Time spent in KeyArena left me longing for a Seattle NBA team

I went to a professional basketball game at KeyArena on Sunday.

Hall of Famer Julius “Dr. J” Erving sat courtside next to 11-time NBA Champion Bill Russell. The Glove, Gary Payton, was in the house. As was Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups, and White Chocolate, Jason Williams — the best ball handler that I’ve ever seen in person.

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If I closed my eyes and just listened, it took me back to my very first assignment in radio. Don and I had done a few weekend shows on KJR AM. The program director gave me a tape recorder and a press pass and told me, “Go back in the locker room after the game and get me some sound from Michael Jordan.”

Not to name drop, but I did as I was told. I have to admit I was a bit star struck standing next to arguably the most famous man on the planet holding a microphone up to his mouth.

After the initial rush faded, I kept thinking, “You’re not 6’6″. No way. I’m 6’1,” and you’re not 5 inches taller than me.”

But on Sunday, my eyes opened. Michael Jordan wasn’t playing. And neither were the Seattle Supersonics.

This was a professional game, hosted by the Ice Cube fronted Big 3, the first three-on-three professional basketball league. It was basically how you and I would play three-on-three. Half court, you have to reset behind the 3-point line after a turnover. Except for the fact that a few thousand people paid to watch and Hall of Famer Rick Barry was the coach. Oh, and there are three, 4-point shot circles added to the court in Steph Curry land. An innovation that made me wonder if I might see that in the big leagues some day.

So aside from nostalgia and selling lots of beer and hot dogs, is the City of Seattle missing out on anything by not having the NBA?

As you can see by now, I’m a bit biased. But my answer would be a resounding yes.

Here are my top answers, in no particular order.

• In their prime, NBA athletes are capable of performing some of the most athletic maneuvers known to man. NBA players are always in the conversation for fittest athletes in the world. The unique combination of size, strength, coordination, and endurance is remarkable. If you love sport, watching professional basketball in person is amazing.
• Seattle deserves a team. If ever there was a series of unfortunate events that screwed a faithful fan base, the Howard Shultz to Clay Bennett sale would be Exhibit A. Followed that up with then NBA Commissioner David Stern’s thinly veiled contempt for the City of Seattle’s refusal to pay for his shiny new toy of a building, and Emerald City fans were left in a lurch.
• It’s part of being a World Class American city. Seattle is growing at the clip of 1,100 people a week. A WEEK. The city is steadily climbing up the list in market size. Every single market ahead of Seattle has an NBA team. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Washington DC, Phoenix, Dallas, and Miami. We are every bit as worthy as any city on that list.

For the longest time, I described Seattle as a city that acted smaller than its market size. It still had a neighborhood feel to it. Not anymore. We all feel the growing pains as this area molts its skin to expand. Part of that expansion from a large market to major market is professional sports.

Seattle fought mightily to save the Mariners. The moving trucks full of Seahawks gear had to literally be turned around from a California exodus before Paul Allen bought the team. The Sonics are the ones that got away.

I scanned the rafters while I was at the Key for those old familiar banners, including the World Champion banner from 1979. They aren’t hanging there anymore. They are now part of the stolen history of the NBA team in Oklahoma City.

With all due respect to Ice Cube and the Three Headed Monsters, The Ball Hogs, and the Ghost Ballers, Seattle should be watching the SuperSonics play on that floor.