The Seattle Supersonics 1967 - 2008. An Obituary.

 A championship winning NBA franchise has died in Seattle, aged 41. The hope and trust of a city has died along with it.   

The Seattle Supersonics basketball team is survived by tens of thousands of bitter and despondent fans who have expressed their anger at the events that led to the team’s demise. 

Born and raised in Key Arena, just north of downtown Seattle, the Supersonics lived a full, entertaining, and happy life in the Northwest Division of the NBA’s Western Conference.  

Affectionately known as the ‘Sonics’ to friends and admirers, the team was Seattle’s first major sports franchise, and its most successful - winning six division titles, three conference crowns, and an NBA championship in 1979.   

In a ruthless act of betrayal, the franchise was bought and flogged to futility before being cut down in the prime of life by Clayton Bennett and Aubrey McClendon, a pair of Oklahoma City businessmen.

NBA commissioner David Stern and team owners and executives from across the league stood idly by as the calculated and meticulous killing process unfolded.

Fathered by the late Sam Schulman and Eugene Klein, the Supersonics had an inauspicious start to life, going 23-59 in its first season.

Following a troubled, misspent youth the team blossomed when a number of role models, such as Spencer Haywood, Fred Brown and the shiny headed Slick Watts, came into its world.  

Some hard lessons, including tough playoff losses, helped the Supersonics steady maturation, which culminated in its first NBA championship in 1979 - beating the Washington Bullets in five games.  

As the franchise settled into mid-life it had a quiet, reflective period but was soon making noise again when the likes of Dale Ellis, Xavier McDaniel and the heavily mulleted Tom Chambers donned the green, white and gold. 

The team went through a stage of improbable lob passes and tomahawk dunks in the 90s with the brash pairing of Gary Payton and the ‘rain man’ Shawn Kemp clicking on elevated levels. 

But while the Supersonics reached the finals once more behind the duo’s efforts, it would never raise another championship banner to Key Arena’s vaulted roof.  

The franchise had its share of embarrassments over the years, including Frank Brickowski’s performance in the 1996 NBA finals, Jim McIlvaine, and Shawn Kemp’s litter of illegitimate children. 

However the team will be remembered most for its success, its vibrancy, its rich, colourful history, and the joy it brought to people’s lives. 

The Seattle Supersonics will be sorely missed by the good folk of Seattle and hoops fans worldwide.  

No funeral service will be held. Pay your respects by ignoring the existence of NBA basketball in Oklahoma City. 

Rest In Peace.