8-time All-Star Gary Payton spent most of his career donning a jersey that's no longer in the NBA.
The Seattle SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City eight years ago, leaving one of the league's most passionate fanbases empty handed. A select few still follow Kevin Durant & company, but the vast majority of Sonics fans turned against the franchise and even the NBA overall, for now at least.
Payton, who was drafted second overall by the Sonics back in 1990, recently stopped to talk with TMZ about his connection to the Thunder and his hopes for the future of basketball in the Pacific Northwest.
“It's a different organization, it's not the Seattle SuperSonics. They just took our team away from us,” Payton said when asked if he felt excited about the Thunder taking Game 1 from the Warriors.
Payton said that Seattle will need expansion to get a team back, and he hopes commissioner Adam Silver makes it happen. He added that the city “deserves” it.
When asked if he'd like to be the owner or a co-owner, Payton said, “Yes I do. I'll always want to get it in on that, and get back to Seattle.
“Seattle deserves that. That's where I started my career, that's where I became a Hall of Famer, so I'm grateful for that.”
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