SEATTLE- There is a lot of discussion about the possibility of the Seattle Supersonics returning to the NBA. This was a fun team to watch in the 1990’s and had star players such as Ray Allen, Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton.
The team folded up and everyone appeared to forget about them. However, all of a sudden, there after much talk on social media and even on a TNT broadcast that featured the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, the rumored return of the Supersonics is gaining momentum. It looks like the people in Seattle should get ready for the return of mean green machine.
Part of the discussion involves renovating Key Arena. This should generate a lot of excitement! The Supersonics might be coming back and have a renovated arena! The dark cloud over Seattle is slowly dissipating.
Tim Leiweke of the Oak View group discussed the plan saying, “I have a deep connection to your city.” “This is the most important project I will ever do.” He wants to bring the NBA and NHL back to Seattle. He wants to make Key Arena world-class venue.
One idea that would make this return more exciting is a showcase on the global stage. If the Supersonics took on the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, or Los Angeles Clippers in Japan, that would make this story even sweeter. The NBA wants a global presence and this would make that goal a slam dunk. There is one venue that would be perfect.
Saitama Super Arena has the largest seating capacity of any arena in the world with 37,000 seats. That’s about 13,000 more seats than the Palace at Auburn Hills.
There is a strong business connection between Seattle and Japan. The NBA can easily take advantage of this.
Bringing the Supersonics will likely take time as the renovations have to planned out. The NBA also needs to make sure enough revenue is generated in order to expand. The Supersonics franchise ended in 2008.