On Wednesday, October 29, 2008, with a defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks, the official history of the Thunder in Oklahoma City began, a locality that had never had a professional team before and that has since stood out for the loyalty and support of its fans, even though they have not yet won an NBA title.
PUBLICIDAD
But this season, the Thunder seem to have very good chances of lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy, as they finished the regular season as the best team in the NBA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was chosen as the MVP for the 2024-2025 season and they are tied 1-1 in the Finals against the Indiana Pacers.
PUBLICIDAD
In the Thunder they dream of winning what they say is their first title in history, however, the franchise was not founded in 2008 and before that they spent three decades in Seattle as the Supersonics. Why do they want to forget that past on the Pacific coast in Oklahoma City, where they even won an NBA title in the 1978-1979 season?
Why did the Supersonics move to Oklahoma City?
In the first decade of this century, the “Sonics” did not have good seasons which limited the profits to renovate the KeyArena. Since negotiations with the city to build a new stadium or improve the existing one failed, the owner and then CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, decided in 2006 to sell the team to Clay Bennett for $350 million.
Although the commitment was to keep the team in Seattle, Bennett did not make great efforts to reach an agreement and relied on the rejection, through a vote, for the city to subsidize a new arena with public funds.
Bennett announced in November 2007 his desire to move the team to his city, Oklahoma City, and the move was finalized on July 2, 2008.
Why do the Thunder want to forget about Seattle?
The move generated protests and lawsuits, including one from Howard Schultz, to avoid losing the Seattle franchise. Finally, Bennett reached an out-of-court settlement with the city and had to pay $75 million in compensations.
Once in Oklahoma City, Bennett chose to change the team’s name and colors, cutting all ties with the Seattle Supersonics’ past. Even though they were entitled to it as the successors of the franchise, the Thunder did not want to hang the flag commemorating the title won by the “Sonics” in 1979 at Paycom Center. In fact, all of the team’s memorabilia, including the trophies for conference titles, are stored at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle. Bennett did not even want to take that to Oklahoma City.
The Lakers, for example, have hanging in their stadiums the banners that remind of the five titles they won when they were in Minneapolis, before moving to Los Angeles in 1960.
In summary, technically, as the successors of the franchise founded in Seattle, the Thunder do have a title in NBA history even if they don’t want to acknowledge it.
Can the Seattle Supersonics return to existence?
Every time NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been asked about the league’s expansion options, from 30 to 32 teams, he has answered that Seattle is the first city on the list, even above Las Vegas.
If this expansion comes to fruition, Clay Bennett has already said that he will hand over everything to Seattle: the Supersonics name, the colors, and all the history.