When the Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA championship last season, Seattle experienced a whirlwind of emotions. Many residents were surely heartbroken to watch the franchise that left their beloved city in 2008 go on to hang a banner for the Sooner State at the start of the 2025-26 season. There are some former SuperSonics fans who celebrated along with OKC, but for many others, it was an agonizing reminder of what was stripped away from them.
Since Seattle lost its spot at the NBA table, chatter has lingered about a potential return. Hope has soured into bitter disappointment several times over, as the Emerald City continues to wait for a possible expansion opportunity. A Washington native who knows what it is like to compete at a high level in The Evergreen State firmly believes The Association should set up shop in Seattle once again.
“We definitely need a team back in Seattle,” former Gonzaga basketball star and current Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert told RG's Landon Buford. “Guys on this team who’ve spent time in Seattle love the city — honestly, most players do. Hopefully, it’s just a matter of time before we get a new franchise there. It would be really good for the league.”
Will Seattle get its longstanding wish?
Kispert, a consensus All-American who helped the Bulldogs advance to the national title game in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, grew up in the Seattle area and followed the SuperSonics early in his childhood before the move to Oklahoma City became official. He understands what drives the fans and knows how much basketball means to them.
Yes, Seattle has teams in other major American sports to emotionally invest in, but the Sonics were a valued part of the community's identity. The 1978-79 squad, led by Dennis Johnson, Jack Sikma, Gus Williams and “Downtown” Freddie Brown, defeated the Washington Bullets to win what remains the city's only NBA title. Kispert and legions of Seattle supporters are optimistic that a revived local NBA team will get another chance to experience that feeling in the future.
Commissioner Adam Silver has publicly expressed confidence that Seattle will re-enter the fold down the road, but until it is put into action, some skepticism will likely remain. Although Corey Kispert is focused on contributing to the rebuilding Wizards, he clearly sympathizes with his hometown's ongoing pain.
