Old memories! A night of heartbreak! Seattleites who persevere!

If you ask a senior fan:

"Which NBA team is the most missed?"

Many people may answer: Seattle SuperSonics.

Compared with other teams, SuperSonics is not just a simple team name, but more, it is the heartbeat of the city of Seattle. And behind that green jersey is the youthful passion of an entire generation of fans, as well as a wandering sense of belonging that has been forcibly cut off.

Time goes back to April 13, 2008, when his SuperSonics defeated the Mavericks, officially ending their home journey that season.

Compared with previous games, the meaning behind this game is quite profound. This is their last home game in Seattle. Fans waved "Save Our Sonics" banners on the sidelines, crying and applauding, a mixture of sadness and regret. No one wants to believe that this team that once won the championship and made fans all over the city crazy is leaving like this.

And that year, they also had a very talented young man on the team: Kevin Durant. At that time, Adu was just a lanky rookie, averaging over 20 points per game. Under his shy smile, he seemed not to know that he was already standing on the breaking point of an era.

When it comes to Seattle, many people may think of coffee, rain, and Boeing planes. However, for a group of fans who love basketball, the name of Seattle seems to belong only to the SuperSonics team. Since the founding of the team in 1967, the SuperSonics have been associated with this city.

In the 1970s, the Seattle SuperSonics began to usher in their moment of glory. In 1979, Jack Sikma and Dennis Johnson led the Sonics to defeat the Bullets and win the only NBA championship in team history. The whole city was in an uproar, and almost everyone rushed to the streets to celebrate. Even the police were too lazy to maintain order because they were also celebrating.

Since then, basketball has become a striking symbol of the city. Basketball kids all over the city are dreaming of one day wearing the jersey with "SONICS" printed on it. Compared with other teams, in the hearts of Seattle fans, this love may not be just entertainment, but more of a blood inheritance.

Looking back at the history of the Sonics, if we want to pick the most representative Sonics lineup, the top spot must be the "Glove + Rain Man" combination of the 1990s.

Gary Payton is the toughest defensive back in NBA history; Sean Kemp is a man who flies higher than the rain. In 1996, the two led the team to the Finals. Although they eventually lost to the Bulls led by Jordan, this is still a glorious moment that cannot be erased in the hearts of Seattle fans.

They are not a powerful force with a collection of geniuses, but they possess a kind of power that refuses to admit defeat, a stubbornness that is unique to Yucheng.

No matter how beautiful the story is, there will eventually be moments of loneliness, but the real tragedy is not just losing, but that they lost the right to own the team.

In 2006, the Sonics were acquired by Oklahoma businessman Clay Bennett. On the surface, he announced publicly that he would not relocate, but privately, negotiations on a new arena and financial cooperation were already undercurrent. When the city council refused to pay for the new arena, everything was doomed.

In the summer of 2008, the SuperSonics officially announced their move to Oklahoma City, and the team was renamed the Oklahoma City Thunder. That day, the fans outside the Key Arena burst into tears. Those memories that had been with them for more than 40 years were completely wiped out by a business decision. Even the team's historical records and player honor records were left in Seattle, leaving only a new team without a past.

Under the Seattle sky, those children wearing SuperSonics jerseys don’t know who to cheer for in the future. That touch of green has since become the deepest regret in the NBA. After losing the SuperSonics, many fans said that basketball belonging to Seattle was dead, but in fact, the seeds of basketball never left this city.

Look at the names coming out of here: Jamal Crawford, Isaiah Thomas, Nate Robinson, Brandon Roy... these people are all from Seattle. Even though the team is gone, this city still produces countless NBA players.

To borrow Crawford's words:

"When we were playing since childhood, it was always raining. But we never waited for the weather to clear up. Basketball was our sunshine."

After the relocation, the Thunder rose rapidly, and the Thunder's three young men once supported the future. However, their home court is no longer in Seattle. Whenever the Thunder performs well, there are always fans who joke:

"That's the kids in Seattle winning games for other cities."

It may be difficult for outsiders to understand this kind of pain, just like a child who was raised since childhood and suddenly changed his last name and left home and never knew each other again. And you can only watch him step by step towards success.

In the past ten years or so, the news about the "SuperSonics' return to the NBA" has been mentioned almost every year, but until now, that green jersey can only exist in memories.

But one thing is certain. No matter how the league changes in the future, Seattle will always be the most missing piece of the NBA map. When giants such as Amazon, Starbucks, and Microsoft expand globally, basketball is still the deepest concern of Seattle people.

Just like an old fan said in an interview:

"We don't want a new team, we just want our SuperSonics back."

From 1967 to 2008, from the cheers of Key Arena to the empty auditorium, the Sonics have been with Seattle for 41 years. Looking back at that period of history now, you will find that Seattle lost not only a team, but also a loss of identity..

Fortunately, the story is not completely over yet. The new arena has been built, and the NBA has publicly stated many times that Seattle has always been at the top of the list of cities preferred for future expansion.

Perhaps one day in the future, when the new season begins, that green jersey will reappear on the court, and there will be fans in the audience bursting into tears again.

When the sun shines under the Seattle sky again, the city is still waiting for its basketball storm to return.