Episode Details

For two seasons, Oklahoma City unknowingly served as the NBA's audition stage. What began as a temporary solution following Hurricane Katrina ultimately proved that professional basketball could thrive in a market few had previously considered for an NBA franchise. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, one of the league's most historic basketball cities was fighting to keep the team it already had.

In Part Three of The 32nd Team, Gavriel Wilkins & Torrence Stagger examine the circumstances that transformed Oklahoma City from the temporary home of the New Orleans Hornets into a permanent NBA market. The conversation explores how the city went about embracing the displaced franchise, the role Chris Paul's emergence played in strengthening Oklahoma City's basketball culture and whether those two seasons permanently changed how the NBA viewed the market.

At the same time, trouble was brewing in Seattle. as the two friends revisit the arena concerns, ownership frustrations and political disagreements surrounding the SuperSonics during the late aughts before Howard Schultz ended up selling the organization to an ownership group led by Oklahoma businessman Clay Bennett.

Was Seattle already on unstable ground before the sale? Could the city have done more to prevent what followed? And at what point did relocation become inevitable?

The discussion then shifts to examine the settlement that sent the franchise to Oklahoma City, the significance of leaving the SuperSonics' name and championship history behind in Seattle, and the complicated emotions surrounding a move that simultaneously fulfilled one city's NBA aspirations while devastating another. Nearly two decades later, Gavriel and Torrence consider whether time has changed how the relocation should be viewed—and whether both fan bases can be justified in how they remember it.

The Thunder's arrival marked the beginning of a new era in Oklahoma City. But even after the SuperSonics disappeared from the court, Seattle never stopped fighting for another opportunity.

Oklahoma City's wait was over. Seattle's was just beginning.

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