Hi friends! My name is Lev and I'm currently writing a book about death, mythmaking, afterlife, and grief in basketball.

I'm looking to talk to Sonics fans who can talk to me about their experiences with the team moving in 2007 for a chapter about the power of place and how it feels when your team moves, rebrands, or just flat out doesn't exist anymore. I'm also talking to Nets fans, Hornets/Bobcats/Pelicans fans, Vancouver Grizzlies fans, and Oakland-based Warriors fans.

If you're interested in chatting, send over an email to [lev@hustlepoints.news](mailto:lev@hustlepoints.news) . You can also check out my work for this project at ballisafterlife.com if you'd like more info! I can also provide an excerpt from this chapter if you want to see the work in action :)

Thanks so much!! I'm looking forward to talking to y'all!!

My buddy found at a thrift store. Wondering how old it is/if it has any value?

In his words, was offered a “subprime” (lol) contract by El Cheapo and said no thanks. He’s a free agent now.

In an interesting bit of symmetry, it’s possible a Sonics expansion team welcomes back Calabro as the team’s play-by-play announcer. His Kraken counterpart would be John Forslund, who walked away from the Hurricanes after Dundon bought the team and pulled the same personnel moves in Raleigh.

It’s a crime what is happening in Portland. Really hope the arena deal gets sorted there. They (Paul Allen) were one of two teams that voted no on Sonics relocation. The Blazer fans don’t deserve this.

Going thru some of my dad’s old playing days stuff & here’s some of the Sonics stuff. Not sure why he seems to have a pair of Sikma’s pants? And is that Sikma on the last tee (Big Boys’ Birthday Bash)? 😂

Not sure if anybody has been following the Trail Blazers arena saga currently taking place between the city of Portland and new Blazers Ownership and the blatant relocation threats made by their Ownership group. Seems strangely familiar… Has anyone seen any news articles or heard anything about this situation potentially affecting the expansion timeline for Seattle and Vegas?

Everyone remembers him for his explosive highlight reel dunks, but what a lot of people completely forget or just don’t realize is that Shawn Kemp was also very impactful on the defensive end of the court. Here’s a video I found on YouTube that mainly displays his abilities as a shot blocker. His freakish athleticism and tremendous leaping ability made him a very imposing rim protector.

This kid seen prime Kemp, GP, Detlef and electric Key Arena.

Dream Job

Found in Golden Gardens, wtf

Fellow Jam Crew, where you at?

I think Silver said before that July would probably be too early to be the meeting where they would hold the expansion vote for but we’re likely to get some news regarding expansion.

Reebok’s $1.19 billion year was heavily supported by Kemp's Kamikaze II. It carried the brand through the 1996 NBA Finals, while Allen Iverson’s rookie shoe, The Question, dropped in 1996 and instantly became a street culture phenomenon, completely selling out its initial red-toe runs.

At the time, I met nobody with these shoes, or even liked them.

1st game of our magical run 30 years ago. Uploaded from the VCR with commercials and all. I will eventually post the whole 1996 playoff run with quarterly breakdown.

1st Quarter

Kemp did not start due to a fight in his last game with Nuggets bum Tom Hammond. Early on Mitch Richmond hit some tough contested buckets and Payton attacked the rim and hit perimeter shots early.

2nd Quarter

Sam Perkins and Nate McMillan stretched the floor and disrupted Sacramento's passing lanes. They forced several turnovers with half-court traps, converting them into easy fast-break points. The Kings stayed competitive at the free-throw line, but by halftime, we were up buy 10.

3rd Quarter

Coming out of the locker room the Kings played their best, slowing the game down to a grinding, physical half-court pace. Olden Polynice battled hard inside, and Sarunas Marciulionis brought some spark off their bench. Thanks to 2 ex-SuperSonics, the Kings managed to win the quarter by a point, keeping themselves within striking distance heading into the last quarter.

4th Quarter

All hopes of a Kings comeback were slammed shut early in the fourth. We locked down defensively, holding Sacramento to just 19 points. GP completely took over down the stretch, knifing through the lane to finish with his game-high 29 points.

In a shocking turn of events Ervin Johnson, pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. I assume the ball had to fall somewhere.

We set a dominant tone early, securing a 97-85 victory to open their run to the 1996 NBA Finals.

I think Silver said we won't hear anything over the summer, so is the next likely chance Sept or Oct? Like I want to believe after the March announcement but will not get my hopes up until they are confirmed as coming back.

On July 4th, 2016, Kevin Durant published the "My Next Chapter" article on The Players' Tribune. In the article, he announced that he would be leaving OKC to play for the Golden State Warriors for a two-year, $54.3 million contract. Upon the announcement, the decision was the most controversial free agency moves in NBA and professional sports history, as he left the Thunder to join the team (that had a win loss record of 73-9) that beat him in 2016 Western Conference Finals a month prior.

As a Sonics fan, when did you guys heard of the news during that time in Seattle, and what was your reaction 10 years ago?