'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
For the first 41 years of its existence, the franchise was based in Seattle, during which, as the Seattle SuperSonics, it won three conference titles (1978, 1979, 1996) and the 1979 NBA championship. In comparison, the Oklahoma City Thunder won the Western Conference title in 2012.
The relocation of Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City was a successful effort by the ownership group of the Seattle SuperSonics to relocate the team from Seattle, Washington to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2008, Chesapeake Energy Arena began hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder. The rapid ascent of the organization resulted in OKC advancing to the Western Conference finals in both 2010–11 and 2013–14 and eventually, to the NBA finals in 2011–12.
The franchise has gone through a lot, at one point in time, sporting James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, all of whom have won the coveted NBA's regular season MVP award as of this moment. It amazes to think what could have happened if Harden had not been traded back in 2012 and KD wouldn't have jumped ship to the Warriors in 2016.
But what's done is done!
The venerable legacy of this illustrious organization is one worth revisiting. I'll guide you through the Top 5 All-time greatest players ever to don a Supersonics or a Thunder jersey.
#5 Jack Sikma
He was drafted eighth overall in 1977 by the Seattle SuperSonics and his on-court hustle got him a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1978.
From that point on, there was no stopping the blonde, curly-haired center, as he got seven consecutive All-Star Game selections (from 1979 to 1985). 1979 was the year when Sikma won an NBA Championship teamed up with talented players such as Dennis Johnson, Gus Williams and Paul Silas.
He was one of the most accurate shooting centers in NBA history and is among the franchise's top 5 in terms of field goals made (4,493) and points scored (12,034). Apart from being an adept shooter, Sikma was a monster on the defensive boards and led the league in defensive rebounds in both 1981–82 and 1983–84 while playing for Seattle, averaging an inhuman 10.8 total rebounds per game during his stay at the Sonics.
Sikma's stint with the Sonics ended in 1986 when he joined the Milwaukee Bucks.
#4 Fred Brown
Brown was selected 6th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1971 NBA Draft.
One of the highlights of Brown's career came when he led the NBA in three-point shooting percentage in 1979–80, which was the first season in which the three-point line was adopted by the league.
This pressed upon his ironic nickname "Downtown Freddie" which he got in high school due to his outside shooting skills. His career-high average of 23.1 points per game in the 1975-76 season got him an All-Star status, and he went on to lead the SuperSonics team to an NBA title in 1979 (his only NBA Championship).
When he retired in 1984, Brown was the SuperSonics' all-time leader in games played, points scored, field goals and free throws made. Currently, he's second in the organization in terms of games played and field goals made while ranking 4th on the franchise's total points scored list with 14,018 points stacked next to his name.
His #32 jersey has been retired by the Seattle SuperSonics.
#3 Russell Westbrook
Seattle SuperSonics selected Russell Westbrook as the 4th overall pick in the 2008 draft (Sonics then relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Oklahoma City Thunder six days later).
Westbrook averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in his first season and made the NBA's All-Rookie First Team. In his second year, and first season as a full-time starter, Westbrook went on to average 16.1 points, 8.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game.
He has amassed 17,184 points for the OKC franchise which is 3rd on the franchise's all-time points scored list. He has 6,113 assists to his name, ranking second to only Gary Payton's 7,384 for the franchise and also ranks 3rd in the organization in terms of career steals (1,300) and career rebounds (4,953).
In the 2016-17 season, he joined Robertson (five times) and Wilt Chamberlain (twice) as the only players in NBA history to record 20 triple-doubles in a season. He averaged a triple-double by the time the season ended with 31.6 ppg, 10.4 apg and 10.7 rpg, winning NBA's regular season MVP of the year. Westbrook is nicknamed "Mr. Triple Double" for a reason.
A 7-time All-Star, the closest Russell has come to an NBA championship was in 2012, when aided by Durant’s 28.5 points per game in the postseason, OKC advanced to the NBA Finals, where the team lost to the Miami Heat in a five-game series.
#2 Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant was selected as the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, and went on to average 20.3 ppg in his rookie season, lifting the 'NBA Rookie of the Year' trophy in 2008.
Leaving just the first two years of his career, KD has been named an All-star in all the rest of his seasons in the league till date. Sporting a career average of 27.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg while his time at the OKC/Sonics, Durant came to be recognized as an offensive weapon feared throughout the NBA.
Beginning with the 2009–10 season, the dynamic Durant led the NBA in total points for five straight seasons and in scoring average four times (he finished second in 2012–13). He set career highs of 32 points and 5.5 assists per game (along with 7.4 rebounds per contest) in the 2013-14 season and ended up landing the MVP trophy in 2014. He leads the franchise in terms of points scored per game, with an average of 27.1 ppg.
During the off-season of 2016, Durant shocked the NBA by leaving the Thunder in free agency to sign with the Golden State Warriors and has won two titles with them ever since.
Though marred by loyalty issues, he has nevertheless, left an indelible mark on the OKC franchise's history books through his inhuman scoring prowess.
#1 Gary Payton
Payton was the 2nd overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics and went on to dedicate his first 12 and a half seasons to the Sonics.
Gary Payton was NBA's Defensive Player of the year in 1996, averaging an astounding 2.9 steals per game in the 1995-96 season. He led the league in steals in the very same season and became the only point guard in the league to win the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award. He was a member of the NBA All-defensive First team for 9 years(1994-2002) in a row.
He stacked up a mammoth total of 2,445 steals and is currently ranked 4th on the all-time steals list. Payton's legacy at the Seattle SuperSonics remained devoid of a title, though led by Dwyane Wade and Payton’s contemporary Shaquille O’Neal, the Heat won the NBA title in 2006, giving Payton his one and only NBA Championship ring.
Gary Payton leads the OKC/Sonics franchise in games played, minutes played, points scored, field goals, assists and steals.
Payton was rightfully inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
