A conversation with the host of Sonic Boom: How Seattle Lost its Team

Soundside

Certain names linger on the lips of ardent Seattle fans who still rock Supersonics Green & Gold:

Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. Detlef Schrempf and Nate McMillan. Ray Allen and Kevin Durant… Players who evoke wistfulness and nostalgia.

Other names bring notes of bitterness, and regret for Sonics faithful:

Howard Schultz. The man who sold the team… And Clay Bennett – the man who bought them and soon moved them to Oklahoma City.

The team pulled up stakes 16 years, five months, and 12 days ago … but who's counting?

Why are many Seattle-ites still hung up on the team that broke their hearts nearly two decades ago? And what REALLY went wrong to make Seattle lose its NBA franchise?

Most lifelong fans could spin their version of events … but the one we’re asking also happens to be an award-winning journalist and the host of a podcast called “Sonic Boom: How Seattle Lost its Team.”

The show was recently re-released by The Ringer, and it remains relevant for anyone who wants to understand the history of the NBA in Seattle and when and how the Sonics could return.

GUEST: Jordan Ritter Conn - Senior Staff Writer at The Ringer

RELATED LINKS:

• Sonic Boom: How Seattle Lost Its Team - The Ringer
• SuperSonics | The Seattle Times

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.