NBA

SAN ANTONIO – The twisted thing about history is how quickly anniversaries can change meaning. For nine years, May 28 evoked a franchise-haunting what-if. Klay Thompson’s name was whispered in Oklahoma City for a decade following a Game 6 rampage for the ages. Then, a year ago, the Thunder repurposed the date, punching their ticket to return to the NBA Finals. To glory.

SAN ANTONIO – The Oklahoma City Thunder’s depth, magnificent throughout this season and this Western Conference finals series, had no magic to give Sunday night. Depth went from a helpful tool to dire.

They are currently the fiercest of competitors, facing off in the 2026 Western Conference finals. But for one celebratory moment on Friday, the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren were named members of the same team.

DALLAS – Zach Collins’ past year with the Chicago Bulls was defined by his time off the floor.

MINNEAPOLIS – The subject of Anthony Edwards’ late mother goes largely undiscussed. Whatever pain remains from losing her 11 years ago, whatever motivation he mines from her impact, remains locked away behind his rollicking aura. He doesn’t talk about the great trauma he endured at 14, and still carries at 24.

SEATTLE – The timeline around a decision on NBA expansion and the potential return of the SuperSonics doesn’t sound likely to see a vote by owners happening this summer.

SEATTLE – For all the excitement and buzz that’s been generated about the possibility of NBA expansion, it remains just that – a possibility. And while most of the conversation has focused on the potential of the Seattle SuperSonics returning, there is a world where all the talk falls flat and the NBA eventually comes back with the decision not to expand.

SEATTLE – Russell Wilson back to Lumen Field? That was no more than a three on the Seattle sports-hate Richter scale.

Ryan Nembhard capped his rookie season with a record-breaking performance.

The NBA says it’s ready to hear from bidders on possible expansion teams in Seattle and Las Vegas.

Kraken co-owner Samantha Holloway’s One Roof Sports and Entertainment is so far the only publicly known group that intends to engage with the NBA on expansion. It is the leader until another group makes its intentions known.

First of all, don’t believe a single flipping word the NBA puts out there.

The NBA Board of Governors gave the go-ahead for Commissioner Adam Silver to begin holding formal talks with prospective ownership groups in Seattle and Las Vegas, with the possibility of adding two expansion franchises to the league as soon as the 2028-29 season.

Here we are, eight years since construction began on the site of the former KeyArena, where the SuperSonics once soared, and the possibility of the NBA’s return has never felt as close. The idea of a team wearing the green and gold and occupying that currently empty locker room could take its most significant step toward reality Wednesday.

October 25, 2006. April 18, 2008. May 15, 2013. March 25, 2026? Those dates on the calendar — three in the past, one still yet to come — represent four seminal moments in the history of NBA franchise stability as it relates to Seattle.

It’s still a long way from official, but next week’s vote by NBA owners to explore expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas marks the most encouraging step toward bringing the team back in 18 years.

He’s a 7-foot-4 antidote to all that ails the NBA, a welcome distraction from the salary-cap circumvention allegations, gambling controversies and tanking turmoil that have stolen so much of the spotlight this season.

Ahead of one of the more important meetings in the attempt to see the NBA return to Seattle, the head of the league is having another meeting with the head of Washington state.

For the first time since I got here in 2015, it looks like there is a probable chance the Sonics will return within the next five years. Hours after Shams Charania broke the news of the impending vote, his ESPN colleague, Brian Windhorst, was on the air giving Sonics fans permission to get excited while saying there will be bidders trying to get a team back in the Emerald City.