and highlights, but of the search for redemption. It is heartbreaking and uplifting all at once, a city and its dream refusing to die in the face of insurmountable disappointment.
Seattle has come close to getting a new basketball team in recent years. The Kings almost relocated to the Emerald City after the Maloof brothers negotiated with a Seattle-based group spearheaded by Chris Hansen. However, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson worked out a deal to get a new arena in California’s capital, thwarting Hansen’s efforts. Hansen did all he could, including some illegal tactics that cost the billionaire $50,000.
Perhaps one day, the Supersonics will exist once again. They desire is there in current mayor Ed Murray, who has met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver to bring a team home. Murray also wants a National Hockey League team, making Seattle a four-sport town.
Here’s to hoping Seattle at least gets a team back for the hardwood. It is more than deserving.
