Clay Bennett

Chairman of the Professional Basketball Club LLC who moved the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2008.

Clayton Ike Bennett is an American businessman who serves as the chairman of the Professional Basketball Club LLC (PBC), the ownership group behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. Born on November 14, 1959, he led the purchase of the franchise formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics in 2006 for approximately $350 million from Howard Schultz. Although Bennett initially promised a good-faith effort to keep the team in Seattle pending public commitment to a new arena, the inability to secure $500 million in funding led to the franchise's relocation. On July 2, 2008, following a settlement with the city of Seattle, the move was finalized, establishing the Thunder as Oklahoma City's NBA presence.

Quick Facts

Birth name

Clayton Ike Bennett

Born

14 November 1959

Birthplace

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.

Occupation

Chairman
Dorchester Capital; Chairman
Professional Basketball Club LLC

Spouse

Louise Gaylord Ennis (1981)

Lore & Background

The path to the Thunder began with Bennett's early business involvement in professional sports. In the mid-1990s, he was an owner of the San Antonio Spurs, where his primary duty involved representing the team on the NBA Board of Governors. His influence expanded immediately before the 2005–06 season when he partnered with Aubrey McClendon, Tom L. Ward, and G. Jeffrey Records Jr. to provide a revenue guarantee for the New Orleans Hornets alongside the city and state of Oklahoma.

This agreement facilitated the Hornets' temporary relocation to Oklahoma City for two seasons due to Hurricane Katrina damage in New Orleans. These experiences paved the way for his 2006 acquisition of the SuperSonics. After failing to secure public funding for a new suburban arena in Seattle, Bennett notified the NBA on November 2, 2007, of the intent to move the team. The relocation was approved by owners on April 18, 2008, pending legal outcomes, and finalized after a settlement reached on July 2, 2008.

Reader's Guide

Clayton Bennett's leadership extends well beyond basketball operations into civic and educational spheres. He chairs the Oklahoma City-based Dorchester Capital Corporation and serves as chairman emeritus of the board of directors for the Oklahoma Heritage Association. From 2011 to 2019, he held the position of chairman of the Board of Regents at the University of Oklahoma. Additionally, Bennett leads a task force dedicated to identifying and seeking criminal justice reforms to alleviate jail overcrowding in Oklahoma City.

His personal life is deeply rooted in the region; he married Louise Gaylord Bennett, daughter of media mogul Edward L. Gaylord, after they met as high school sweethearts (he was a sophomore, she a freshman). They have three children. The family has extensive ties to sports ownership through his in-laws, who once held a minority share of the Texas Rangers before selling it to George W. Bush. Bennett identifies as a Republican.