A lookback on how the Seattle Supersonics became the OKC Thunder

Prior to becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team was based in Seattle, Washington. The Supersonics had been among the successful franchises in the NBA, with its 1996 team making it to the league’s finals before falling to a Chicago Bulls team led by Michael Jordan, explains sports business professional Tyler Tysdal.

The team’s relocation was mired in controversy. Many loyal Seattle fans protested the move by then-owner Clay Bennett to suddenly sell the team after having made it clear that he had no intention to do so, assuming a new arena can be constructed in the city. Even David Stern, the NBA Commissioner at the time, tried to lobby with Bennett along with city and state government officials to keep the team in Seattle. But Bennett would not be swayed.

The supposed inability to generate public funding to build a new arena in Seattle forced the team to move to OKC before the 2008-09 NBA season. In return, a settlement of $45 million with the city of Seattle which covered the existing lease at KeyArena (which was expiring by 2010) was paid in advance.

Interestingly, Seattle superstar Kevin Durant had to move to OKC as well before he became the face of the Thunder from 2007 to 2016. He is technically still the only MVP Seattle has produced in the league. Of course, Durant’s move to Golden State in the 2016-17 season led to Russell Westbrook’s rise as OKC’s franchise player, and Westbrook himself won the MVP that season.

All in all, many NBA fans and Seattle locals still hope that an NBA franchise will return to the city soon, Tyler Tysdal adds.

Private equity and real estate investor Tyler Tysdal is heavily involved in the Entrepreneur's Organization and is a recipient of the Denver Business Journal's 40 Under 40 award. Visit this blog for related posts on sports business and entrepreneurship.