For the first time in more than 15 years, the return of the Seattle SuperSonics feels closer to reality than nostalgia. A high-level meeting between Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has reignited hope that professional basketball could finally be headed back to the Emerald City. The discussion is the strongest public signal yet that the league’s long-anticipated expansion plans are gaining real momentum.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
And with Seattle emerging as a prime candidate, the ripple effects could stretch beyond the Pacific Northwest, potentially reshaping the ownership ambitions of NBA legends eager to land franchises of their own. While Seattle’s revival dominates the conversation, the broader expansion landscape has caught the attention of some of basketball’s biggest names.
The NBA’s domestic expansion plans used to thrill Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James, among a few others. Both expressed their desires to become team owners of a brand-new franchise. They neither want to collaborate nor enter existing franchises.
Here’s where the geography gets complicated. The Sonics aren’t technically brand new. And Shaq and Bron want to own a team in Las Vegas for their distinct reasons.
But the league’s priorities appear to be shifting. Adam Silver’s latest moves indicate he’s proactively working on NBA Europe and a Seattle team, while Las Vegas remains on his radar but hasn’t advanced as quickly.
The recent developments stem from direct outreach by Washington state leadership. The NBA’s communications team confirmed that Gov. Ferguson’s office reached out to the league first. Ferguson says he had a productive phone call with the NBA Commissioner to resurrect professional basketball in the Emerald City. A spokesperson from the Governor’s office said in a statement how much this talk personally means to him.
BREAKING: Adam Silver & Washington Governor Bob Ferguson had a “good introductory conversation” regarding bringing the Supersonics back to Seattle.
If the NBA were to expand, Seattle, Las Vegas, & other cities are under consideration.
Should the NBA bring back the Sonics? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/6nrP09Cnxf
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) February 7, 2026
“As a kid, the governor grew up attending many Sonics games and attending the Lenny Wilkens basketball camp. The governor recently reached out to Commissioner Adam Silver, requesting an introductory meeting. They had a good conversation, and the governor offered to be helpful,” the statement read.
Seattle has been without the Supersonics since 2008 after the franchise moved to Oklahoma City. Emerald City has been living their hoops love vicariously through the Thunder. Still, they really want the team that Gary Payton, Ray Allen, and Gus Williams created and passed on to a generation with Kevin Durant and Jamal Crawford.
Previously, Silver hosted a massive conference in London with Pau Gasol and global sports capital groups to build momentum for NBA Europe. He’s taken the first logistical steps for the NBA expansion. But it would disappoint Shaq and Bron’s future pursuits.
Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James’ dream just got pushed down the priority list
The Climate Pledge Arena was built on the old KeyArena site in 2021. There’s a Big Chicken outlet in this arena, serving as a marker of Shaquille O’Neal’s plan to make his favorite comfort food a sports-viewing staple. But the Big Aristotle’s ambitions are far greater.
Since Adam Silver announced that the NBA is planning to add more teams in 2024, Shaq declared he wants to bring Vegas its own NBA team. While the Aces represent it in the WNBA, it’s sorely missing an NBA team. Las Vegas is where Shaq launched Big Chicken, Shaq Fantasy Labs, and other businesses, hosts his DJ events, and is where his dream youth facility is under construction.
But while Shaq wanted to rep the Entertainment Capital of the NBA, LeBron James hinted he wanted to own a Vegas team, too. Shaq immediately fired back that he would not collaborate with James and wants to be the chief shotcaller.
Stephen A. Smith also claimed that the NBA Board of Governors would rather approve Shaq over Bron. Meanwhile, O’Neal publicly asked Mark Cuban, the former majority owner of the Mavericks, to help him with a Vegas team on The Big Podcast. Cuban agreed on the caveat that Shaq brings LeBron on board.
While Shaq is open to collaborating with James now, they have bigger rivals. And those rivals might not be other billionaires; they might be cities themselves. Seattle could present a strategic dilemma for them and the NBA. A Vegas team would cost at least $7 billion, since it won’t be possible to share the Aces’ facility long-term. Seattle has been ready for basketball for two decades, prepared to host the new Sonics in ClimatePledge Arena when they arrive.
The contrast between the two markets couldn’t be starker. While Seattle has the turnkey solution of an existing arena and a dormant, beloved brand, the Las Vegas bid favored by James and O’Neal relies heavily on the city’s recent transformation into a global sports destination and the A’ja Wilson-led Aces repping basketball.
On paper, the league’s expansion math seems simple: an NBA expansion will require two teams, so Vegas and Seattle are expected to be the choices. But timing and momentum may tell a different story. Gov. Ferguson’s initiative might put Seattle at the top of Adam Silver’s to-do list rather than dealing with Shaq and Bron’s pipe dreams.