Seattle SuperSonics

The Seattle SuperSonics (or simply Sonics) are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Their mascot's name is Squatch. Of the three major professional sports teams in Seattle—the Seattle Mariners, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Sonics—the Sonics are the only one to have won a championship. (The Sonics' sister team, the WNBA's Seattle Storm, has also won one.)

Home arenas

KeyArena (formerly Seattle Center Coliseum) 1967–1978, 1985–1994, 1995–Present

The Kingdome 1978–1985

Tacoma Dome 1994–1995 (During KeyArena Remodel)

Franchise history

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Beginnings

On December 20, 1966, Los Angeles businessmen Sam Schulman and Eugene V. Klein and a group of minority partners were awarded the NBA franchise for the city of Seattle. Schulman would serve as the active partner and head of team operations. Named the SuperSonics after Boeing's recently awarded contract for the SST project (later cancelled), they were Seattle's first professional sports franchise. Beginning play in October of 1967, the SuperSonics were coached by Al Bianchi and featured All-Star guard Walt Hazzard and All-Rookie Team members Bob Rule and Al Tucker. The expansion team stumbled to a 23–59 record, and Hazzard was traded to the Atlanta Hawks before the start of the next season for future Hall-of-Famer Lenny Wilkens. Wilkens brought a strong all-around game to the SuperSonics, averaging 22.4 points per game, 8.2 assists per game, and 6.2 rebounds per game for Seattle in the 1968–69 season. Rule, meanwhile, improved on his rookie statistics with 24.0 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game. The SuperSonics, however, only won 30 games and Bianchi was replaced by Wilkens as coach during the off-season.

The 1970s

Wilkens and Rule both represented Seattle in the 1970 NBA All-Star Game, and Wilkens led the NBA in assists during the 1969–70 season. Early in the 1970–71 season, however, Rule tore his achilles tendon and was lost for the rest of the year. Wilkens was named the 1971 All-Star Game MVP, but the big news of the season came when owner Sam Schulman managed to land ABA Rookie of the Year and ABA MVP Spencer Haywood following a lengthy court battle. The following season, the SuperSonics went on to record their first winning season at 47–35. The team, led by player-coach Wilkens and All-NBA forward Haywood, held a 46–27 mark on March 3, but late season injuries to starters Haywood, Dick Snyder, and Don Smith contributed to the team losing eight of its final nine games — otherwise, the 1971-72 team might very well have become the franchise's first playoff team. The following season, Wilkens was dealt to Cleveland in a highly unpopular trade, and without his leadership the Supersonics fell to a 26–56 record. One of the few bright spots of the season was Haywood's second consecutive All-NBA First Team selection, as he averaged a SuperSonics record 29.2 points per game and collected 12.9 rebounds per game.

The legendary Bill Russell was hired as the head coach in the following year, and in 1975 he coached the SuperSonics to the playoffs for the first time. The team, which starred Haywood, guards Fred Brown and Slick Watts, and rookie center Tommy Burleson, defeated the Detroit Pistons in a three game mini-series before falling to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors in six games. The next season, the SuperSonics traded Haywood to New York forcing the remaining players to pick up the offensive slack. Guard Fred Brown, now in his fifth season, was selected to the 1976 NBA All-Star Game and finished fifth in the league in scoring average and free throw percentage. Burleson's game continued to strengthen, while Watts led the NBA in both assists and steals and was named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team. The SuperSonics again made the playoffs, but lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games in spite of strong performances from both Brown (28.5 ppg) and Burleson (20.8 ppg) during the series.

Russell left the SuperSonics after the 1976–77 season, and under new coach Bob Hopkins the team started the season dismally at 5–17. Lenny Wilkens was brought back to replace Hopkins, and the team's fortunes immediately turned around. The SuperSonics won 11 of their first 12 games under Wilkens, finished the season at 47–35, won the Western Conference title, and actually led the Washington Bullets three games to two before losing in seven games in the 1978 NBA Finals. Other than the loss of center Marvin Webster to New York, the SuperSonics roster stayed largely intact during the off-season, and in the 1978–79 season they went on to win their first division title. In the playoffs, the Supersonics defeated the Phoenix Suns in a tough seven game conference final series to set up a rematch with the Washington Bullets in the finals. This time, the Bullets lost to the SuperSonics in five games to give Seattle its first, and so far only, NBA title. The championship team roster included the powerful backcourt tandem of Gus Williams and Finals MVP Dennis Johnson, second year All-Star center Jack Sikma, forwards John Johnson and Lonnie Shelton, and key reserves Fred Brown and Paul Silas.

The 1980s

The 1979–80 season saw the SuperSonics finish second in the Pacific Division to the Los Angeles Lakers with a strong 56–26 record. Fred Brown won the NBA's first three-point shooting percentage title, Jack Sikma played in the second of his seven career All-Star Games for Seattle, Gus Williams and Dennis Johnson were both named to the All-NBA Second Team, and Johnson was also named to the All-NBA First Defensive Team for the second consecutive year. The SuperSonics made it to the Western Conference Finals for the third straight season, but lost to the Lakers in five games. It was the last time that the backcourt of Williams and Johnson would play together in SuperSonics uniforms, as Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns before the start of the 1980–81 season and Williams sat out the year due to a contract dispute. As a result, the SuperSonics fell to last place in the Pacific Division with a 34–48 mark, so far the only time they have ever finished in last place. Williams returned for the 1981–82 season, and Seattle managed respectable 52–30 and 48–34 records during the next two years.

In October of 1983, original team owner Sam Schulman sold the SuperSonics to Barry Ackerley, initiating a period of decline and mediocrity for the franchise. 1984 saw Fred Brown retire after playing 13 productive seasons, all with Seattle. His career reflected much of the SuperSonics' history to that time, having been on the same team roster as Rule and Wilkens during his rookie season, playing a key role on Seattle's first playoff teams, and being the team's important sixth man during the championship series years. In recognition of his many contributions to the team, Brown's number was retired in 1986. Lenny Wilkens left the organization following the 1984–85 season, and when Jack Sikma was traded after the 1985–86 season, the last remaining tie to the SuperSonics' championship team (aside from trainer Frank Furtado) had been severed.

Among the few SuperSonics highlights of second half of the 1980s were Tom Chambers' All-Star Game MVP award in 1987, Seattle's surprise appearance in the 1987 Western Conference Finals, and the performance of the power trio of Chambers, Xavier McDaniel, and Dale Ellis. In 1987–88, the three players each averaged over 20 points per game with Ellis at 25.8 ppg, McDaniel at 21.4, and Chambers at 20.4. In the 1988–89 season, with Chambers traded to Phoenix, Ellis improved to his scoring average to 27.5 points per game and finished second in the league in three-point percentage. The SuperSonics finished with a 47–35 record, and made it to the second round of the 1989 playoffs.

1990s

The SuperSonics began setting a new foundation with the drafting of forward Shawn Kemp in 1989 and guard Gary Payton in 1990, and the trading of Dale Ellis and Xavier McDaniel to other teams during the 1990–91 season. It was George Karl's arrival as head coach in 1992, however, that marked a return to regular season and playoff competitiveness for the SuperSonics. With the continued improvement of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, the SuperSonics posted a 55–27 record in the 1992-93 season and took the Phoenix Suns to seven games in the Western Conference Finals.

The next year, the SuperSonics had the best record in the NBA in 1994 at 63–19 record, but suffered a humiliating first round loss to the Denver Nuggets, becoming the first #1 seed to lose a playoff series to a #8 seed. After playing the 1994–95 season in the Tacoma Dome the team moved to the renamed Key Arena for the 1995–96 season. Perhaps the strongest roster the Supersonics ever had was the 1995–96 team, which had a franchise best 64–18 record. With a deep roster comprised of All-NBA Second Team selections Kemp and Payton, forward Detlef Schrempf, center Sam Perkins, and guard Nate McMillan, the team reached the NBA Finals, but lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games. Seattle continued to be a Western Conference powerhouse during the next two seasons, winning 57 games in 1996–97 and 61 games in 1997–98 for their second and third straight Pacific Division titles. At the end of the 1997–98 season long-time Sonic and defensive specialist Nate McMillan retired.

Post Karl

Disagreements with management led to Karl leaving Seattle after the 1997–98 season, and the SuperSonics again descended into an extended period of mediocrity. The 2002–03 season saw All-Star Gary Payton traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, and it also marked the end to the Sonics 11-year streak of having a season with a winning percentage of at least .500, the second longest current streak in the NBA at the time. The 2004–05 team surprised many when it won the organization's sixth division title under the leadership of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, winning 52 games. During the off-season in 2005, head coach Nate McMillan left the Sonics to accept a high-paying position to coach the Portland Trail Blazers. After his departure, the team regressed the following season with a 35–47 record, missing the playoffs.

The team has been owned by Sam Schulman (1967–1983), Barry Ackerley (1983–2001), and the Basketball Group of Seattle headed by Howard Schultz (the chairman of Starbucks Coffee, 2001–2006).

Ownership change and team future

Following disagreements between the Basketball Club of Seattle and the city of Seattle concerning the need to renovate the KeyArena, the Sonics and Seattle Storm were sold to an Oklahoma City group led by Clay Bennett on July 18, 2006 for US$350 million.^[1] The sale was approved by the NBA owners on October 24 of that year. ^[2] The new ownership group said that upholding the Sonics' lease with KeyArena through 2009–10 was "a priority" and that "with the right dynamics on the court, the right business model, and a financially committed ownership group that recognizes and respect the potential of the Seattle market, we can succeed here for decades to come."

Initially there was rampant speculation that their intention was to move the team to Oklahoma City once the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets return to New Orleans, Louisiana.^[3] This speculation has faded as the issue evolves. Clay Bennett has said from the beginning that Key Arena is not a suitable venue for the NBA of today and has given the region a one-year timeframe to come up with a package for a new arena to replace it. If a state of the art events center is not built the ownership group has indicated that relocation of the team out of the region is probable.

Supporters of the teams formed Save Our Sonics and Storm to show support and urge the regions leaders and the NBA to keep the teams in Seattle. On November 7, 2006 Seattle voters overwhelmingly approved Initiative-91 to make a profit on-par with a 30-year treasury bond on any public investment on city owned facilities. While the Initiative would have no impact on the proposed arena, which will be owned and funded by the county and state, it is now certain that the teams will not remain inside the city limits of Seattle. The initiative was approved with 74.08% of the vote. ^[4] The lopsided vote was attributed to a poorly worded initiative causing a lack of understanding of what they were voting for. Many voters thought they were voting to approve a new facility and were surprised to find they actually prevented the city from making any deal to keep the teams inside the city limits.

As of February 13th, 2007, the new ownership has stated it plans to build a new $500 million dollar arena in Renton, Washington.^[5] The fact that no one challenged I-91 confirms that Key Arena was no longer a viable venue and that there was no desire by the team to remain in Key Arena after the lease expires in 2010.^[6] Over the course of the past month, the Oklahoma City based Sonics owners have shown due-diligence with regard to keeping the teams in the region: the ICON Venture Group was selected to manage the arena development [3]; the architectural firm HOK Sport was chosen to design the new facility [4]; the city of Renton was selected to host the new arena [5]; and former Sonics player and coach Lenny Wilkens was named Vice Chairman. [6] Owner Clay Bennett announced that the site for the new $500 million "King County Events Center" would be a 21-acre site to be purchased from the Boeing Company located in Renton, Washington.

Season-by-season records

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win-Loss %

* Season in progress; updated April 4, 2007.

Current roster

Seattle SuperSonics Current Roster
Head Coach: Bob Hill				Edit
SG	34	Image:Flag of the United States.svg	Ray Allen - Co-Captain Image:Injuryicon.jpg	(UConn)
PF	44	Image:Flag of the United States.svg	Andre Brown	(DePaul)
PF	4	Image:Flag of the United States.svg	Nick Collison	(Kansas)
PF	21	Image:Flag of the United States.svg	Danny Fortson	(Cincinnati)
SF	15		Mickaël Gelabale	(France)
SF	7	Image:Flag of the United States.svg	Rashard Lewis - Co-Captain	(Alief-Elsik HS, Houston, Texas)
C	27		Johan Petro	(France)
PG	8	Image:Flag of the United States.svg	Luke Ridnour	(Oregon)
C	18	Image:Flag of Senegal.svg	Mouhamed Sene	(Senegal)
C	31	Image:Flag of the United States.svg	Robert Swift Image:Injuryicon.jpg	(Bakersfield HS, Bakersfield, CA)
PG	25	Image:Flag of the United States.svg	Earl Watson	(UCLA)
F/C	54	Image:Flag of the United States.svg	Chris Wilcox	(Maryland)
SF	12	Image:Flag of the United States.svg	Damien Wilkins	(Georgia)
PG	29	Image:Flag of the United States.svg	Mike Wilks (FA)	(Rice)
(FA) - Free Agent				Seattle SuperSonics
Image:Injuryicon.jpg - Injured

Players of note

Basketball Hall of Famers

• Lenny Wilkens (player and head coach for the Sonics; inducted as both, coached the 1979 Championship Team)

Retired numbers

• 1 Gus Williams, G, 1977–1984
• 10 Nate McMillan, G, 1986–1998; Head Coach, 2000–2005
• 19 Lenny Wilkens, G, 1968–1972; Head Coach, 1969–1972 & 1977–1985
• 24 Spencer Haywood, F, 1971–1975
• 32 Fred Brown, G, 1971–1984
• 43 Jack Sikma, C, 1977–1986

All-Time Statistical Leaders

• • Career Leaders
• Games: Gary Payton, 999
• Minutes Played: Gary Payton, 36,858
• Field Goals Made: Gary Payton, 7,292
• Field Goal Attempts: Gary Payton, 15,562
• 3-Point Field Goals Made: Rashard Lewis, 918
• 3-Point Field Goals Attempted: Gary Payton, 2,855
• Free Throws Made: Jack Sikma, 3,044
• Free Throws Attempted: Shawn Kemp, 3,808
• Offensive Rebounds: Shawn Kemp, 2,145
• Defensive Rebounds: Jack Sikma, 5,948
• Total Rebounds: Jack Sikma, 7,729
• Assists: Gary Payton, 7,384
• Steals: Gary Payton, 2,107
• Blocked Shots: Shawn Kemp, 959
• Turnovers: Gary Payton, 2,507
• Personal Fouls: Gary Payton, 2,577
• Points: Gary Payton, 18,207

• • Per Game
• Minutes Played: Spencer Haywood, 40.36
• Field Goals Made: Spencer Haywood, 9.72
• Field Goal Attempts: Spencer Haywood, 21.01
• 3-Point Field Goals Made: Ray Allen, 2.92
• 3-Point Field Goal Attempts: Ray Allen, 7.51
• Free Throws Made: Lenny Wilkens, 6.25
• Free Throw Attempts: Lenny Wilkens, 7.99
• Offensive Rebounds: Marvin Webster, 4.40
• Defensive Rebounds: Jack Sikma, 8.32
• Total Rebounds: Marvin Webster, 12.62
• Assists: Lenny Wilkens, 9.02
• Steals: Slick Watts, 2.47
• Blocked Shots: Alton Lister, 2.09
• Turnovers: Marvin Webster, 3.13
• Personal Fouls: Danny Fortson, 4.01
• Points: Spencer Haywood, 24.94

• • Per 48 Minutes
• Field Goals Made: Xavier McDaniel, 12.17
• Field Goals Attempted: Walt Hazzard, 27.31
• 3-Point Field Goals Made: Ray Allen, 3.58
• 3-Point Field Goal Attempts: Ray Allen, 9.20
• Free Throws Made: Danny Fortson, 9.44
• Free Throw Attempts: Danny Fortson, 10.93
• Offensive Rebounds: Danny Fortson, 6.83
• Defensive Rebounds: Jack Sikma, 11.56
• Total Rebounds: Pete Cross, 19.39
• Assists: Avery Johnson, 13.03
• Steals: Slick Watts, 4.13
• Blocked Shots: Jim McIlvaine, 5.38
• Turnovers: Mark Radford, 6.89
• Personal Fouls: Danny Fortson, 12.38
• Points: Ricky Pierce, 31.29

Additional players of note

2006 NBA Draft

• 1st round 10 (10 overall) Saer Sene PF Senegal
• 2nd round 10 (41 overall) Denham Brown G Connecticut
• 2nd round 19 (53 overall) Yotam Halperin G Israel

See also

• Bob Blackburn, broadcaster, "The Voice of the Seattle Supersonics" 1967–1992
• Kevin Calabro, current broadcaster

Notes

Wikipedia information about Seattle SuperSonics This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Seattle SuperSonics". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.