Bennett the OKC Thunder Chairman has finally make his decision to…
Around 2006, when Clay Bennett was still running the Seattle SuperSonics, he was sitting in his hotel room at the Washington Athletic Club. The telephone rang.
Russell offered to assist Bennett in attempting to finalize an arena deal in Seattle, where Russell has resided since coaching the Sonics in the 1970s, after speaking with NBA Commissioner David Stern.
“Beyond our process in Seattle and the business of the team and the league, we developed a very special friendship,” Bennett remarked.
A phone call went the other way a few months ago. Russell was called by Bennett. Bennett was prepared with his pitch. But Russell cut it short before it even got underway.
Russell remarked, “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
What it is: Bennett will be inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame on Monday night at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Sport’s greatest champion will introduce the Thunder chairman, the man largely responsible for bringing the NBA to town.
Between 1957 and 1969, a 13-season span, Russell guided the Celtics to 11 NBA titles. For many fans, including a young Sam Presti, who grew up in Massachusetts and currently oversees the Thunder’s basketball operations under Bennett, he became a basketball star, a social icon, and a hero.
Bill Russell is a hero to Oklahomans like none before. The majority of Oklahoma’s heroes were celebrities from other states or cities. Jimmy Thorpe and Mickey Mantle. even though Barry Sanders and Lee Roy Selmon were college students who excelled here.
However, we now have our own heroes. The best thing about Bennett’s Monday night induction is that. It stands for future developments. Bennett will eventually be followed by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and unidentified Boomers.
“It’s exciting for the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame to now welcome our own NBA heroes,” Bennett remarked. “Kevin and Russ will undoubtedly pave the way for many future inductions of Thunder players, coaches, and management.”
Oklahoma City was a sleepy capital twenty years ago. a house out in the country. You wouldn’t want to travel there, but it’s a nice place to live—especially if you’re allergic to excitement.
population stagnation. a weak economy. Downtown is dead.
Oklahoma City has changed since then. Thriving economy. revitalized the city center. Young people involved in different kinds of activities.
It wasn’t just one basketball team that accomplished all of that. However, the Thunder have raised awareness in a city that is now alert and The Thunder served as a platform for Oklahomans to showcase their self-made achievements, with many of them bouncing off the walls.
