Mcmillan Wants New Sonics’ Captain

In the aftermath last spring of the Seattle SuperSonics’ first-round ouster from the playoffs for the second consecutive season, team captain Nate McMillan said he didn’t want to continue in that role.

It appeared McMillan was disgusted by his teammates’ lack of unity. However, as training camp draws near this fall, the veteran shooting guard is eager to clear up a misunderstanding.

“The fans thought I was quitting, that I was frustrated with the guys,” he said. “But it wasn’t that. It was just my way of saying: ‘Let’s come in next season with a fresh start, a new team, and let’s select captains.’

“I was thinking, possibly, some of our younger guys would take responsibilities in controlling the team.”

McMillan was the Sonics’ point guard when he was elected captain in 1987. The responsibilities forced him to mature at a young age and although the players who elected him are long gone, he retained his status as captain because the Sonics never held another election.

“If I’m captain because I’ve been here the longest or because I was elected nine years ago and the guys come in and don’t feel like I’m the guy that should be there, then I don’t think it’s fair to them,” he said.

“So we will be voting over it. I think it’s only fair to myself and them.”