EXCLUSIVE: Kraken CEO on the NBA's inevitable return to Seattle
SEATTLE - As the Seattle Kraken continues its first Stanley Cup Playoff run, we’re hearing from the man who brought the Kraken to Seattle and headed up the effort to build Climate Pledge Arena.
In an exclusive interview with FOX 13, Kraken President and CEO Tod Leiweke says it's not a matter of if – but when – NBA basketball returns to Seattle.
FOX 13’s Bill Wixey asked Leiweke what that timeline looks like, and it appears the Sonics could return sooner than we think.
BILL: "Being in touch with the fans, as you are, you know that we want to get the Sonics back to Seattle. It was always about the arena. That was the issue beforehand, and now, we have an arena that any NBA owner would be proud to put their team in. The TV deal runs out 2025, they’re talking $75 billion for that. When people come to me and say, ‘when are the Sonics coming back?’ I say, ‘it’s a matter of time.’ Is that any sort of indication as to when we could get the NBA back?"
"You know, you go with the fans, and the fans want it," said Leiweke. "Somebody said, ‘hey maybe we could get a team to relocate?’ I'm not sure that I’d ever want to participate in something like that, because of the heartbreak.
"I think for Sonics fans who very much want that team to come back, if you see a Kraken fan at a bar, buy them a beer. It was the hockey team that got this arena built. And we built it, really, for basketball.
"The design principle that really guided the building, initially, was the incredible intimacy of that bowl. A basketball floor is smaller than a hockey rink, and you see lots of arenas that are bigger than ours. Our focus was on that fan experience – not just for Kraken games, but for Storm games, basketball games, for Seattle University and someday the NBA."
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BILL: "In terms of the timeline, what’s happening with the NBA's Board of Governors and the TV deal, are those any indication of something coming out to play?"
"One miracle at a time. I’ll tell you this, if people think we went through this and didn’t anticipate the NBA coming, we’re ready," said Leiweke. "The building was built for it, the locker room is ready to go, the economics are built for it, our ownership is committed to it.
"There’s also the right side of the ledger and the spiritual part of this. That was an incredible thing I witnessed, the Sonics left? The first team here? This town that is starting to truly hit its stride as a global city loses the first professional team? It just wasn’t right. But that is going to get fixed.
"The Rubik’s Cube to that, is an arena. The government says they don’t want to invest in these kinds of facilities anymore. I get it. We did! We put close to $1.2 billion into this. The cost rose with COVID-cost supply chains, but this ownership group didn’t blink. We never cut a corner."
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BILL: "So the ownership group, is that in place? Do we have a point person that will take that and run with it for the Sonics?"
"We’re poised, we’re ready," said Leiweke. "All we have to do is look at the Bonderman family pedigree. Mr. Bonderman owns part of the Celtics. His daughter (Samantha Holloway, co-owner of the Kraken) literally moved here. She made this her home.
"Her family is deeply committed – and Sam is not only the boss and owner, she's a great friend who shares all these values. I think that’s why the family made such a big commitment. They lead our investor group, and we have some phenomenal folks in our investor group. So there’s a lot to be proud of here."
EDITOR’S NOTE: This interview was edited for length and clarity.