NBA in OKC FAQ Continued
What happened during the trial? - The two sides argued for 6 days at the end of June 2008 in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechman. The owners claimed their relationship with the city was irreparable and the team would lose $60 million if forced to remain at KeyArena for the final two years of the lease. The city of Seattle argued Bennett's group always intended to move the team to Oklahoma City and that they were well aware the lease included a clause of "specific performance" rather than the possibility of a cash buyout.Prior to the trial, Seattle officials released a number of e-mails between ownership group members obtained as part of the discovery process. These e-mails seemed to show the group had the intention of moving from the beginning.
During the trial, attorneys for the owners attacked the city of Seattle right back, using e-mail evidence to suggest there was an organized attempt to harm the franchise as much as possible, with the hope of forcing Bennett to sell to a local ownership group.
What was the judge's decision? - Unfortunately, we'll never know. The two sides reached a settlement agreement just hours before the decision was to be released on July 2, 2008. In a press conference a few hours later, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said he felt confident they would have prevailed in the case, but a number of legal experts around the country felt otherwise.
Either way, the only thing that mattered was that the NBA was finally coming to OKC for good, the long-anticipated culmination of a tremendous Oklahoma City renaissance that began in the early 1990's and an important signifier that we had indeed reached the big time.
What happens now? - At his July 2nd press conference, Clay Bennett said the relocation would begin the very next day. There's a lot of work for the organization to do in a short amount of time as NBA preseason games begin at the Ford Center in October of 2008. Along with relocating players and staff, the organization will focus on the Ford Center improvements, staff hiring, promotions and much more.
The settlement includes $45 million to buy out the remaining two years on the KeyArena lease and an additional $30 million in 5 years if Seattle puts forth a new arena plan or KeyArena renovation but does not receive an NBA team. And the agreement also stipulates the franchise will leave the Sonics trademark, colors and history in Seattle.
On September 3rd, 2008, the former Seattle SuperSonics franchise became the Oklahoma City Thunder. Fans all across Oklahoma signed up for season tickets in huge numbers. You can get a breakdown of the team as well as ticket information for the 2008-2009 season here.
Keep track of Oklahoma City's NBA franchise in detail here on About.com.
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