Why You Should Root Against Oklahoma City

“[I]t is our desire to have the Sonics and the Storm continue their existence in the Greater Seattle Area, and it is not our intention to move or relocate the teams so long, of course, as we are able to negotiate an attractive successor venue and lease arrangement.” – Prospective Sonics purchaser Clay Bennett, in a 2006 letter to Howard Schultz.

“We didn’t buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here.” – Oklahoma City Co-owner Aubrey McClendon, after moving the team from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2007.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the verge of defeating the 73-win Golden State Warriors, the greatest regular-season team in NBA history, and are doing so in decisive fashion. The Warriors seemingly have no answer for either Kevin Durant’s robot-like efficiency, or Russell Westbrook’s superhuman, well, everything. Steven Adams has transformed into a dominant big man against a team that supposedly made them obsolete, and the defense of Adams and Serge Ibaka has pushed the Golden trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green to the brink of elimination. It’s truly been amazing to watch; NBA history happening right before our very eyes.

I really want to be able to root for Kevin Durant; by all accounts, he’s genuinely humble, a great teammate and great to those around him, all while being one of the three best basketball players on the planet. He’s a genetic freak on the level of LeBron James – a seven-footer who can take small forwards on the dribble while shooting 40% from three-point range. When he’s on, there’s no one in the NBA that can stop him. But that bright-blue “Oklahoma City” jersey just won’t let it happen.

But while I appreciate the greatness of Westbrook and Durant and acknowledge just how impressive their accomplishments are, I can never think of the Oklahoma City Thunder without thinking of the fraud that occurred to create them in the first place.

You see, when Seattle lost the Sonics and they became the Thunder, it was a sad day. Seattle was always one of the NBA’s best fan bases, and the I-5 rivalry with the Portland Trail Blazers was always a highlight for both cities. The NBA Finals run in 1996 with Shawn Kemp, Gary Peyton, and (future Sonics and Blazers coach) Nate McMillan was unforgettable to most in the northwest, even Blazer fans.

But it wasn’t until lawsuits were filed and emails were released that the depth of the fraud perpetrated by Bennett, McClendon and the rest of the ownership group against Seattle was truly revealed. Despite what was publicly said, privately they were angling for a move to Oklahoma City as soon as the ink was dry on the purchase documents.

With the publicly implicit and privately explicit support of then-NBA commissioner David Stern, the Oklahoma City group forged ahead with plans to move the team and did so less than two years after purchasing the Sonics. Bennett, McClendon, Stern and the rest of the OKC ownership group got their way, and Seattle was left at the altar.

The rest, as they say, is history. Durant and Westbrook blossomed into superstars, and Oklahoma City has been a perpetual title contender for the past five years. Bennett gets to puff out his chest and talk about how great the fans in Oklahoma City have been; never mind that Seattle and northwest sports fans surely would have been just as, if not more passionate and supportive of a budding dynasty with two transcendent talents.

As long as Seattle is without a team and Clay Bennett still sits in the Oklahoma City owners’ box, I’ll personally never think of the Thunder as anything but the Zombie Sonics; a proud team with a rich history that was stolen from a city with the permission and help of the NBA, and made to wear unfamiliar colors.

I sincerely hope Kevin Durant wins a championship someday, just as long as he’s wearing a different jersey. Golden State, San Antonio, Washington, even Miami; anywhere but Oklahoma City. But as long as he wears that blue, sorry Kevin, but go Golden State, go Cleveland, go Toronto; no one wants to see the bad guys win in the end and, last I checked, Clay Bennett is the one who gets handed the trophy.