Seattle Supersonics, Who Gave Michael Jordan His Toughest Challenge in 1996, Might Come Back to the NBA

From 1991 to 1993, the Bulls decimated all competition in the NBA. Those three years would see Michael Jordan carry his team to back-to-back titles. However, he would announce retirement soon after the three-peat. After a brief stint in baseball’s minor league, Jordan would return in a Bulls uniform and carry the bulls to 3 more titles in 1996, 1997, and 1998.

The first of this set of three would feature MJ and a dominant Bulls team that won 72 games in the regular season. They would take on Gary Payton’s Seattle Supersonics and win the series in a hard-fought six-game series.

Speaking of regular-season wins, the Seattle Supersonics were not far behind. The franchise had a whopping 64 wins, which was the second-best record in the league. So they clearly believed in their ability to win the title. However, the loss in the 1996 finals was the last time they would ever reach that stage as a franchise.

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Thereafter, in 2008, the franchise set up base in Oklahoma to form the now well-known Oklahoma City Thunder. In light of this move, Gary Payton shared his opinion and spoke about getting the Supersonics back in the NBA as an expansion team.

Gary Payton on the Seattle Supersonics

In an interview with ‘VLAD TV’, Payton expressed his feelings about the franchise moving to Oklahoma. He began by stating that ‘the world ended in Seattle.’ Thereafter, he mentioned that he had been trying to get the franchise back in the NBA.

“That city and them fans don’t deserve that. They don’t deserve it. And I’ve been working very hard to get it back,” said Payton on getting the franchise back to Seattle.

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“We’re going to just try to get that expansion team. And I think the expansion team is going to happen. With Adam Silver, and he knows that we’re going to add some teams and I think Seattle is one of them teams that he’s going to add,” explained Payton.

Clearly, Payton, the long-standing star of the Supersonics, has a vision for the city. He believes that the fans deserve to watch NBA basketball while supporting a new expansion team from Seattle.

Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the 1996 Finals

As stated earlier, the 1996 NBA finals was a battle between the two best teams in the league. The Bulls, led by Jordan, had Pippen, Rodman, Kerr, and Kukoc, among others in their roster. On the Supersonics, Payton led a team that consisted of stars such as Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf, Hersey Hawkins, and Sam Perkins.

The series began with Jordan’s Bulls taking a 3-0 lead. In those three games, Jordan scored a total of 93 points for the Bulls. However, the Supersonics would bounce back. Games 4 and 5 witnessed Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton putting on a show as they scored 91 points.

Moreover, the Supersonics stepped up defensively and allowed the Bulls to average just 82 points in those two games. However, Game 6 is when Chicago sealed the deal. Although Seattle played tremendously on the defensive end, Jordan’s 22 points would be enough to take the title.