The Seattle SuperSonics, also known the Sonics, are a former professional basketball team based from Seattle, Washington, United States, that played from 1967 to 2008.[1] They were members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1970 onward; the team played in the conference's Pacific Division from 1970 to 2004 and the Northwest Division from 2004 to 2008.[2][a] The Sonics joined the NBA as an expansion team in 1967 and were named for the supersonic airliner under development by Boeing, which was later cancelled.[4] They played for their first eleven seasons at the Seattle Center Coliseum, which was built for the 1962 World's Fair and had a seating capacity of 12,595.[5] The team moved in 1978 to the Kingdome, a multipurpose stadium shared with other sports teams, and set NBA attendance records there during a seven-season stay.[6] The Sonics hosted twenty Kingdome games with crowds larger than 30,000 and drew a league-record 40,172 spectators at a 1980 playoffs game.[5][6]
The team returned to the Seattle Center Coliseum in 1985 as attendance at the Kingdome declined and the stadium's scheduling and layout caused issues for fans.[6][7] A major renovation of the Coliseum began in 1994 and displaced the Sonics, who played for two seasons at the Tacoma Dome, a suburban arena that was expanded to 16,296 seats.[8] The renovated Coliseum, renamed to KeyArena, had the NBA's smallest seating capacity at 17,072 and hosted its first regular season game on November 4, 1995.[5][9] The team played their final home game at KeyArena on April 13, 2008.[10] After the end of the 2007–08 season, the Sonics were relocated by its new ownership group to Oklahoma City. A lawsuit to halt the relocation and enforce the team's 15-year lease at KeyArena was filed by the Seattle city government but dropped as part of a settlement in July 2008.[11][12] The team has played since the 2008–09 season as the Oklahoma City Thunder;[13] as part of the settlement, the SuperSonics name and history was left with the city for use by a future team.[11]
In their 41 seasons as an NBA team, the SuperSonics had an all-time regular season record of 1,745 wins and 1,585 losses; in the playoffs, they had 107 wins and 110 losses.[14] They reached the postseason 22 times and played in three NBA Finals, winning one league championship in 1979.[14] The Sonics were the first team from Washington state to win a major professional sports championship since the Seattle Metropolitans in the 1917 Stanley Cup.[15] Their .524 winning percentage was also historically the best among professional teams in the Seattle area, surpassing the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners.[16] The team's all-time points leader is Gary Payton with 18,207 points; he also holds the most assists in Sonics history at 7,384.[17]
The Sonics had a 23–59 record during their inaugural season and finished with the NBA's second-worst record, narrowly ahead of fellow expansion team San Diego Rockets.[18] The team were below .500 for their first four seasons and had their first winning season in 1971–72, where they earned a 47–35 record.[19] The Sonics clinched their first playoff berth in the 1974–75 season,[20] which was followed by consecutive NBA Finals in 1978 and 1979 against the Washington Bullets.[21] Seattle lost the first final, but defeated Washington in the rematch after finishing first in the Western Conference.[22] Lenny Wilkens, who led the team to both finals appearances, was replaced as head coach in 1985 after missing the playoffs by finishing with a 31–51 record, which his successor Bernie Bickerstaff equaled the following season.[23] The Sonics made an unexpected run to the Western Conference Final in the 1987 playoffs, only to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers.[24]
The 1990s brought more consistent success, including eight consecutive playoff appearances, with head coach George Karl and new players Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, both acquired in the draft.[25] The Sonics finished as the top seed in the 1993–94 season with a 63–19 record, but lost in a major upset to the eighth-seeded Denver Nuggets in the opening round of the playoffs.[26] The team reached the 1996 NBA Finals—their third and final appearance—after clinching first in the Western Conference standings but lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games.[27] The Sonics were eliminated in the conference semifinals two more times under Karl before he left the team along with Kemp by 1998.[25] The team, now under coach Paul Westphal, missed the playoffs in the shortened 1998–99 season, but returned the following year as a seventh-seed.[28][29] Westphal was replaced early in the 2000–01 season by assistant coach and former Sonics player Nate McMillan, who led the team through rebuilds and to their two final playoff appearances: in 2002–03 and 2004–05 as the Northwest Division champions with 52 wins.[30][31] The team's final three seasons in Seattle all finished with losing records and no playoff berths under the three different head coaches.[32] The Sonics had 20 wins and 62 losses during their 2007–08 season, their worst record in franchise history, shortly before moving to Oklahoma City.[16]
Table key
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Seasons
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editNotes
edit- ^ a b c d The Western Conference was established in 1970; prior to that, the Sonics played in the Western Division.[3]
- ^ The formula is as follows:
- ^ Lenny Wilkens was a player–coach for the SuperSonics from 1969 to 1972 and later returned solely as head coach in 1977.[21]
- ^ The Seattle SuperSonics and Los Angeles Clippers finished with identical 31–51 records, but Seattle won the tiebreaker to finish fourth.[55]
- ^ The Seattle SuperSonics and Los Angeles Lakers finished with identical 61–21 records, but Seattle won the head-to-head tiebreaker to place first in the Pacific Division.[70]
- ^ The 1998–99 season was shortened to 50 games due to a player lockout that lasted until January 1999.[72]
- ^ The Seattle SuperSonics and Golden State Warriors finished with identical 37–45 records, but Seattle lost the tiebreaker to finish fifth.[79]
References
edit- ^ Johnson, Dan (January 31, 2009). "Seattle SuperSonics, Part 1". HistoryLink. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ Ruiz, Don (April 3, 2004). "New divisions to change rivalry for Sonics, Lakers". The News Tribune. p. C6. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "N.B.A. Realigned Into 4 Divisions". The New York Times. Associated Press. March 17, 1970. p. 69. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Eskenazi, Stuart (March 22, 2001). "One thing seems certain: Seattle will never be the same". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Homes of the Sonics". The Seattle Times. July 10, 2008. p. E7. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c Raley, Dan (March 27, 2000). "Basketball had its Dome moments, too". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. E5. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via NewsBank.
- ^ McCready, Eldredge (April 6, 1985). "So long, Kingdome". The Seattle Times. p. C1.
- ^ "Sonics enjoy change of scenery". The Bellingham Herald. Associated Press. November 9, 1994. p. D1. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Harris, Craig (February 7, 2007). "Renton courts Sonics owners". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A1. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Cnossen, Alex (October 12, 2017). "Nostalgia: Remembering the Sonics on their 50th anniversary". Crosscut.com. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Johns, Greg; Galloway, Angela (July 3, 2008). "Hoopless: Sonics are Oklahoma City-bound". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. A1. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Chan, Sharon Pian (July 15, 2008). "Seattle council terminates Sonics' KeyArena lease". The Seattle Times. p. B3. Archived from the original on August 4, 2008. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Schoenfeld, Bruce (October 24, 2008). "Where the Thunder Comes Dribbling Down the Plain". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Stephens, Michael (June 3, 2018). "Further Review: Seattle SuperSonics". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ Allen, Percy (May 31, 2019). "40 years ago, an unheralded group of Sonics brought Seattle its only NBA title. Here's how they did it". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Brewer, Jerry (June 11, 2012). "As Thunder enter Finals, Seattle sulks over team's bitter departure". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Sonics year by year". The Seattle Times. July 10, 2008. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ Baker, Geoff (October 11, 2021). "Kraken will aim higher in inaugural season than most previous Seattle expansion teams". The Seattle Times. p. G4. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Lenny (November 30, 1976). "Sports Action: Mariners Say They Are Color-Blind". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. C4.
- ^ Baker, Geoff (April 18, 2023). "Can Kraken's playoff appearance have same impact of Sonics', Seahawks' and Mariners' 1st runs?". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Scott, Shaun (December 15, 2023). "How the 1978-79 Sonics united Seattle — and revealed political divides". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ^ "Playoffs Started With Needed Rest". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. June 10, 1979. p. H12.
- ^ Bonk, Thomas (May 21, 1987). "The Bernie System: Bickerstaff Is Trying to Put the Super Back in Sonics". Los Angeles Times. sec. III, p. 1. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Dan (March 18, 2001). "Seattle SuperSonics, Part 2". HistoryLink. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ a b Pentz, Matt (March 7, 2024). "1990s Sonics: A high-flying, shit-talking time capsule for city on verge of massive change". The Athletic. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ Monroe, Mike (May 8, 1994). "Stunning! No. 8 Denver Nuggets' overtime win upsets No. 1 seed Seattle SuperSonics". The Denver Post. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ Jenks, Jayson; Condotta, Bob (June 10, 2016). "Oral history of Seattle's last great NBA team: The 1995-96 Sonics". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ Demasio, Nunyo (November 4, 1999). "This year, it's Westphal's Sonics". The Seattle Times. p. D1.
- ^ Thiel, Art (April 9, 2002). "Playoff light reawakens Sonics' pride". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. D1.
- ^ O'Neil, Danny (July 7, 2005). "McMillan bolts to Trail Blazers". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. D1.
- ^ "The Sonics through the years". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. July 3, 2008. p. A7.
- ^ a b c "Oklahoma City Thunder Historical Statistics and All-Time Top Leaders". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
- ^ "NBA & ABA Playoffs Series History". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1967–68 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1968–69 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1969–70 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "NBA All-Star Game MVPs". National Basketball Association. February 20, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1970–71 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1971–72 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1972–73 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1973–74 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1974–75 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "NBA J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award Winners". National Basketball Association. May 18, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1975–76 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1976–77 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1977–78 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "NBA Finals MVP Award Winners". National Basketball Association. June 13, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1978–79 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1979–80 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1980–81 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1981–82 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "NBA Executive of the Year Award Winners". National Basketball Association. September 13, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1982–83 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1983–84 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "1984–85 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
- ^ "1985–86 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "NBA Most Improved Player Award Winners". National Basketball Association. May 3, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1986–87 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1987–88 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1988–89 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1989–90 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1990–91 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1991–92 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1992–93 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1993–94 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1994–95 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Winners". National Basketball Association. September 13, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1995–96 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1996–97 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ Baum, Bob (April 20, 1998). "Sonics wrap up Pacific title". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Associated Press. p. B5. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1997–98 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
- ^ Shipley, Amy (June 29, 2011). "Lengthy NBA lockout looms, with owners and players deeply divided". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "NBA Sportsmanship Award Winners". National Basketball Association. July 7, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1998–99 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "1999–00 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "2000–01 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "2001–02 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "2002–03 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "2003–04 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
- ^ "2004–05 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "2005–06 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "2006–07 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "NBA Rookie of the Year Award Winners". National Basketball Association. September 13, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "2007–08 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved March 24, 2024.