https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/06/01/seattle-sonics-nba-oklahoma-city-thunder/

“It’s like you went through a bitter divorce, and now they’re making you watch your ex get married,” said Mike Gastineau, an author and retired sports radio host who moved to Seattle in 1991, just in time for the rise of Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Coach George Karl.

30 comments

  1. For a time, Bill Simmons would only refer to the Thunder as the Zombies because of their leaving Seattle

  2. I hope they get a team in the expansion because I really feel for them.

  3. There’s another timeline somewhere where KD is the Seattle franchise GOAT and he becomes their Dirk/Pierce/Miller, and he’s universally loved and respected by fans for his loyalty to Seattle and his 1 magical Finals run

  4. Browns fans, meanwhile, have been living this nightmare for a long ass time

  5. Ex cheated on you, left you, and is doing way better than you. Cruel world.

  6. Seattle already has a title. We’re not really that upset. We don’t give a crap about the Thunder. We just want a franchise again.

  7. It sucks for Seattle, but I wonder why no one really mentions it much for other cities that have lost franchises. There weren’t think pieces like this about St. Louis when the LA Rams go to the Super Bowl, and that was within a few years of them relocating, not 20. 

    I think if the roles were reversed, and the team was in OKC originally and left for Seattle, we wouldn’t hear anything about it.

  8. all of Shawn Kemp’s alimony pay would be in front of an OKC judge instead

  9. It’s an Adam Silver issue at this point. If Seattle can support an NHL team from scratch they can damn well support the Sonics

  11. It’s time for expansion imo. The talent in the league is at an all time high and diluting it a bit would not result in any negative side effects. Seattle deserves their team back.

  12. Hey Seattle, look outside yoir window. At least no one is moving to Oklahoma in a hurry. You’ll always have that.

  13. Joke’s on you OKC, now we have Cal Raleigh’s amazing dumper and NO ONE can take that away from us.

  14. All I want is for OKC to lose its nothing more deep than typical hater stuff

  15. Wonder if they’ll fly a Pacers flag from the Space Needle like they did with the Heat when OKC played them in 2012.

  17. I was in a bar in Alaska watching the WCF and there were people from Seattle there actively rooting against the Thunder. They were still pissed

  19. I’m sure nothing’s been festering in the collective Seattle psyche for 17 years or anything.

  20. The only way it heals is if they make an expansion team in Seattle and do what they did with the Charlotte Bobcats and the New Orleans Hornets. Transfer all of the charlotte records to the Bobcats when they become the Hornets, and the Pelicans keep all of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City records.

  22. I hope they get their team back for basketball reasons, I was a fan… but even more so that we can have our own history and records.

  23. Tell them not to watch. Apparently no one in R/NBA except for Thunder/Pacers fans will either according to what I am reading.

  24. They blame the fans. Blame Hurricane Katrina, Chris Paul and the Hornets, and David Stern. And ultimately it worked out because they love their team enough to not let them go like Seattle did in ‘08.

  26. OKC doesn’t even claim the Sonics history and are waiting for them to get a team so they can hand it back, fans can feel free to be mad at the league who wants to put a team in Vegas more than Seattle

  27. I’ll never forget when the “evil empire” Big 3 Heat were playing against the Thunder in the 2012 Finals. ESPN released the results of a poll showing which cities were rooting for which team.

    Only 2 were rooting for the Heat: Miami… and Seattle

  28. I love that there are still shops in Seattle full of Sonics merch. The hate is strong and deep in Emerald City.

  30. Yeah, fuck the Thunder. I hope they crash and burn. That city never deserves to win a Championship.

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