The Seattle SuperSonics officially left Seattle in the summer of 2008, with the relocation to Oklahoma City becoming final on July 2, 2008.

Quick Scoop

  • The Sonics’ last game in Seattle was played on April 13, 2008, closing out a 41-year run in the city.
  • The legal settlement between the City of Seattle and owner Clay Bennett on July 2, 2008, allowed the franchise to break its KeyArena lease and relocate to Oklahoma City.
  • For the 2008–09 NBA season, the team debuted in Oklahoma City under a new name: the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Timeline snapshot

  1. October 2006 – Clay Bennett’s group purchases the Sonics, with controversy over their true intentions.
  1. Late 2007 – Bennett announces plans to move the team to Oklahoma City after failing to secure a new arena deal in Seattle.
  1. April 13, 2008 – Sonics play their final home game in Seattle.
  1. July 2, 2008 – Settlement is reached; the franchise is formally cleared to relocate and leave the “SuperSonics” name and colors in Seattle for possible future use.

So, when people ask “when did the Sonics leave Seattle,” they usually mean that pivotal summer of 2008—locked in by the July 2, 2008 relocation agreement, with the team gone by the start of the 2008–09 season.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.