Photo Credit: Sonics Arena

Although a final decision will not come until around May 13^th, the debate surrounding the Kings and their potential move to Seattle could not get any more heated than it already has. From Kevin Johnson taking shots at the Sonics attendance to David Stern personally calling out KING 5 News reports, this dilemma has it all. Depending on one's opinion, some may think Seattle’s offer is better or some may agree with Kevin Johnson and believe Sacramento has what it takes.

When the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City, it gave the team a fresh new start. Even though the fans in Seattle were devastated, OKC fans and general fans of the NBA were ecstatic. In the years leading up to the move, the Sonics were not playing well, but the future looked bright with Kevin Durant. This move gave everybody on the team a renewed energy and really jump started Kevin Durant’s career. Oklahoma City has made the playoffs every year but their first in town. The new mindset the move gave the Thunder cannot be underestimated.

A couple years ago, when the Sonics asked the city of Seattle to help generate revenue to help fund a renovation of Key Arena, the city and its politicians replied with a mighty chorus of “No, no, and no.” And guess what happened? The team skipped town and left Sonics fans staring at Seattle mayor Greg Nickels in disbelief. 41 years of history. Gone.

Now fast forward to the present. Long story short, San Francisco business man Chris Hansen has rallied a group of private investors to shell out possibly $800 MILLION to a) purchase NBA and NHL teams and b) help build a $500 Million arena.

First thought: That is a lot of money. So much money I have to sit and reflect how much money that really is. I mean, sheesh. This small army of businessmen basically donating that kind of money to the city of Seattle is almost incomprehensible.

But is this too good to be true? To complete this project, $200 Million needs to come from tax revenue.

“Haha,” Seattle granola-cruncher man says. “We’ve got you now! No way I’m voting to increase my sales tax to fund a stupid arena! I win!”

But wait, Mr. Seattle granola-crunching man. Did you know that this $200 Million will come at no cost to the taxpayer?

“How is that?” replies granola-cruncher, spilling his Frappuccino on his scarf.

Well, it’s pretty simple. The money would be generated through rent payments and existing taxes, including revenue generated by the arena through sales, property, ticket and admissions, B&O and parking taxes. So in essence the arena would pay for itself after being built.

“But um, well, that’s stupid that we would use $200 Million to fund an arena! Why not use it for statues of artists or bike lanes? You know… important stuff?” replies granola-cruncher as he is starting to sweat.

Easy. Seattle mayor Mike McGinn insisted that the money would not exist if not for the arena project.

“Uh…”

Yeah, that’s what I thought. This is a sports fan (Hansen) doing something great for other sports fans. It will not affect the average Seattle citizen negatively regarding taxes and money.

Granola-crunchers, you have no excuse. Buy in. Only good can come out of a new, state of the art basketball/hockey/concert/any event you can think of arena.

Believe it. We’ve come this far. Why stop now?

- Nathan Parsons (@nathanparsons98)

                                                                                     Photo Credit: KING 5 News


Update 10:45 pm: The Seattle Times is now reporting that a City Hall official has said the press conference still is not finalized. Officials are tying up loose ends tonight trying to make this happen tomorrow. But, there is still a chance there will be no press conference.

Sources tell KING 5 and the Seattle Times that Christopher Hansen, the hedge fund manager from San Francisco, is in Seattle and will announce his arena proposal tomorrow at a press conference scheduled for 2 p.m. Hansen was said to have met with the Seattle City Council tonight to discuss his proposal for a new arena south of Safeco Field. This has the potential to be a major development in luring a NBA and/or NHL team to Seattle as soon as next season. Both league commissioners have said a new arena plan must be finalized before they even think about coming to Seattle. 

Tonight, Sports Radio KJR's Mitch Levy has been saying on Twitter that this arena proposal involves no public funding whatsoever. The taxes would involve admission and property taxes, both of which are not required to be paid by taxpayers, nor are they considered public funding. Levy is also reporting Hansen will not be attending the press conference, rather, it will just be Mayor Mike McGinn and the Seattle City Council there to make an announcement. Hansen still wants to lay low and not become a distraction.

In regards to the funding of the arena, Levy reports that Hansen and his investors might be spending upwards of $280 million of private money into the project. That would be more private money than any other arena except the Staples Center and Madison Square Garden, says Levy.

As of right now, this arena proposal is a win-win for fans. There are no public taxes being proposed and the investor, Hansen, seems to be committed to this project for the long term. Now, the matter of drawing teams to Seattle is still unresolved. Even if this arena plan is finalized, there is no guarantee yet that an NBA or NHL team will come next season, or even in the next few years. But, having an arena plan in place, with a set timetable for construction would be a huge plus.

Both the NBA and NHL have said that in order to have a team in Seattle, a new arena proposal must be finalized. This is why the news today is crucial. The sooner the deal is done the better for Seattle fans. Once this occurs, the pressure shifts to the NBA and NHL. It's their move. They said teams would have a good chance of coming to Seattle with a new arena. The onus would be placed on those leagues to set the wheels in motion on basketball and hockey in Seattle as soon as next season.

There are still a lot of loose ends to tie up. But today's news is a huge step in the right direction. 

- Alex Gallant (@Alex_Gallant) 

                                                                                    Image Courtesy of USA Today


The city of Seattle has been without an NBA franchise since the start of the 2008-2009 season. Ever since the day when it was announced the Sonics would be relocating to Oklahoma City, local officials along with NBA commissioner David Stern have assured fans a team could return to Seattle as long as funding for a new arena is secured. With talks heating up in the past couple of months regarding a new arena, it was only a matter of time before fans across the state started to talk about the possibility of a NBA franchise returning to the region.

Christopher Hansen, a San Francisco businessman who attended Roosevelt High School in Seattle, has been rumored to be interested in a parcel of land in the Sodo district south of Safeco Field that could eventually be used to build an arena. This report surfaced when a KING 5 investigation uncovered that Hansen had purchased some of this desired land. The acreage he bought is too small to house an arena, but many believe this was just the first step towards securing space and funding for a multi-sport arena.

Tony Wroten Jr. from the West team drives on Terrence Williams from the East team.

Just as it seemed the Jamal Crawford Summer Pro-Am had reached its peak, its spectators were surprised Sunday afternoon as an all-star themed event took place at the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club in Seattle, Washington.

Straying from the usual format of three games featuring six talented teams, this weekend brought some of the best from the tournament’s Hawks, Bulls, 76ers, Sonics, Mavericks and Blazers teams all together to play against one another in an East vs. West game. But before the All-Star game, fans in attendance were treated with a three point shootout and slam dunk that would prove tough to top.

We all get excited when we’re watching a UW basketball game and Brendan Sherrer makes a late-game appearance. Sherrer’s appearance means one thing -- the Huskies are blowing out their opponent and they’ve brought out the ‘Human Victory Cigar’ to celebrate.

Back in the day, the Seattle SuperSonics had their own ‘Human Victory Cigar.’ His name was Steve Scheffler.
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Click the link below to follow our live blog covering today's H206 Charity Basketball Game!

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This Saturday the NBA returns to Seattle. Well, kind of. For those living under a rock, the H206 Charity Basketball Classic takes place this weekend at Key Arena and features several of the top NBA players from the Seattle-area including Brandon Roy and Jamal Crawford. The game will benefit the A PLUS Youth Program. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

See rosters and more information after the jump.

Editor's Note: Darren Woods will be writing games recaps from  Jamal Crawford's Seattle Summer Pro-Am basketball league that features current and former professional and collegiate basketball stars from around the Seattle-area. 



In game one in week three of the Seattle Summer Pro-Am, the Mavs looked hand Tony Wroten Jr. and the Sonics a loss. The Sonics would have to put up a fight without the help of Nate Robinson as he was unable to make the tournament this weekend.

The Mavs had their hands full from the beginning but controlled the tempo of the game early behind Carlos Singer's 6 of 6 shooting to open the first quarter. Added excitement ensued after each field goal as the crowd cheers became louder and the P.A. announcer began to count each made field goal over the mic. The Sonics kept their composure and even with Wroten on the bench for the better part of the second quarter they went into the halftime down just eight points 61-53. Singer had 20 points in the first half while Micah Downs of the Sonics led his squad with 18.
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My weekly feature is up at SB Nation Seattle. You'll find some thoughts about why NBA fans in Seattle aren't surprised by the latest turn of events. 

As a Sonics fan, it is all too easy to take the side of the players. It's safe to say the NBA's business model is fundamentally flawed. If you've watched the documentary Sonicsgate, you know why the system is messed up. The NBA forces cities to create publicly-funded arenas that the NBA and its owners can profit from. If a city can not or will not pay for a stadium, then a team will move. Case in point: Seattle.

Read the rest at SB Nation Seattle.