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The City of Seattle
Resolution
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A resolution affirming The City of Seattle's readiness for a National Basketball Association (NBA) team; declaring that Climate Pledge Arena is ready for an NBA team; and affirming Seattle is a basketball city.
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Recitals:
On March 25, 2026, the National Basketball Association (NBA) Board of Governors voted unanimously to formally explore expansion to Seattle, making Seattle an official candidate to receive a franchise.
Seattle has a proud and storied history as home to the Seattle SuperSonics, an NBA franchise from 1967 to 2008, including the 1979 NBA Championship team that remains a source of civic pride and identity.
Seattle has continued to cultivate one of the nation's strongest basketball ecosystems, with sustained growth in youth participation, elite grassroots programs, and nationally recognized high school and collegiate competition.
Generations of players from Seattle and the Pacific Northwest have gone on to successful collegiate and professional careers, reinforcing Seattle's reputation as a premier talent pipeline and a community deeply connected to the game of basketball at every level.
The departure of the Seattle SuperSonics left a lasting impact on the Seattle community, and public interest in the return of the NBA has remained strong and consistent across generations of residents.
Through a competitive request for proposals process initiated in 2017, The City of Seattle (City) ensured the original home of the Seattle SuperSonics was successfully redeveloped and modernized into today's Climate Pledge Arena - a 100 percent privately-funded, world-class, sustainable, state-of-the-art facility designed to host professional basketball at the highest level.
The construction and redevelopment of Climate Pledge Arena was made possible by thousands of skilled union construction workers and building trades profes...
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