“Every week I’m having some kind of meeting or discussion on bringing back the Sonics. You’re gonna see this summer, for example, a lot of Sonic buzz” said Seattle’s mayor Bruce Harrell back in June 2024. Very few things that can bring a community together more than sports. While Seattle boasts of holding a professional team amongst leagues like the NFL, MLB, and even the WNBA, the NBA is not on their list. It hasn’t been for the last 17 years, ever since the team shifted to Oklahoma City.

Therefore, given his earlier promise, the community was on edge for a positive update. Unfortunately, the mayor was more in the mood to pull an early April Fools Prank.

Bruce Harrell recently held his annual State of the City Address at Benaroya Hall. The mayor’s speech contained some predictable elements, as past achievements were highlighted, and a discussion about working amidst the Trump administration was touched upon. During the speech, Harell paused and said “Right now, at this moment, I have an announcement to make”.

Without waiting for too long, the mayor pulled out a basketball. Audible gasps went up immediately, followed by huge cheers from the crowd. Finally, the Seattle Supersonics was going to become a reality! However, the mayor soon dismissed that hope by stating “I’m just kidding. I got you”.

As the drop in excitement continued resonating amongst the attendees, Harrell added “Ok ok. This is a long speech. I had to break it up a little bit here”. Well, using humor that adds a layer of ‘crushed hope’ may certainly be one way for people to bring a change to a mundane mood.

The remarks by Bruce Harrell came amidst speculation of what Adam Silver would propose next. As part of the NBA commissioner’s plan to bring changes to the league, one was introducing a new Media Rights deal. Having done that, Silver reportedly focuses on a proposal to add two additional teams to the league. The top name that rules over the hypothetical list for an expansion team remains Las Vegas. After all, the NBA already holds a few of its Summer League games there.

Furthermore, other leagues like the WNBA, NFL, and NHL already have a presence there. On top of that, basketball legends like LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and Candace Parker have indicated an interest in making a bid if Las Vegas is chosen as an expansion team.

Unfortunately, the NBA All-Star weekend did not see the NBA commissioner deliver any further details about the possible league expansion. Adam Silver himself wasn’t asked about any expansion discussion during his short availability with reporters in San Francisco. Furthermore, according to a report by Fox 13, the NBA currently has several other issues to deal with over the upcoming months, including finalizing the sale of the Boston Celtics. It’s important to wait for the Celtics’ sale to finalize, as the sale price will set the standard for future expansion fees in the league.

If expansion fees are the bar, then shouldn’t pursuing the Seattle Supersonics be better than a Las Vegas Expansion team? After all, the Supersonics are one of the pioneers of the NBA. For a long time too, since the team was active from 1967 to 2008. Bruce Harrell may have fooled his citizens for a minute, but even a prank showed that the mayor is still interested in bringing the old NBA team back home or creating a new one.

Unfortunately, reviving the Supersonics does not seem to be a priority. However, if a few NBA stars are to be believed, then the campaign for doing so has already kicked off!

Spencer Haywood and Gary Payton gave their two cents on a Supersonics return: “We don’t need to worry”

Former Supersonics player and 2015 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Spencer Haywood recently discussed with the ‘Seattle Times’. Following the announcement of this year’s Hall of Fame finalists on Friday, the former player revealed his confidence in bringing back the old team. “Two years”, is what he said when giving a potential timeline.

Meanwhile, 9x NBA All-Star Gary Payton was asked about the absence of expansion discussion during the recent All-Star Weekend. The former player outright stated “I don’t worry about that. We don’t need to worry about that. We don’t need to worry about buzz and all that stuff as long as Adam Silver makes a decision on what is going on, we’ll be fine.” Damian Lillard, who is currently playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, only added fuel to the speculation fire by stating “I’ve heard it. I’ve heard it. I’ve heard Seattle, too”.

From former players to the mayor, the discussion about the Seattle Supersonics would eventually make its way to the NBA commissioner. Whether this proposal is something he considers remains for us to see. So, get your excitement levels up.