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Sherman Alexie: Silver lining for Seattle fans if Oklahoma City Thunder wins NBA title

BY Jamie Skorheim  on June 12, 2012 @ 10:31 am (Updated: 8:01 am - 6/13/12 )

cedargrove

Sonics fan Sherman Alexie says there might be one good thing about OKC winning the NBA title. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

A man who once testified his love for the Sonics in a courtroom is having trouble rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Much like other SuperSonics fans he says he's "furious."

"The Oklahoma City fans won't even acknowledge, by and large, the theft. All they do is trash talk about the Sonics feelings," says Seattle writer and comedian Sherman Alexie. "They're celebrating the very team that this city created and supported."

As investor Chris Hansen works to build a new Seattle arena to bring the NBA back to the area, Alexie hopes we'll be more sensitive to hometown fans of whatever team we find.

"Even if we get a team," says Alexie. "It means like you've said, that we've taken somebody's team and there's going to be some broken-hearted basketball guys like me, like you, like all of our friends."

So Alexie has wrapped up anger and his disappointment and thinks only of former SuperSonics owner, Howard Schultz.

Which for him means a somewhat sinister 'silver lining' if the Thunder wins the NBA title.

"I do take some solace in the fact of hurting Howard Schultz if they win, and making him look even worse," says Alexie, who testified as a voice of the Seattle fans in the Sonics trial in 2008.

Just four years after a messy divorce from the city of Seattle that began with Schultz's sale of the team to Clay Bennett, the Thunder could be NBA champs.

"What this proves is how bad an owner Howard Schultz was. How completely he failed, not only as a business, but as a supposed basketball fan, and a person who knew about basketball," Alexie tells 97.3 KIRO FM's Ross and Burbank Show.

Even though Alexie believes a Thunder win would make Schultz look bad, Alexie says he still can't bring himself to root for them.

Listen to all Sherman Alexie's thoughts on Sonics/Thunder:

Read more: Dori: A war of words between OKC and Seattle fans

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jamie Skorheim, MyNorthwest.com Editor
Whether it's floating on Green Lake, eating shrimp tacos at Agua Verde, or taking weekend drives out to the Cascades, she loves to enjoy the Pacific Northwest lifestyle as much as humanly possible.
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Comments (6)


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  • artimus wrote...
    I guess
    June 12, 2012 12:19 pm
    I hear what he's saying but it's a stretch. I think Howard Schultz might be lacking the conscience required to feel anything approaching remorse.
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  • Newton wrote...
    Wag the Dog Reporting.
    June 12, 2012 1:38 pm
    Nobody Cares.
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  • ron prevost wrote...
    If it wasn't for Luke, just about no one would be paying any attention to OKC.
    June 12, 2012 2:26 pm
    Oh - relevance- no one is paying attention anyway. If Luke really cares so much, I'm sure a lot of your loyal listeners would be happy to buy him a ticket to OK City.

    A return ticket ?????????????????????

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  • d-sport wrote...
    I Don't Think So
    June 12, 2012 4:35 pm
    Schultz doesn't have a conscience because if he did he never would have done what he did. No the silver lining is that this is getting the fans in this city fired up now to help push to pass this arena in August that is the silver lining of this.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • awbitf wrote...
    Schults has 100 million reasons to not care
    June 13, 2012 6:32 am
    he bought and sold the team for $$$ only.

    Remember the press conference where it was announced that you bought the team and exclaimed "My dad would be so proud."?

    he sure would, institution killer. He sure would.

    Hey Howard, how's your lawsuit against Clay Bennett going? You know the one you filed because you said he didn't make the good faith effort to keep the team in town, per the purchase agreement?

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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