#Seattle supersonics wordmark professional

SuperSonics won only 30 games and Bianchi was replaced by Wilkens as player/coach during the off-season. Rule improved on his rookie statistics with 24.0 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game. 1968–1974: The Lenny Wilkens era Lenny Wilkens in 1968īefore the start of the next season, Hazzard was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Lenny Wilkens, who brought a strong, all-around game to the SuperSonics, averaging 22.4 points, 8.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game for SuperSonics in the 1968–69 season. On October 21, the Seattle team's first win came against the San Diego Rockets in overtime 117–110, and SuperSonics finished the season with a 23–59 record. The expansion team debuted in San Francisco with a 144–116 loss in their first game against Golden State Warriors. Seattle SuperSonics began play on Octothey were coached by Al Bianchi, and included All-Star guard Walt Hazzard and All-Rookie Team members Bob Rule and Al Tucker. Schulman served as the active partner and head of team operations, and named the team SuperSonics as a nod to the city’s ties to the aviation industry, with Boeing's having recently been awarded a contract for an SST project. Klein, both of whom owned the AFL side San Diego Chargers, and a group of minority partners were awarded an NBA franchise for Seattle, the first major-league sports franchise in the city. On December 20, 1966, Los Angeles businessmen Sam Schulman and Eugene V. Franchise history 1966–1968: Team creation Tom Meschery, Bob Rule (SuperSonics) and Wilt Chamberlain ( Philadelphia 76ers) in 1967 The SuperSonics' franchise history, however, would be shared with the Thunder. Settlement terms of a lawsuit between the city of Seattle and Clay Bennett's ownership group stipulated SuperSonics' banners, trophies and retired jerseys remain in Seattle the nickname, logo and color scheme are available to any subsequent NBA team that plays at KeyArena subject to NBA approval. Both marks would rank in the top half of the NBA's all-time standings. The franchise attained a 1,745–1,585 (.524) regular season win–loss record, as well as a 107–110 (.493) playoff win–loss record during its time in Seattle. The franchise won Western Conference titles in 1978, 19 and six divisional titles-their last being in 2005-five in the Pacific Division and one in the Northwest Division. Seattle SuperSonics won the NBA championship in 1979. The team returned to the Coliseum in 1985, and temporarily moved to Tacoma Dome for the 1994–95 season while the Coliseum was renovated and renamed KeyArena.

In 1978, the team moved to the Kingdome, which they shared with Major League Baseball (MLB) team Seattle Mariners and National Football League (NFL) team Seattle Seahawks. Seattle SuperSonics played their home games at KeyArena (originally the Seattle Center Coliseum) for 33 of the franchise's 41 seasons in Seattle. After failing to find public funding to construct a new arena in the Seattle area, the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City before the 2008–09 season, following a $45 million settlement with the city of Seattle to pay off their existing lease at the KeyArena at Seattle Center before it expired in 2010. The NBA Board of Governors approved the sale on October 24, 2006, and finalized it seven days later, at which point the new ownership group took control.

#Seattle supersonics wordmark professional

On July 18, 2006, Basketball Club of Seattle sold SuperSonics and its Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) sister franchise Seattle Storm to Professional Basketball Club LLC, headed by Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennett. It was then owned by Barry Ackerley until 2001, when it came under ownership of Basketball Club of Seattle, headed by Starbucks chairman emeritus, former president and CEO Howard Schultz. Sam Schulman owned the team from its 1967 inception until 1983. After the 2007–08 season ended, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, where they now play as Oklahoma City Thunder. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference Pacific and Northwest divisions from 1967 until 2008. The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle.