Settling the OKC Thunder and Seattle SuperSonics debate

The OKC Thunder and Seattle SuperSonics will always be connected with a rich history. Despite the continued debate they both deserve to have a team.

There’s no doubt the OKC Thunder and Seattle SuperSonics will always be a talking point in NBA circles.

Basketball for many is more than just a game and being a fan of a team is no different. It provides a sense of camaraderie and family knowing that you along with thousands of other people are cheering for one squad.

For Seattle, that love for their team hasn’t changed since their SuperSonics relocated to OKC in 2008. Over the years, many fans have spoken out in a fight to bring the NBA back to their city.

Many current and former players including Sue Bird, Isaiah Thomas, Kevin Love, and Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett have also shown their support recently.

https://twitter.com/S10Bird/status/1254945055728697351

The latest episode of The Last Dance documentary series looked at the 1996 NBA Finals between the SuperSonics and the Chicago Bulls. Many watching enjoyed the nostalgia of looking back at memories of a very talented Sonics team led by greats Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp.

It got people talking and many fans on Twitter debated whether OKC deserves to have a team. I believe the only thing that would settle this is the NBA returning to Seattle. It would be awesome and they’ve got tremendous supporters who love their hoops.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Their old home stadium Key Arena is undergoing renovations with projected completion in 2021. While it’s still up in the air, hopefully, this is a turning point in getting the Sonics back.

The OKC Thunder, on the other hand, has enjoyed amazing success in their short history. Last week, they were ranked eighth in Forbes’ top 10 fanbases and second in the entire Association.

Year after year, through injury and heartbreak they have continued to fight and be a force to be reckoned with.

They have earned everything they’ve achieved making the postseason nine out of the last 11 years and built a staunch following.

That’s why both markets deserve to have their own team. It would be entertaining to see the two sides go head to head combining both their illustrious histories. And to also reward the persistence of the Seattle community to save their team.

Free Agents like Thomas and Jamal Crawford as Bird mentioned would make great first additions to the team. It seems the interest is there but we’ll just have to hope that the logistics of it all fall into place.

Though both fanbases may be divided I like to think the one thing that connects them is the idea of a small city or market but with big dreams.

These two teams will always be connected because of their past and let’s hope we’ll see both fans getting to celebrate into the future.