Commentary: Stern's role in Sonics' departure still stings
The death of David Stern on Wednesday elicited the expected tributes to his far-reaching legacy as the 30-year commissioner of the NBA. No less an eminence than Michael Jordan extolled Stern for growing the league into an “international phenomenon.”
But here in Seattle, where Stern has long been regarded as an enemy of the people for his role in both the departure of the Sonics in 2008 and the thwarting of a replacement team in 2013, the reaction is much more complicated.
-snip-
That was never so evident than in Stern’s handling of the Sonics’ departure to Oklahoma City — a psychological blow that still hasn’t healed, and one that had his fingerprints all over it.
-snip-
We got to witness that side of Stern, in all its inglorious nature. There are those who still swear that the departure of the Sonics was ensured on Feb. 23, 2006, when Stern accompanied then-owner Howard Schultz to Olympia to lobby for the funds the team was seeking to renovate KeyArena. (That was barely a decade after a previous KeyArena renovation that Stern, at its unveiling on Nov. 4, 1995, called “beautiful … I think Seattle should be very proud of what’s going on here tonight.”)
What happened in Olympia seemed to sear its way into Stern’s psyche and never left. According to reports from those who were there, Stern was highly insulted by the way he was treated by Frank Chopp, then the Speaker of the Washington state House of Representatives. The commissioner would often cite with disdain this quote by Chopp in shooting down the Sonics’ proposal for funds:
https://www.heraldnet.com/sports/commentary-sterns-role-in-sonics-departure-still-stings/
The following video is from 1995. Ten years later they wanted a brand new arena
= new reply since forum marked as read
