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123-773: Sonicsgate chronicles the SuperSonics move to Oklahoma City , focusing on the more scandalous corporate and political reasons why the Sonics left Seattle and became the Oklahoma City Thunder in July 2008. The film contains interviews with former SuperSonics figures and fans, including Gary Payton , George Karl , Wally Walker , Kevin Calabro , Sherman Alexie as well as Seattle and Washington state politicians. It also contains archived local news and press conference footage. On October 12, 2009,

246-576: A $ 120 million renovation of the Ford Center on March 3, 2008, including construction of a new NBA practice facility. After a tour of downtown Oklahoma City, a subcommittee of three NBA owners recommended that the league approve the move. On March 14, Bennett reached a preliminary agreement with Oklahoma City on a 15-year lease of the Ford Center that was finalized by the Oklahoma City Council and

369-743: A 144–116 loss in their first game against the San Francisco Warriors . On October 21, the Seattle team's first win came against the San Diego Rockets in overtime 117–110, and the SuperSonics finished the season with a 23–59 record. Before the start of the next season, Hazzard was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Lenny Wilkens , who brought a strong, all-around game to the SuperSonics, averaging 22.4 points, 8.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game for

492-565: A Sonics banner just before Payton's "speech." "It blew me away", Reid said of the standing ovation. Sonicsgate was an unconventional piece of filmmaking. It was a full-length documentary, released for free on the Internet. It encapsulated everything this night was about — openness and a new way of expression. Shortly after the Webby Awards Gala, ESPN blog posted an interview with director Jason Reid on its website. The music of Sonicsgate

615-466: A Team nine times on the weekend of March 14–17. The ESPN family of networks added the film to its roster for continued airings. In June 2014, content distributor Go Digital released Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team across all major digital platforms, including iTunes , Google Play , Amazon Video , Xbox , PlayStation and VUDU , followed by Hulu and Amazon Prime in February 2015. On June 14, 2010,

738-556: A back-up plan for the future of SuperSonics, they would support the renovation by Oak View Group if the plan to acquire an NBA team was successful. Renovations of KeyArena, which was renamed Climate Pledge Arena , began in 2018 and were completed by the beginning of the 2021–22 NBA and NHL seasons. The SuperSonics played at the Seattle Center Coliseum , on the grounds of the Seattle Center , from 1967 to 1978. They left for

861-470: A deal by the end of the legislative session, Bennett gave up his attempt in April 2007. On November 2, 2007, the team announced it would move to Oklahoma City as soon as it could get out of its KeyArena lease. Seattle's mayor, Greg Nickels , maintained a stance that the SuperSonics were expected to stay in Seattle until their lease expired in 2010 and said the city did not intend to make it easy for Bennett to move

984-560: A documentary chronicling the history of the SuperSonics, especially including the team's relocation to Oklahoma City. In 2012, the book Big League City: Oklahoma City's Rise to the NBA by now mayor David Holt chronicled the story from Oklahoma City's perspective. Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly shortened to Sonics ) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle . The SuperSonics competed in

1107-505: A font that was also used by Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings ). The road jerseys were green and had yellow lettering; the home uniforms were white with green lettering. In 1995, SuperSonics changed their uniforms, adding red and orange, and removing yellow, to their new jerseys that would last six seasons. It displayed the team's new logo on the front and their alternative logo on the shorts. The home uniforms had green stripes on

1230-451: A future team in Seattle, although no promises for a replacement team were given. The Oklahoma City team would retain the franchise history of the SuperSonics, which could be "shared" with any future NBA team in Seattle. The team moved to Oklahoma City immediately and announced it would begin play in the 2008–09 season. The release of email conversations between members of Bennett's group prompted former Sonics' owner Howard Schultz to file

1353-406: A game) but the service shut down after the 1984–85 season . In October 1983, original team owner Sam Schulman sold the SuperSonics to Barry Ackerley . In 1984, Fred Brown retired after playing 13 productive seasons with the SuperSonics; during this time, he had been on the same team roster as Rule and Wilkens during his rookie season, playing a key role on Seattle's first playoff teams, and being

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1476-429: A lawsuit that sought to rescind the sale of the team and alleged that Bennett's group used fraud and misrepresentation to purchase the Sonics without making a "good faith best effort" to keep them in Seattle as mandated by the original sales contract. Bennett said the emails were misinterpreted and that he had spent millions of dollars in attempting to keep the team in Seattle. The lawsuit was filed on April 22, 2008, at

1599-555: A local buyer emerged." On September 21, 2007, Bennett applied for arbitration on the issue of whether the team could break its lease in 2008. Arguing that the lease does not allow for arbitration on the issue of occupancy, the city of Seattle filed for declaratory relief on September 24. The motion asked the King County Superior court to reject the arbitration request and enforce the Specific Performance Clause of

1722-405: A long, long time in Seattle or somewhere else. It's presumptuous to assume they're going to move that franchise to Oklahoma City. I understand that people are going to say that seems to be a likely scenario, but that's just speculation. After failing to persuade local governments to fund a $ 500-million arena complex in the Seattle suburb Renton , Bennett's group notified the NBA it intended to move

1845-471: A measure that virtually prohibited the use of public money on sporting arenas. This lack of taxpayer or government financial support for the team, combined with earlier losses under recent ownership groups, "likely doomed the Sonics' future in the city". On February 12, 2007, Bennett proposed using tax money to pay for a new $ 500 million arena in Renton, Washington , a suburb of Seattle. After failing to reach

1968-615: A merger with the ABA ; Schulman, a member of the ABA–NBA merger committee in 1970, was eager to merge the leagues and he publicly announced if the NBA did not accept the merger agreement, he would move the SuperSonics to the ABA; he also threatened to move his soon-to-be ABA team to Los Angeles to compete with the Lakers . The Oscar Robertson suit delayed the merger and the SuperSonics remained in Seattle. Early in

2091-570: A minority owner of the Golden State Warriors , brought in to assemble a stronger group of investors. Ahead of the annual Board of Governors meeting where they were expected to vote on approval of the sale of the Kings to Hansen and Ballmer's group, as well as the relocation request, members of the NBA owners' finance and relocation committees held a meeting in New York City on April 3, 2013, for

2214-432: A new arena, he informed NBA commissioner David Stern that the ownership group intended to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City as soon as it was legally possible. The timing of the announcement, one day after the Sonics' home opener, drew critical comments from Tom Carr, Seattle's attorney, who said "Mr. Bennett's announcement today is a transparent attempt to alienate the Seattle fan base and follow through on his plan to move

2337-554: A new team had not been awarded to the city, was reached. It was agreed the Oklahoma City team would not use the name "SuperSonics", and that the team's history would be shared between Oklahoma City and any future NBA team in Seattle. The relocated team began play as Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2008–09 season , becoming the third NBA franchise to relocate in the past decade, following Vancouver Grizzlies , who moved to Memphis, Tennessee , and were renamed Memphis Grizzlies for

2460-575: A one-week theatrical run from December 11 to December 17, 2009. In February 2010, the Beer And Movie Fest (BAM Fest) of Portland, Oregon, selected Sonicsgate to screen at the Bagdad Theater and Pub as part of the four-venue, 50-film festival. The film's producers independently booked a four-day East Coast premiere in New York City at the People's Improv Theater from April 28 to May 1, 2010. During

2583-433: A release forbidding him to sue Bennett's ownership group as a condition of the NBA's approval of the original sale. Weeks later, Schultz requested that two separate trials be used to determine whether Bennett's group committed fraud and subsequently determine a remedy. On August 29, 2008, shortly after the court denied his request and ruled that the NBA could intervene in the case, Schultz said his legal team no longer believed

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2706-457: A result, Schultz filed a lawsuit seeking to rescind the sale of the team and transfer the ownership to a court-appointed receiver. The NBA claimed the lawsuit was void because Schultz signed a release forbidding himself to sue Bennett's group but also argued that the proposal would have violated league ownership rules. Schultz dropped the case before the start of the 2008–09 NBA season. Ten years later, in 2019, Schultz accepted full responsibility for

2829-445: A tentative agreement on a revised MOU that included the county council's amendments and new provisions; a personal guarantee from Hansen to cover cost overruns of construction of the new arena and make up any backfall for annual repayment of the city bonds issued. To address concerns of Port of Seattle, Seattle Mariners , and local industry, a SoDo transportation improvement fund to be maintained at $ 40 million by tax revenue generated by

2952-517: A three-game mini-series before losing to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors in six games. The next season, the SuperSonics traded Haywood to the New York Knicks , forcing the remaining players to pick up the offensive slack. Guard Fred Brown , now in his fifth season, was selected to the 1976 NBA All-Star Game , and finished fifth in the league in scoring average and free-throw percentage. Burleson's game continued to strengthen as Watts led

3075-461: A vulnerable franchise to move to Seattle began circulating. Most of the discussion centered on Sacramento Kings , a struggling franchise that had been unsuccessfully trying to replace the aging Power Balance Pavilion . The rumors were such that Think Big Sacramento, a community action group created by Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson to develop solutions for Kings, wrote to Hansen asking him not to pursue

3198-484: Is also interviewed in Sonicsgate , was embedded with the film's producers for the Webby Awards Gala and described the festivities in his column: As host B.J. Novak from "The Office" introduced him, Payton came on stage to loud applause. (Only Buzz Aldrin received a louder ovation, and he walked on the moon, for crying out loud.) Payton, dressed in a gray suit, strode to the microphone and said what everyone associated with

3321-450: The 1970–71 season , Rule tore his left Achilles' tendon and was injured for the rest of the season. Wilkens was named the 1971 All-Star Game MVP . Schulman was awarded American Basketball Association Rookie of the Year and MVP Spencer Haywood following a lengthy court battle . The following season , the SuperSonics had their first winning season at 47–35. On March 3, 1972, the team, which

3444-602: The 1980–81 season and Williams missed the year due to a contract dispute. As a result, the SuperSonics fell to last place in the Pacific Division with a 34–48 mark, the only time they finished in last place. Williams returned for the 1981–82 season and the SuperSonics scored 52–30 and 48–34 records during the next two years. In 1981, the SuperSonics created the Sonics SuperChannel, the first sports subscription cable service; subscriptions were available for $ 120 ($ 1.33

3567-415: The 1988–89 season , Chambers had signed with Phoenix, Ellis improved his scoring average to 27.5 points per game and finished second in the league in three-point percentage. The SuperSonics finished with a 47–35 record and qualified for the second round of the 1989 playoffs . The SuperSonics began setting a new foundation with the drafting of forward Shawn Kemp in 1989 and guard Gary Payton in 1990, and

3690-553: The 2001–02 season ; and Charlotte Hornets , who moved to New Orleans and began play as New Orleans Hornets for the 2002–03 season . In months prior to the settlement, Seattle publicly released email conversations that took place within Bennett's ownership group and alleged they indicated at least some members of the group wanted to move the team to Oklahoma City prior to the purchase in 2006. Before that, SuperSonics co-owner Aubrey McClendon told The Journal Record ; "we didn't buy

3813-481: The Milwaukee Bucks would need to replace the aging BMO Harris Bradley Center because of its small size and lack of amenities. On April 16, 2014, it was announced owner Herb Kohl had agreed to sell the franchise to New York hedge-fund investors Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens for a record $ 550 million. The deal included provisions for contributions of $ 100 million each from Kohl and the new ownership group towards

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3936-511: The NBA championship in 1979 . The franchise won Western Conference titles in 1978 , 1979 and 1996 ; and six divisional titles—their last being in 2005 —five in the Pacific Division and one in the Northwest Division. The franchise attained a 1,745–1,585 (.524) regular season win–loss record, as well as a 107–110 (.493) playoff win–loss record during its time in Seattle. Both marks would rank in

4059-660: The National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Division (1967–1970), and later as a member of the Western Conference 's Pacific (1970–2004) and Northwest (2004–2008) divisions. After the 2007–08 season ended, the team relocated to Oklahoma City , where they now play as the Oklahoma City Thunder . Sam Schulman owned the team from its 1967 inception until 1983. It

4182-561: The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington . It sought, among other things, an injunction to prevent the Sonics from being relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City. The suit further requested that the franchise be placed in a constructive trust and no longer in the ownership of PBC. On May 20, 2008, Schultz's attorney added alleged a breach of contract as a third cause of action against Bennett. Chicago -based attorney and ESPN senior writer Lester Munson said that while

4305-684: The Washington State Legislature for a newer, more modern arena in the Puget Sound region as a replacement for KeyArena at Seattle Center. On July 18, 2006, the Basketball Club of Seattle, led by Schultz, sold the SuperSonics and its sister team, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)'s Seattle Storm , after failing to reach an agreement with the city of Seattle over a publicly funded $ 220 million expansion of KeyArena. KeyArena

4428-513: The Women's National Basketball Association 's Seattle Storm for $ 350 million to Professional Basketball Club LLC (PBC), an investment group that was headed by Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett . Schultz sold the franchise to Bennett's group because they thought Bennett would keep the franchise in Seattle rather than move it to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said: I think it's presumptuous to assume that Clay Bennett and his ownership group won't own that Seattle team for

4551-690: The playoffs , the SuperSonics defeated the Phoenix Suns in a seven-game conference final series to set up a rematch with the Washington Bullets in the finals, in which the Bullets lost to the SuperSonics in five games to give the SuperSonics their first-and-only NBA title. The championship team roster included Gus Williams and Finals MVP Dennis Johnson , second-year All-Star center Jack Sikma , forwards John Johnson and Lonnie Shelton , and key reserves Fred Brown and Paul Silas . The 1979–80 season saw

4674-647: The 14th Annual Webby Awards Gala was held at Cipriani in New York City. The Webby Awards recognize the best content on the Internet as selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, a 650-person global organization whose members include David Bowie , Harvey Weinstein , Arianna Huffington , Matt Groening , Internet inventor Vinton Cerf , Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson . The producers of Sonicsgate were all in attendance to accept

4797-650: The All-NBA Second Team, and Johnson was also named to the All-NBA First Defensive Team for the second consecutive year. The SuperSonics made it to the Western Conference Finals for the third consecutive season but lost to the Lakers in five games. It was the last time the backcourt of Williams and Johnson played together on the SuperSonics; Johnson was traded to Phoenix Suns before the start of

4920-566: The Hawks were to remain in Atlanta as a condition of their sale; additionally, Atlanta Spirit were unlikely to sell Hawks to a prospective owner that would seek to relocate the team, in contrast with the group's sale of the now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL in 2011. Any attempt to move the Hawks out of Atlanta would have incurred a $ 75 million penalty from the city of Atlanta and Fulton County for breaking

5043-604: The Hawks' lease at Philips Arena before 2017. The Hawks were sold to a group led by Tony Ressler on June 24, 2015. On May 2, 2016, Seattle City Council voted 5–4 against vacating a section of Occidental Avenue South that connected property purchased by Hansen and was deemed critical to the siting of a future arena. The vote was seen as a significant delay to the MOU between Hansen, the city and King County that expired in November 2017. On October 25, 2016, Chris Hansen announced he will fund

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5166-409: The NBA by this new group was deemed "not comparable" as to merit consideration. Burkle eventually left the group because of a conflict with other business interests, but offered to be primary developer of lands around the planned downtown location of the new arena to aid in city council passage of public funding for the project. Mastrov took a backseat to Vivek Ranadivé , founder and CEO of TIBCO and

5289-558: The NBA in assists and steals, and was named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team . The SuperSonics again made the playoffs but lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games, in spite of strong performances from Brown (28.5 ppg) and Burleson (20.8 ppg). Russell left the SuperSonics after the 1976–77 season , and the team started the season at 5–17 under new coach Bob Hopkins . Lenny Wilkens was brought back to replace Hopkins, and

5412-562: The NBA league office, began to assemble an alternative ownership group that would keep the Kings in Sacramento and aid in getting a new arena constructed. On February 26, 2013, the Sacramento City Council voted to enter into negotiations with an unnamed group of investors revealed two days later to be headed by grocery magnate and developer Ron Burkle and Mark Mastrov , founder of 24 Hour Fitness . An initial counteroffer presented to

5535-453: The NBA that it intended to move the team to Oklahoma City and requested arbitration with the city of Seattle to be released from its lease with KeyArena. When the request was rejected by a judge, Seattle sued Bennett's group to enforce the lease that required the team to play in KeyArena through 2010. On July 2, 2008, a settlement was reached where PBC would pay $ 45 million in exchange for breaking

5658-687: The NYC premiere, ESPN dedicated an entire episode of its sports journalism program Outside the Lines to the Sonics saga and Sonicsgate movie, showing a 3-minute trailer of the film and having director Jason Reid on as a guest contributor. In May 2010, the Park City Film Series gave Sonicsgate a special selection to screen in Utah at the Park City Film Music Festival, which recognizes films with

5781-572: The Nordstroms, and Walker for $ 500 million to relocate to Seattle as early as the 2013–14 NBA season emerged. On January 20, 2013, several sources reported the Maloof family had agreed to sell Hansen and Ballmer's ownership group their 53% majority stake in the Kings franchise, pending approval of the NBA's Board of Governors. The next day, the NBA, Hansen, and the Maloofs all released statements announcing

5904-611: The Seattle Center Coliseum) for 33 of the franchise's 41 seasons in Seattle. In 1978, the team moved to the Kingdome , which they shared with Major League Baseball (MLB) team Seattle Mariners and National Football League (NFL) team Seattle Seahawks . The team returned to the Coliseum in 1985, and temporarily moved to Tacoma Dome for the 1994–95 season while the Coliseum was renovated and renamed KeyArena. The SuperSonics won

6027-477: The Seattle and Sacramento groups. The BOG voted 22–8 against moving the Kings from Sacramento to Seattle. Though initially resistant to the idea, after negotiations, on May 17, 2013, the Maloof family and Hernreich formally agreed to sell their ownership stake in the Kings (65% of the team, valued at US$ 535 million) to Ranadivé's ownership group. In September 2013, then-Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver announced that

6150-561: The Seattle group and the Sacramento group to each present their proposals. With the meeting of the Board of Governors to vote moved again to mid-May, the groups were asked to make another brief presentation to the full relocation committee on April 29, 2013. The committee voted to recommend rejection of the relocation request to the full board. When the Board of Governors finally convened in Dallas on May 15, 2013, they heard final presentations from both

6273-500: The Sonics from leaving before the end of their lease in 2010. The trial was set for June 16, 2008. On April 10, 2008, Seattle asked the Federal District Court to order the NBA to release documents related to the financial situation of each team, the claim that the SuperSonics' lease with KeyArena was financially unworkable, and the league's involvement in requiring PBC to make a good-faith effort to stay in Seattle. On April 28,

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6396-590: The Sonics were eliminated in the first round, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers in four games. The team returned to the rebuilt Coliseum, now the KeyArena , for the 1995–96 season . Perhaps the strongest roster the SuperSonics ever had was the 1995–96 team , which had a franchise best 64–18 record. With a deep roster of All-NBA Second Team selections Kemp and Payton, forward Detlef Schrempf , forward Sam Perkins , guard Hersey Hawkins , and guard Nate McMillan ,

6519-456: The Sonics were legally bound to relocate to Oklahoma City at the end of the KeyArena lease regardless of who owned the team. The letter stated that the city had "valid and enforceable agreements with the Team requiring it relocate to Oklahoma City at the end of the current lease with the city of Seattle." Schultz's attorney replied to the letter saying the lease agreement was with PBC, not BCOS, and that

6642-428: The Sonics' lease in KeyArena and pay off what the ownership group claimed was the value of debts on the arena. The city rejected the offer. The prospect of expanding KeyArena resurfaced on March 6, 2008, when Microsoft CEO at that time Steve Ballmer , promised that his investor group would pay half of the $ 300 million needed for an extensive renovation; the rest was to be provided by the city and county. However, when

6765-572: The Sonics' lease, which required the team to play at KeyArena through 2010. United States District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez denied the request for arbitration on October 29, saying that the "arguments ignore the clear language of Article II, which states that PBC’s use and occupancy rights with respect to the Premises and the Term of this Agreement shall end on September 30, 2010.” Two days after Bennett's October 31, 2007 deadline passed for public financing of

6888-593: The Sonics’ ownership group two weeks later. The Oklahoma State Legislature later approved a bill to provide tax breaks and other incentives if the team relocated. NBA owners gave approval of a potential SuperSonics' relocation to Oklahoma City on April 18 in a 28–2 vote by the league's Board of Governors; only Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks and Paul Allen of the Portland Trail Blazers voted against

7011-448: The SuperSonics and Orlando Magic agreed to a sign and trade for Rashard Lewis . The SuperSonics received a future second-round draft pick and a $ 9.5 million trade exception from the Magic. On July 20, the SuperSonics used the trade exception and a second-round draft pick to acquire Kurt Thomas and two first-round draft picks from Phoenix Suns . In 2007, morale was low at the beginning of

7134-519: The SuperSonics finish second in the Pacific Division to the Los Angeles Lakers with a strong 56–26 record. That season, the SuperSonics set an NBA record with a regular season average attendance of 21,725 fans per game, a record that has since broken. Fred Brown won the NBA's first three-point shooting-percentage title, Jack Sikma played in the second of his seven career All-Star Games for the SuperSonics, Gus Williams and Dennis Johnson were named to

7257-434: The SuperSonics in the 1968–69 season . Rule improved on his rookie statistics with 24.0 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game. SuperSonics won only 30 games and Bianchi was replaced by Wilkens as player/coach during the off-season. Wilkens and Rule both represented Seattle in the 1970 NBA All-Star Game , and Wilkens led the NBA in assists during the 1969–70 season . In June 1970, the NBA owners voted 13–4 to work toward

7380-467: The SuperSonics season as talks with the city of Seattle for a new arena had broken down. The SuperSonics had received a franchise player with second-overall pick in the NBA draft with Durant. With the Ray Allen trade, however, the SuperSonics had little talent with which to surround their rookie forward and lost their first eight games under coach P. J. Carlesimo to achieve a 3–14 record in the first month of

7503-435: The SuperSonics' ownership group, led by Howard Schultz , sold the team to the Professional Basketball Club LLC (PBC), an investment group headed by Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett . A condition of the sale was that PBC execute a "good faith effort" to secure a suitable arena in the Seattle area for the team. After failing to persuade local governments to pay for a new $ 500 million arena complex, Bennett's group notified

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7626-446: The Thunder. On September 17, 2024, in the midst of rumors of Seattle getting an NBA expansion team, ESPN reported that "if a team were to return to Seattle, the Thunder would cede the Seattle history back to the SuperSonics." On December 20, 1966, Los Angeles businessmen Sam Schulman and Eugene V. Klein , both of whom owned the AFL side San Diego Chargers , and a group of minority partners were awarded an NBA franchise for Seattle,

7749-412: The Western Conference Finals. In the 1993–94 season , the SuperSonics had the best record in the NBA at 63–19, but suffered a first round loss to the Denver Nuggets , becoming the first number one seed to lose a playoff series to an eighth seed. The Sonics moved to the Tacoma Dome for the 1994–95 season while the Coliseum underwent renovations and went on to earn a second place 57–25 record. Again,

7872-442: The agreement, which also included the 12% minority stake of owner Robert Hernreich, and based the sale price on a team valuation of $ 525 million. David Stern , then NBA Commissioner , confirmed on February 6, 2013, that the Maloofs had filed paperwork with the league office to officially request relocation of the Kings from Sacramento to Seattle on behalf of the potential new ownership group. Johnson, with guidance from Stern and

7995-416: The arena was also included. All parties agreed transaction documents would not be signed and construction would not begin before the state-required environmental impact analysis was completed. By a vote of 7–2, Seattle City Council approved the amended MOU on September 24, 2012. The King County Council reviewed the amended MOU and voted unanimously in favor of approval on October 15, 2012. In June 2012, it

8118-430: The arena without public funding. On November 14, 2016, then Seattle Seahawks ' quarterback Russell Wilson announced he would be investing in the NBA arena effort. While talks about building a new arena were underway, so were talks with another group of investors—including Tim Leiweke , co-founder of the Oak View Group —who wanted to renovate KeyArena, SuperSonics' former home venue. On December 4, 2017, one day after

8241-485: The award for Best Sports Film, but they unveiled a special surprise guest to accept the award on stage on their behalf: former Seattle SuperSonics point guard Gary Payton . As is the Webby Awards tradition, honorees are limited to acceptance speeches of five words or less. Payton said these five words as he accepted the award on behalf of the Sonicsgate filmmakers: "Bring Back Our Seattle SuperSonics!" Steve Kelley , longtime sports columnist for The Seattle Times who

8364-419: The best musical scores and soundtracks. After the festival, Sonicsgate took home the Audience Choice Silver Medal for Excellence. In April 2012, cable news network CNBC announced it had acquired the broadcast rights to a newly updated and re-cut version of Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team that premiered nationally in prime time on April 27 and 29, produced by Green and Gold Media and released to coincide with

8487-413: The case could be won. He announced he would drop the lawsuit, saying in a prepared statement, "The prevailing wisdom of many in the Seattle community and the advice of key members of the BCOS is that Seattle's best chance for a professional basketball franchise is to end this litigation and allow the City, State Legislature and other parties to begin the necessary fence mending with the NBA." According to

8610-458: The city began improvements on Ford Center at their own risk prior to conclusion of the pending litigation. The NBA filed a motion to intervene with Seattle's federal court on July 9, 2008, claiming that Schultz's lawsuit would interfere with the stable operation of the franchise and the transfer of ownership would violate NBA regulations unless the team was put under control of NBA Commissioner David Stern. The league also claimed that Schultz signed

8733-434: The city of New Orleans rebuilt from Hurricane Katrina . The sale to Clay Bennett 's ownership group for $ 350 million was approved by NBA owners on October 24, 2006. Terms of the sale required the new ownership group to "use good faith best efforts" for a term of 12 months in securing a new arena lease or venue in the Seattle metropolitan area . Further complicating matters, the voters of Seattle passed Initiative 91,

8856-570: The city's team. On May 16, 2012, after coming to agreement, McGinn, Constantine, and Hansen presented the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to the public. King County Council voted to approve the MOU on July 30, 2012, adding amendments that provided for work with the Port of Seattle , securing the SuperSonics naming rights, offering reduced-price tickets, support for Seattle Storm WNBA franchise, and requiring an economic analysis. Hansen and Seattle City Council announced on September 11, 2012,

8979-482: The construction of what would eventually be the new Fiserv Forum arena. During sale discussions, it was revealed Hansen and Ballmer had expressed interest in purchasing the team for more than $ 600 million but had not made a formal offer, as Kohl only entertained offers keeping the team in Milwaukee. On January 2, 2015, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Atlanta Spirit , then-owners of Atlanta Hawks , would sell

9102-514: The controversial aspects of the team's departure from Seattle; it won the 2010 Webby Award for Best Sports Film. In 2011, a group of investors led by hedge fund founder Chris Hansen spoke with Seattle mayor Mike McGinn about investing in an arena in hopes of securing an NBA franchise and reviving the Seattle SuperSonics. McGinn offered to Hansen to obtain ownership of KeyArena for little to no money. Rumors Hansen would begin pursuing

9225-470: The deal with Chris Hansen expired, Seattle City Council voted 7–1 to approve the renovation of KeyArena. The renovation was considered to mainly focus on fitting out Seattle Kraken for the National Hockey League (NHL), although interest for the revival of SuperSonics remained a possibility with the renovated arena. Hansen and his fellow investors felt having a future arena should be considered as

9348-411: The end to the SuperSonics' 11-year run of seasons with a winning percentage of at least .500, then the second-longest current run in the NBA. The 2004–05 team won the organization's sixth-division title under the leadership of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis , winning 52 games and defeating the Sacramento Kings to advance to the 2005 Western Conference Semifinals . The SuperSonics lost in six games to

9471-537: The established trio of Tony Parker , Tim Duncan and Manu Ginóbili of the San Antonio Spurs , who subsequently defeated the Detroit Pistons in the 2005 NBA Finals . This was also the last time this SuperSonics team would make the playoffs. During the 2005 off-season, head coach McMillan left the SuperSonics to accept a high-paying position to coach the Portland Trail Blazers . The season after his departure,

9594-605: The film's producers opted to release the 120-minute feature director's cut online for free viewing on their website without any advertising or revenue sources embedded in order to spread their grassroots message to as wide an audience as possible. Sonicsgate collected more than 55,000 online views from October 12 to November 10, 2009, and as of November 2020, over 600,000 views. Sonicsgate premiered at two sold-out screenings in Seattle at SIFF Cinema (October 9, 2009) and Pacific Place Cinemas (October 10, 2009). SIFF Cinema ( Seattle International Film Festival ) picked up Sonicsgate for

9717-438: The film, everybody who came to its showings in Seattle and most everybody who has taken the time to watch it on the Internet, wants most. "Bring back our Seattle SuperSonics", Payton said forcefully, and this mostly New York crowd stood and cheered as if he'd just said, "Bring back Willis Reed." Standing alongside Payton, wearing Sonics T-shirts, were the film's executive producer Camp Jones and director Jason Reid. They unfurled

9840-584: The first major-league sports franchise in the city. Schulman served as the active partner and head of team operations, and named the team SuperSonics as a nod to the city's ties to the aviation industry, with Boeing 's having recently been awarded a contract for an SST project . The Seattle SuperSonics began play on October 13, 1967; they were coached by Al Bianchi , and included All-Star guard Walt Hazzard and All-Rookie Team members Bob Rule and Al Tucker . The expansion team debuted in San Francisco with

9963-667: The game, the crowd chanted "Save our Sonics" and Durant waved his hands at the crowd. The last game they played was against Durant's future team, the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena three days later. Durant scored 42 points. From 2001 to 2006, Starbucks chairman emeritus, former president and CEO Howard Schultz was the majority owner of the team, along with 58 partners or minor owners as part of Basketball Club of Seattle LLP. On July 18, 2006, after unsuccessful efforts to persuade Washington State government officials to provide funding to update KeyArena, Schultz and Basketball Club of Seattle LLP sold SuperSonics and their sister team

10086-464: The larger Kingdome and played there for seven years with crowds of over 30,000 at 20 games. The team returned to the Coliseum in 1985 and were its main tenant before and after its renovation into KeyArena , which opened in 1995. The SuperSonics played a season at the Tacoma Dome during the renovation and remained at KeyArena until 2008. Seattle SuperSonics' first uniforms had "Sonics" displayed in

10209-428: The latter half of the 1980s were Tom Chambers ' 1987 All-Star Game MVP award, the SuperSonics' appearance in the 1987 Western Conference Finals, despite posting a 39–43 regular season record during the 1986–87 season , and the performances of Chambers, Xavier McDaniel and Dale Ellis . In 1987–88, the three players each averaged over 20 points per game with Ellis at 25.8 ppg, McDaniel at 21.4, and Chambers at 20.4. In

10332-489: The lease, and an additional $ 30 million if Seattle was not given a replacement team in five years, among other conditions . In months prior to the settlement, Seattle publicly released email conversations that took place within Bennett's ownership group alleging they indicated that some members of the group had a desire to move the team to Oklahoma City prior to its purchase in 2006. The city used these conversations to argue that ownership failed to negotiate in good faith and as

10455-442: The motion by Bennett's group on March 6, noting that the team would have needed to make the request at the scheduling conference. A second trial would therefore need to have been held to determine the team's financial obligations. Attorneys made their closing arguments in the city's case on June 26 and Judge Marsha J. Pechman announced that she would issue her ruling on the following Wednesday. On July 2, hours before Judge Pechman

10578-400: The move. The approval meant SuperSonics would be allowed to move to Oklahoma City's Ford Center for the 2008–09 season after reaching a settlement with the city of Seattle. On July 2, 2008, a settlement that allowed the team to move under certain conditions, including the ownership group's payment of $ 45 million to Seattle and the possibility of an additional $ 30 million by 2013 if

10701-459: The move. The approval meant the Sonics would be allowed to move to Oklahoma City's Ford Center for the 2008–2009 season after reaching a settlement with the city of Seattle. In 2006, a group of Seattle residents created Save Our Sonics and Storm ("SOS") to rally support for a permanent professional basketball presence in Seattle. The "and Storm" portion of the name was dropped when the WNBA Storm

10824-411: The proposal would have violated league ownership rules. Schultz dropped the case before the start of the 2008–09 season. In 2009, a group of Seattle filmmakers known as Seattle SuperSonics Historical Preservation Society produced a critically acclaimed documentary film titled Sonicsgate – Requiem For A Team , which describes the rise and demise of the Seattle SuperSonics franchise. The film focuses on

10947-446: The relevance or the confidentiality of the records. On April 21, 2008, Gorton said he would be open to a settlement if the league promised a replacement team for Seattle. He said it was "highly unlikely" that the Sonics would stay and indicated the city should instead focus on gaining a replacement team, but noted that local governments would need to be willing to fund an expansion of KeyArena first. When Bennett's group requested that

11070-499: The remedies Schultz sought were "without precedent in the sports industry", he did believe that both the Schultz case and Seattle's lease case presented "serious problems" for Bennett. On May 9, 2008, Oklahoma City officials declared intent to sue for damages and a forced relocation of the SuperSonics if Schultz's lawsuit succeeded and the subsequent ownership did not relocate. In a legal letter to Schultz, Oklahoma City's attorney said that

11193-494: The sale on October 24, 2006, and finalized it seven days later, at which point 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 their existing lease at the KeyArena at Seattle Center before it expired in 2010. The SuperSonics played their home games at KeyArena (originally

11316-527: The sale. "Selling the Sonics as I did is one of the biggest regrets of my professional life. I should have been willing to lose money until a local buyer emerged. I am forever sorry." In 2001, ownership of the Seattle SuperSonics transferred from Barry Ackerley to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz . In the five years Schultz owned the SuperSonics, the team suffered heavy financial losses due to Schultz's plan to sell, which led Schultz to seek funding from

11439-468: The season. Durant led all rookies in scoring at 20.3 ppg and won the Rookie of the Year award. The SuperSonics, however, posted a franchise-worst record of 20–62. It was their final season in Seattle because Bennett got the right to move the team after settling all legal issues with the city. The Seattle SuperSonics played their last home game on April 13, 2008, winning 99–95 against Dallas Mavericks . Throughout

11562-458: The song "SuperSonics" by Seattle rock band Presidents of the United States of America . The soundtrack is streaming free online but is not available for sale. Individual tracks are available for purchase through the artists' accounts on third-party sites such as iTunes and Amazon . Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City The Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City

11685-504: The start of the NBA playoffs . According to the film's producers, unlike the 2009 Free Online Director's Cut , this newly edited and fully re-cut version of the film is fully licensed for television. Cut for a regular TV hour, the new version of the film also includes new graphics, statistics, archive footage, music and interviews with former Sonics star forward Shawn Kemp and Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament . In March 2014, cable sports network ESPN Classic aired Sonicsgate: Requiem for

11808-480: The state legislature did not give approval for the county to provide funds by an April 10 deadline, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said that the effort had failed and the city's hopes rested in its lawsuit. In anticipation of an NBA team, and led by Mayor Mick Cornett , who had successfully lobbied for the previous temporary relocation of the New Orleans Hornets to Oklahoma City, the voters of that city approved

11931-472: The team early. Over concerns the city would accept a buyout of the lease, a grassroots group filed a citywide initiative that sought to prevent the city from accepting such an offer from Bennett's group. The Seattle City Council later unanimously passed an ordinance modeled after the initiative. On August 13, 2007, Aubrey McClendon , a minor partner of Bennett's ownership group, said in an interview with The Journal Record (an Oklahoma City newspaper) that

12054-535: The team reached the 1996 NBA Finals , but lost to the Michael Jordan -led Chicago Bulls in six games. Seattle continued to be a Western Conference powerhouse during the next two seasons, winning 57 games in 1996–97 and 61 games in 1997–98 for their second and third straight Pacific Division titles. At the end of the 1997–98 season, longtime Sonic and defensive specialist McMillan retired, and disagreements with management led Karl to end his tenure as head coach. He

12177-577: The team regressed with a 35–47 record. On May 22, 2007, the SuperSonics were awarded the second pick in the 2007 NBA draft , equaling the highest draft position the team ever held, selecting Kevin Durant from the University of Texas . On June 28, the SuperSonics traded Ray Allen and the 35th pick of the second-round Glen Davis in the 2007 NBA draft to Boston Celtics for rights to the fifth pick; Jeff Green , Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West . On July 11,

12300-515: The team to Oklahoma City and requested arbitration with the city of Seattle to be released from SuperSonics' lease of KeyArena. The judge rejected the request and Seattle sued Bennett's group to enforce the lease that required the team to play at KeyArena until 2010. On April 18, 2008, NBA owners approved a potential SuperSonics' relocation to Oklahoma City in a 28–2 vote by the league's Board of Governors; only Mark Cuban of Dallas Mavericks and Paul Allen of Portland Trail Blazers voted against

12423-440: The team to Oklahoma City ... Making this move now continues the current ownership's insulting behavior toward the Sonics' dedicated fans and the citizens of the city." Bennett also reiterated that the team was not for sale and dismissed attempts by local groups to repurchase the team. On February 15, 2008, the Sonics' ownership group gave the city of Seattle a one-day deadline to accept a $ 26.5 million offer that would buy out

12546-447: The team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here", although Bennett denied knowledge of this. Seattle used these incidents to argue the owners failed to negotiate in good faith, prompting Schultz to file a lawsuit seeking to rescind the sale of the team and transfer the ownership to a court-appointed receiver. The NBA said Schultz's lawsuit was void because Schultz signed a release forbidding himself to sue Bennett's group but also said

12669-469: The team was not purchased to keep it in Seattle but to relocate it to Oklahoma City. Bennett later denied such intentions, saying McClendon "was not speaking on behalf of the ownership group". Due to his comments, McClendon was fined $ 250,000 by the NBA. More than ten years later, in 2019, Schultz accepted responsibility for the sale. "Selling the Sonics as I did is one of the biggest regrets of my professional life. I should have been willing to lose money until

12792-432: The team while publicly insisting that they would not attempt to do so. The ownership group filed a motion saying that the lawsuit and the release of the emails by the city were meant to drive up the cost of leaving Seattle and force the ownership group to sell the team. The motion requested that all emails and other records be released to the team. Slade Gorton , lead attorney for the city, responded by pointing out that it

12915-413: The team's important sixth man during the championship series years. In recognition of his contributions to the team, Brown's number was retired in 1986. Lenny Wilkens left the organization following the 1984–85 season and Jack Sikma, the last-remaining member of the SuperSonics' championship team aside from trainer Frank Furtado, was traded after the 1985–86 season. Among the few SuperSonics highlights in

13038-616: The team's performance immediately improved. The SuperSonics won 11 of their first 12 games under Wilkens, finished the season at 47–35, won the Western Conference title, and led the Washington Bullets three games to two before losing in seven games in the 1978 NBA Finals . Center Marvin Webster went to New York but the SuperSonics' roster stayed largely intact during the off-season, and they won their first division title in 1979 . In

13161-494: The team. Initially, only majority owner Bruce Levenson would sell his stake but the remaining minority owners announced they would also sell their stakes, putting the entire franchise up for sale. On January 6, 2015, Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Chris Hansen and film producer Thomas Tull —a minority owner of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers —would enter separate bids to acquire the Hawks and move them to Seattle. The NBA stated

13284-575: The terms detailed in the settlement agreement, items associated with the SuperSonics' history in Seattle, including trophies, banners, and retired jerseys, stayed in the city and were placed in the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI). Other items such as televisions, radios, headphones, CDs, chairs, and equipment were shipped to Oklahoma City after the Seattle Storm finished the 2008 WNBA season . In 2009, Seattle-based filmmakers released Sonicsgate ,

13407-413: The top half of the NBA's all-time standings . Settlement terms of a lawsuit between the city of Seattle and Clay Bennett's ownership group stipulated SuperSonics' banners, trophies and retired jerseys remain in Seattle; the nickname, logo and color scheme are available to any subsequent NBA team that plays at KeyArena subject to NBA approval. The SuperSonics' franchise history, however, would be shared with

13530-412: The trading of Dale Ellis and Xavier McDaniel to other teams during the 1990–91 season . It was George Karl 's arrival as head coach in 1992, however, that marked a return to regular season and playoff competitiveness for the SuperSonics. With the continued improvement of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, the SuperSonics posted a 55–27 record in the 1992–93 season and took the Phoenix Suns to seven games in

13653-404: The trial also decide the team's financial obligations to KeyArena should its lease be broken, Seattle's lawyers requested a six-month delay in the trial date in order to prepare for the additional issues, arguing that the ownership group's request would "dramatically change the scope" of the case and would require considerable preparation time to determine damages. The trial's presiding judge denied

13776-474: The trial's presiding judge, Loretta Preska, ruled that the NBA must supply the internal documents about the possible relocation of the Sonics that the city of Seattle had requested. In addition, the judge said that Stern could be deposed at a later day should the need arise. The city hoped the documents would aid in building its legal case, and cited an email conversation among members of the ownership group that suggested they were privately discussing intent to move

13899-418: Was Haywood's second-consecutive All-NBA First Team selection; he averaged a SuperSonics record 29.2 points per game and collected 12.9 rebounds per game. Bill Russell was hired as the head coach in 1974, and he led the SuperSonics to the playoffs for the first time. The team, which featured Haywood, guards Fred Brown and Slick Watts , and rookie center Tommy Burleson , defeated the Detroit Pistons in

14022-423: Was PBC that started the fight that led to the lawsuit when they filed for arbitration to break the lease. The motion was denied by the presiding judge, who said the team failed to make a "good-faith effort" to resolve the dispute and that it failed to show that trial preparations were hindered by the records not being made public. However, the ruling also said the team could bring up the issue again if it could prove

14145-536: Was a successful effort by the ownership group of the Seattle SuperSonics to relocate the team from Seattle, Washington to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma . The team began play as the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2008–09 NBA season , after becoming the third National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise to relocate in the 2000s. After failed efforts to persuade Washington state government officials to provide $ 220 million in public funding to update KeyArena ,

14268-407: Was led by player-coach Wilkens and First Team forward Haywood, held a 46–27 mark but late-season injuries to starters Haywood, Dick Snyder and Don Smith led to the team losing eight of its final nine games. For the 1972–73 season, Wilkens was traded to Cleveland Cavaliers in an unpopular move; without his leadership, the SuperSonics fell to a 26–56 record. One of the highlights of the season

14391-693: Was recognized at the 2010 Park City Film Music Festival in Park City, Utah, winning the Audience Choice Silver Medal for Excellence. The original music score for the film is credited to Seattle-area composers John E. Low, Steve Stearns, and D-Sane. Composers Lil Kriz and Curtis Seals also contributed to the 2009 Online Director's Cut. The Sonicsgate soundtrack features songs by several Northwest hip hop artists including Jake One , Blue Scholars , Grayskul , Common Market, Dyme Def , Grynch, Neema, Spac3man, Wizdom and Sir Mix-a-Lot . It also features

14514-520: Was remodeled in 1995 and was the NBA's smallest venue, with a seating capacity of 17,072. After failing to find a local ownership group to sell the team to, Schultz talked to ownership groups from Kansas City , St. Louis , Las Vegas , San Jose and Anaheim before agreeing to sell the team to an ownership group from Oklahoma City , which pursued an NBA franchise after hosting the New Orleans Hornets franchise successfully for two seasons as

14637-419: Was replaced by former Sonic Paul Westphal for the 1998–99 season . The 1998–99 season saw the SuperSonics struggle. Westphal was dismissed after the team started the 2000–01 season 6–9, and replaced on an interim basis by assistant coach Nate McMillan , who was appointed permanent head coach in February 2001. In the 2002–03 season , All-Star Payton was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks ; that season marked

14760-474: Was revealed Hansen's investment partners included Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer , and brothers Erik and Peter Nordstrom of fashion retailer Nordstrom, Inc. Peter Nordstrom had been a minority owner of SuperSonics under Howard Schultz's ownership. Wally Walker , former SuperSonics executive, was also later revealed to be part of Hansen's group. On January 9, 2013, media reports regarding the imminent sale of majority ownership of Sacramento Kings to Hansen, Ballmer,

14883-495: Was sold to local ownership. On June 16, 2008, the group organized a well-publicized rally, which reportedly drew over 3,000 participants, at the U.S. District Courthouse in Seattle to protest the proposed relocation of the team. The rally was held on the first day of the city of Seattle's lawsuit against the PBC to enforce the remaining two years on the KeyArena lease. Seattle filed a lawsuit on September 23, 2007, in an attempt to keep

15006-470: Was then owned by Barry Ackerley until 2001, when it came under ownership of Basketball Club of Seattle, headed by Starbucks chairman emeritus, former president and CEO Howard Schultz . On July 18, 2006, Basketball Club of Seattle sold SuperSonics and its Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) sister franchise Seattle Storm to Professional Basketball Club LLC , headed by Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett . The NBA Board of Governors approved

15129-418: Was to release her ruling, it was announced that the team and the city had reached a settlement where PBC would pay the city $ 45 million immediately in exchange for breaking the lease, and an additional $ 30 million if Seattle was not given a replacement team in five years. According to the conditions of the settlement, the Sonics' name and colors could not be used by the team in Oklahoma City, but could be taken by

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