SuperSonics name, history will return to Seattle if NBA expands

If the NBA returns to Seattle, the SuperSonics name will come with it.

That was built into the agreement when the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008.

As part of a legal settlement between the team and the city of Seattle, the SuperSonics name, logos and colors were preserved for any future NBA team that might arrive in the city.

That means a new franchise in Seattle would not start from scratch. Instead, it would reclaim the iconic Sonics identity.

The arrangement also covers team history.

Currently, the NBA officially combines the historical records of the Seattle SuperSonics and Oklahoma City Thunder. For example, Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton is still recognized by the league as the franchise’s all-time leader in games played.

However, the Thunder do not display Seattle-era banners or celebrate those records within their organization.

The league is expected to vote on expansion during an upcoming Board of Governor’s meeting. One team owner told Hoops Wire that “it’s happening.” If it does, franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas are the shoe-in cities.

And again, if a new Seattle team joins the NBA, the expectation is that the Sonics’ history would shift back to Seattle, similar to what happened when the Charlotte Hornets reclaimed their original franchise history in 2014.