Gary Payton teases he'll have 'big role' in Seattle expansion franchise
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Expansion talks circulate throughout the NBA, and the case is no different for Gary Payton and a possible Seattle expansion team. He talked on the Courtside Tales Podcast and explained the immediate thing he’ll do in his role within the franchise.
It's coming, it's coming,” Payton said. “I think Adam Silver has done a great job, along with the other ownerships, to bring this back. I know they want to bring in 2 expansion teams. It might look like (Las) Vegas and Seattle, and yes, I'm very involved with it. I'm very involved with this group. We have a lot of discussions about a lot of things, and I'm in Seattle all the time.
“We're very excited, and I think we're going to get it back in the next three years. 2026, 2027, it might be that soon. I'm just very excited to get back involved. The role I'm going to play is going to be very big. The first thing I'm going to do is retire Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf's numbers.”
Seattle, which relocated to Oklahoma City and former the Oklahoma City Thunder, has always had a passionate fanbase. The organization relished the 1996 rip to the NBA Finals, where they took on the Chicago Bulls. The combination of Payton and Kemp, along with Schrempf, fueled one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
Gary Payton’s rumored ownership in Seattle isn’t the first case of a former player owning a team
Former players owning a part of a team is quite the trend now. For instance, Magic Johnson owns part of the NFL’s Washington Commanders. Dwyane Wade owns part of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. Lastly, Michael Jordan owned a substantial part of the Charlotte Hornets (then Bobcats). While the latter sold his part of the franchise, it still highlights elite players investing in the league.
Seattle has been rumored for a long time to bring a team back to the city. After all, the women’s affiliate, the Seattle Storm, consistently has one of the highest fan turnouts in the WNBA every season. If Seattle regains an NBA franchise, that following will likely be heightened and then some.
Regardless, Payton remains committed to owning his former franchise. If it were to happen, Payton would enshrine the legacy of his teammates and that era. Furthermore, it can officially signal the end of an era in Seattle and start a new one with a new franchise. After all, Payton has been supportive of the new generation. This could be a passing of the torch moment from one generation to the next.
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