The Sonics Are Coming Home: NBA Board Just Made It Official Today
This is it, Seattle. After nearly 20 years of heartbreak, lawsuits, and what feels like a thousand false starts, the NBA Board of Governors is meeting right now in New York, and expansion is on the agenda. And yeah, everyone expects them to move forward with a formal expansion process that could finally bring professional basketball back to the Emerald City.
This Is Really Happening
The Board is widely expected to advance a formal expansion process focused on Seattle and Las Vegas, which would grow the NBA from 30 teams to 32. We're talking a potential return after 20 years since the SuperSonics got ripped away. More details should start coming out soon about the price tag, timeline, and stuff like season ticket drives or revenue sharing requirements. Nothing is locked in yet, but the momentum feels different this time.
For perspective, the last NBA expansion happened in 2002 when Charlotte got the Bobcats (now the Hornets), and they started playing in 2004. The NHL's expansion process in 2015 is the recent blueprint everyone's watching. Vegas and Quebec City submitted formal proposals, Vegas got a team in 2016, and Seattle got the Kraken in 2018. The NBA could follow that same playbook.
The Money Question and Seattle's Real Shot
Here's the brutal reality: expansion franchises could cost between $7 billion and $10 billion. That's absolutely massive compared to the $350 million Howard Schultz got for the SuperSonics back in 2006. Clay Bennett bought the team, moved it to Oklahoma City, and paid $45 million to break the KeyArena lease after a ugly legal battle. The Thunder are now worth nearly $4 billion according to Sportico.
But Seattle's actually positioned differently this time. Samantha Holloway, who owns the Kraken, recently bought a majority stake in Climate Pledge Arena and created One Roof Sports and Entertainment to pursue opportunities like this. Todd Leiweke, CEO of One Roof, has serious credentials from his time running Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment in Vancouver (which had the NBA's Grizzlies and NHL's Canucks) and later overseeing the Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers with Vulcan Sports and Entertainment. On Monday, Leiweke stayed measured but hopeful: "If you look at the stars, maybe they're aligning."
Seattle's Ready This Time
New Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, three months into office, put out a statement Tuesday that says it all: "Seattle is ready to welcome the Sonics home. We never stopped being a basketball city, and the fans have never given up. You see it in our parks, in our schools, in packed gyms in every neighborhood, and in our Seattle Storm championships. We built a world-class arena. We have a strong economy and a dedicated workforce. We are prepared, we are united, and we are ready for the next chapter of our Sonics."
The last time we lost this team, Mayor Greg Nickels didn't even survive his primary. The city got scarred. But we're not that Seattle anymore. Watch what happens next.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.