Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City

Lore & Background

The SuperSonics were sold by Howard Schultz to Clay Bennett's Professional Basketball Club LLC for $350 million in 2006, after Schultz failed to secure $220 million in public funding to update KeyArena. The sale required a 'good-faith effort' to find a suitable arena in the Seattle area. Bennett proposed a $500 million arena in Renton, Washington, but could not secure public financing. In November 2007, the team announced its intent to move to Oklahoma City as soon as legally possible.

Seattle sued to enforce the team's lease through 2010. A settlement on July 2, 2008, allowed the move: PBC paid $45 million to break the lease, plus $30 million if Seattle had no replacement team after five years. Emails released before the settlement suggested some ownership members intended to move the team all along, leading Schultz to sue to rescind the sale; he dropped the suit after the NBA cited his binding contract not to sue. In 2019, Schultz expressed regret, saying he should have been willing to lose money until a local buyer emerged.

Reader's Guide

The relocation of the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City marked a significant moment in NBA history, highlighting tensions between team ownership, local governments, and fan bases over public financing of sports arenas. The move ended a 41-year NBA presence in Seattle and created the Oklahoma City Thunder, which began play in the 2008–09 season. The case involved legal disputes over lease enforcement, allegations of bad faith by ownership, and a failed attempt by local investors—including Steve Ballmer—to fund arena renovations. The relocation underscored the challenges small-market teams face in securing modern venues without substantial public subsidies. Seattle later pursued efforts to regain an NBA franchise, while Oklahoma City successfully hosted the Thunder. The episode remains a cautionary tale about the fragility of professional sports tenures in cities unwilling or unable to meet ownership demands for public funding.

Did You Know?

• The SuperSonics were the third NBA team to move from one metropolitan area to another in the 2000s.
• Aubrey McClendon, a minor partner in the ownership group, told a newspaper in August 2007 that the group bought the team with intentions to move to Oklahoma City; he was fined $250,000 by the NBA.
• NBA owners voted 28-2 to approve the potential move; only Mark Cuban and Paul Allen voted against it.
• Howard Schultz later called selling the Sonics 'one of the biggest regrets of my professional life.'