Climate Pledge Arena is NBA-ready. Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Officials in Seattle and across Washington state cheered the news yesterday that the NBA is formally exploring bringing a team back to the Emerald City.
What they're saying: "Seattle is ready to welcome the Sonics home," Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said in a written statement.
"We never stopped being a basketball city, and the fans have never given up."
Wilson noted the city has "built a world-class arena" — a reference to Climate Pledge Arena, which opened in 2021.
Dissatisfaction with the former KeyArena, which Climate Pledge replaced, was one of the issues that contributed to the Sonics' departure in 2008.
"For two decades, Washingtonians have mourned the loss of our Sonics," Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a news release.
Ferguson noted that "we have the best fans in the NBA," and he plans "to be there at tipoff with thousands of fellow fans when the Sonics return."
"Today's vote is a milestone in the effort to bring NBA basketball back home."
