Kraken Owner Holloway Expands Seattle's Sports Ambitions with NBA Aspirations

The Seattle SuperSonics last played an NBA game in 2008. While the state of Washington has moved forward, it still feels incomplete without a professional basketball team in this historic basketball hotspot.

Many younger sports fans know the Sonics only from video games like NBA Jam or by watching highlights of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp on YouTube. Few remember that Kevin Durant played his rookie season with the Sonics.

Newer NBA fans, with no nostalgia for the Sonics, might only recognize the team through their historical ties to the Oklahoma City Thunder, as the Thunder inherited the Sonics' franchise history.

Now, Samantha Holloway, the owner of the NHL's Seattle Kraken, is working on a plan to bring the Sonics back to Seattle. The NBA is considering expansion, and Holloway aims to secure one of the two proposed expansion teams to revive the Sonics.

«It would be an amazing market, and the NBA knows that. This is an exercise in patience for both us and the fans because we're all really excited for what could be,» Holloway shared with Bloomberg's Anna Edgerton.

The NBA expects bids approaching $4 billion from interested parties, which would be divided among the current 30 team owners. Holloway, while optimistic, noted it's too early to discuss other investors beyond the Kraken's current ownership group.

With the Kraken's $1.15 billion state-of-the-art arena ready for use, there's already a venue for the Sonics. Thanks to Holloway's efforts, Seattle might soon have the chance to cheer for their beloved basketball team once again.