The Seattle Supersonics was a team established in Seattle, Washington in 1967. They played in Seattle until after their 2008 season. Once this season ended, they were moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by owner Clay Bennett, where they are now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 2008 Clay Bennet moved his team after a settlement, leaving the name, colors, and logo behind if Seattle ever was able to get a replacement franchise. There was a lot of difficulty around the settlement, as Bennet received much backlash for his attempts to build a new arena to replace the Key Arena, and then anger as he tried to relocate the team. Bennet took the team, but there was still an opening for Seattle to get a new franchise.
The Key Arena
There has been a lot of discussion about whether Seattle will ever have a team of their own again. The NBA, with thirty teams, has room to add two more teams, which would make it even with the NFL at thirty-two teams. While many see this as an opening for Seattle, there are still those who doubt it. Some even say that the NBA will never allow the Supersonics to return, keeping them as an example of what power the NBA holds over all of the other teams. Right now the discussion is not whether or not Seattle deserves a team, but how adding two teams would affect the economic and competitive nature of the NBA. While this is an ongoing discussion, Seattle fans are ready to have a team of their own once again, crying out “BRING ‘EM BACK”.
Seattle fans rallying to bring the Sonics back
Guy looking at a Seattle Supersonic girl meme
Seattle fans are primed to have an NBA team once again. Within the past couple of years, the Kraken have been established in the NHL, the Mariners broke their twenty-one-year playoff drought, and the Sounders have won the CONCACAF Champions League. On top of that the Seahawks made it to the playoffs after trading away Russell Wilson, even though many believed they would need a few years for rebuilding. With all of the hype that is around Seattle Sports, now seems like the best time to bring back the Seattle Supersonics. Seattle is going to have some fun seasons in the coming years, and adding a basketball season to look forward to would be the cherry on top. So the question stands; Will the Seattle Supersonics ever be an NBA team again? The answer to this question lies in the hands of others, but many fans still hold to the hope that one day the Seattle Supersonics will return, bringing basketball back to the city they love.
