"Sonicsgate" is a feature documentary film exposing the truth behind how Seattle lost the SuperSonics after a heated legal battle in 2008. The perfect storm of corporate greed and political impotence formed to rob loyal Seattle sports fans of their oldest professional franchise. The team's celebrated 41-year run in Seattle included an NBA Championship, three Western Conference titles, six division titles and legendary players such as Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Ray Allen, Tom Chambers, Xavier McDaniel, Jack Sikma, Freddy Brown, Slick Watts and Spencer Haywood... just to name a few. As NBA salaries skyrocketed following the 1999 player lockout, the league's business model changed to require expansive new buildings paid for with taxpayer dollars. Seattle's KeyArena, built in 1995 as a remodel of the old Seattle Coliseum, just wouldn't cut it anymore according to NBA Commissioner David Stern...
Direction
Reid turns city council footage into legitimate thriller sequences.
Editing
Juxtaposing archival glory with present-day Oklahoma City—brutal.
Director
Jason Reid
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Jason Reid maxed out credit cards and slept on friends' couches for two years to finish the film—then released it free on YouTube where it went viral.
The documentary helped fuel the 'Sonics Rising' movement that eventually brought NHL hockey to Seattle, proving the city's sports appetite never died—just its NBA franchise.
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