NBA Basketball: Seattle SuperSonics Wallpapers

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In 2006, the Sonics were sold to an investment group led by Clayton Bennett, who said the team would stay in Seattle if a new arena complex was built. After several attempts to try and get Washington state and local governments to fund a $500 million dollar arena complex in Renton, Washington, Bennett requested arbitration with the City of Seattle to be released from their lease on KeyArena and notified the NBA that he wanted to relocate the team to Oklahoma City. When the arbitration request was rejected by a judge, the City of Seattle sued Bennett's ownership group to force them to stay until the end of the lease.

In April 2008, the release of some of the ownership group's internal emails showing that Bennett and some of the members were talking about moving the team to Oklahoma City prior to the purchase,[6] the city accused the ownership of failing to negotiate in good faith and former owner, Howard Schultz, filed a lawsuit to have the court take control of the team citing fraud and misrepresentation in buying the team and for breach of contract after the purchase.

Bennett's attorney's filed a motion accusing the city of duplicity by suing the team to make "the Oklahomans' bleed cash in a hostile media environment" and force them to sell to a local ownership group led by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. The move for the 2008-2009 season was given approval by the NBA Board of Governors pending the outcome of litigation over the lease and ownership of the team. A court session began on June 16 to determine if the Sonics can move to Oklahoma City for the 2008-2009 NBA season or if they must honor their lease with KeyArena and remain in Seattle until 2010