Dec. 20, 1966: The NBA awards an expansion franchise to Seattle, under an ownership group led by California businessman Sam Schulman.
Oct. 13, 1967: The Sonics lose the first regular-season game in team history, 144-116, to the San Francisco Warriors.
Oct. 12, 1968: Seattle acquires guard Lenny Wilkens in a trade with St. Louis. Wilkens would go on to serve the team as a player, coach, player-coach and general manager, and would later become the first of five Sonics to have their jersey numbers retired.
May 11, 1973: Seeking to shake up what has never been more than a mediocre franchise, the Sonics sign former Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell to become the team’s new head coach.
April 1974: Seattle advances to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and reaches the second round before losing to Golden State.
June 1978: After opening the season with a 5-17 record, the Sonics rebound to reach the NBA Finals, only to lose to the Washington Bullets in seven games.
June 1, 1979: In a finals rematch, the Sonics defeat Washington 97-93 in Game 5 to win the NBA championship.
October 1983: Seattle businessman Barry Ackerley buys the Sonics from Schulman.
June 16, 1996: The Sonics lose Game 6 of the NBA Finals, 87-75, ending their series against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
March 30, 2001: The NBA approves the sale of the Sonics from Ackerley to an ownership group led by Starbucks Coffee founder and chairman Howard Schultz.
Feb. 20, 2003: Seattle trades guard Gary Payton, a nine-time all-star and the team’s all-time leader in several statistics, with guard Desmond Mason to the Milwaukee Bucks for a first-round draft pick and three players, including guard Ray Allen.
July 18, 2006: The Sonics are sold to a group headed by Oklahoma City businessman Clayton I. Bennett.
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