“One Man’s Opinion” by Gordon Curvey
I am going to do a story on hip-hop artist and businessman Clifford “T.I” Harris very soon. But I have to talk about this readers.
And that is Adam Silver, the head of the NBA saying the words we here in Seattle have been waiting to hear and that is a vote was held and all 30 owners in the NBA voted for Seattle and Las Vegas possible entering the NBA!!
It will be a expansion team. No team will move here in Seattle or Vegas. For Vegas it will be their first NBA team, but you NBA junkies know, it will be the return of the NBA here in Seattle. A city that had the Sonics in town for 41 YEARS!! In 2008, Howard Schulz sold the team to Clay Bennett. And we know what happened sports fans.
Our Sonics moved to OKC and became the OKC Thunder. As we know the Thunder won the NBA title last season. God bless OKC and the Thunder.
Our Sonics history STAYED IN SEATTLE!! Logos, unforms, 1979 NBA title trophy and more and that is the way it should have been! Sonic stars like Jack Sikma and “The Glove” Gary Payton and Shawn “The Reignman” Kemp and others wanted no part of OKC!
A few years ago a man named Chris Hansen tried to get involved as a businessman to help the Sonics return to Seattle.
He tried to obtain the Sacramento Kings and move them to Seattle. But that did not happen because the city built a new arena and then Commissioner David Stern worked with then Mayor Kevin Johnson to help keep the Kings in town.
Johnson was a longtime star player in the NBA. So Sonic fans continued to wait and wait. Every time new NBA head Silver had a press conference, somebody would ask about the NBA returning to here in Seattle. Again a city which had the Sonics for 41 years.
We Sonics fans knew the team should have never left. But it did. By the way readers, I went to morning shoot around for the Sonics and visiting teams at Key Arena (now the beautiful Climate Pledge Arena) and conducted short interviews.
I did a lot of interviews with NBA stars like Chris Webber, Charles Barkley, Rip Hamilton, Shaq, Phil Jackson and many many more for my “Music Inner City TV” show. And that includes a short one on one with Michael Jordan in 1998.
I have always mixed entertainment and sports since late 1990 when I started “Music Inner City TV”.
When the Sonics left town it was like a family member died. THANK GOD for You Tube! I can watch the entire game in which the Sonics won the 1979 title under the late Hall of Fame member as HC and player the late Lenny Wilkens. Something is very sad about the team.
The starting five? Four are no longer with us. The late big Lonnie Shelton, “The Wizard” Gus Williams, “DJ” Johnson and “JJ” Johnson. The radio broadcaster for the team “The Voice” Bob Blackburn is no longer with us too. Just Jack Sikma is still here from the starting team from 1979.
Sad the Lenny did not make it to see the return of our Sonics. But he is looking down from heaven. And he has a statue in front of the beautiful Climate Pledge Arena long with Storm great Sue Bird.
So now with the first vote done in which all current NBA owners approved the NBA to look at possible expansion to Seattle and Vegas, the next step is for possible owners to step to the plate with bids.
Who will it be? There are names already out here. We will get into the names right here soon and on “Sports Inner City Radio” and “Sports Inner City TV/After The Game” or “Sports Inner City TV/Off The Court” webcasts.
One thing for sure, Adam Silver wants the final bidder to be named BY JULY 2026!!! WOW!! That is soon folks!!
I will be back soon with a follow up story on THE RETURN OF THE NBA AND THE RETURN OF THE SEATTLE SUPERSONICS here in Seattle!!