I owe a dept of gratitude to many folks for helping me with the following history, including my older brother Richard, Lenny Wilkens' book Unguarded, several members of the American Professional Basketball Association (including Al Hoffman, Michael K. Tomada, and Robert Bradley), and several others. Any inaccuracies are my fault, and should be corrected by emailing me at kdkeefe33@aol.com, or by posting a message on this website's message board.

There are at least two primary individuals responsible for the longevity and success of the Seattle SuperSonics: owner Sam Schulman and player/coach Lenny Wilkens. Some folks might include a few other individuals such as coach Bill Russell, early superstar Spencer Haywood, and terrific radio announcer Bob Blackburn. But as you will see in this and later installments of the Supes' history, Schulman and Wilkens loomed largest in building the Sonics into a quality NBA franchise. But first things first: the beginning.

The first year of Sonic Basketball was exciting despite their losing record (23-59). Thanks to such players as the 76ers' Wilt Chamberlain and the Royals' Oscar Robertson, NBA basketball was growing in popularity, though still far behind the college game, pro football, and major league baseball. A group led by Sam Schulman secured one of two available expansion slots for that season--and so the league grew from 10 to 12 teams. Despite the fact that the rival ABA began that year as well, there were plenty of talented college players to choose from. The San Diego Rockets were one team (later moving to Houston). The Seattle SuperSonics were the other team, named after the SuperSonic Transport (SST) project. Seattle was a growing city and upwardly mobile (at times, depending on the layoff situation at Boeing), so the NBA figured the Jet City was a good risk.

Alright, so the Sonics were named after a Boeing project that left town -- and caused massive layoffs which nearly brought the city of Seattle to its knees -- before the team celebrated its fifth birthday. But hey, it was Pro Hoops, and it was exciting. At least, as a five year old kid, I was excited -- I would be able to watch guys like Russell and Chamberlain in person! Unfortunately, my father didn't bring me to any games that year, but eventually I would. I would have to listen to the games on the radio, and being only 5, most of the play by play sounded like slick gibberish.

For most others in Seattle, it turned out to be a ho-hum affair. In the initial season, attendance was pathetic (6500 per game.) But the team was exciting to watch, even if they didn't win much (they were 9-19 at home, 7-24 on the road, and 7-16 on neutral courts.)

Led by coach and mentor Al Bianchi, the Sonics were the 3rd highest scoring team in the league (118.7 pts per game), though they were one of the worst defensive teams in NBA history (they gave up 125.1 pts, 4 points more than any other team in the league that year.)

Second-round pick Bob Rule started at center. At 6-9 and a listed 220 pounds (he was actually much heavier), Rule was a bit short for the position, and he could not defend NBA centers. But he showed tremendous rebounding and scoring ability for a rookie, averaging 18 pts, 9.5 rebounds, 49% field goal shooting, and 4 fouls per contest. He made the All-Rookie team, and was without question the steal of the draft.

Veteran Tom Meschery, selected in the expansion draft from the Warriors, started at one forward position. It's not proper to call him a power forward -- he was only 6-6, 215 pounds; in fact the Sonics' only power" forward was starting at center. But this guy played like a madman--that, along with his wild and gregarious personality, had made him an extremely popular player in his years playing in the Bay area. Despite his size he loved to play an intense and physical game. He averaged 14.5 points on 47% shooting from the field, 10.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 4 personal fouls per game, and had 14 DQ's in the season. He was one of the reasons the Sonics were exciting to watch--he didn't know when to stop. But like Rule, his defense was not particularly great. To him, good defense was making hard contact.

Al Tucker was the Sonics' first-round pick, a 6-8, 190 pound forward out of a small Baptist college, and big things were expected from him. Like Rule, he was a member of the All-Rookie team. He averaged 13 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. As skinny as he was, it was hard for him to guard most of the forwards in the game like John Havlicek and Elgin Baylor (ok, it was hard for ANYBODY to guard those guys!)

At shooting guard, another veteran joined the team, Rod Thorn (who would later work in management for a few NBA teams and also worked as head of NBA player discipline.) Not surprisingly, he was a disciplined, efficient worker, who had played with Lenny Wilkens for the St. Louis Hawks. The 6-4, 195-pounder averaged 15 points (a career high), 4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in only 25 minutes per game. He missed 16 games from injury.

The point guard, and perhaps the most exciting player to watch, was Walt Hazzard. Hazzard had wallowed for three years on the Lakers' bench, but in his first and only year with the Sonics, he exploded. The 6-2, 190 pound Hazzard averaged 24 points per game (his career high and 7th in the league that year), 6.2 assists (5th in the league), and 4.2 rebounds. Hazzard could slash to the basket, pull up for a quick jumper, or dish it off to Rule at the last instant. He was just what the Sonics needed, and owner Sam Schulman loved his style of play. Hazzard was the Sonics' representative at the All-Star game.

Veterans (taken through the expansion draft) made up the main part of the Sonics' bench. Backup guard Bob Weiss was deadly from outside and averaged nearly 10 pts and over 4 assists in only 20 minutes of play per game. Guard/forward Tommy "Krash" Kron hustled like Meschery, and was a versatile asset off the bench with 9.7 pts, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.7 asssists in 24 minutes per game. Kron was nicknamed "Krash" because of his tendency to dive and crash into fellow players, chairs, and even fans in his ongoing quest for loose balls. Dorie Murray and George Wilson backed up the front line and provided a combined 13 pts and 13 rebounds in a combined 34 minutes per game . Neither were very big (Wilson was only 6-8 and 230 pounds but was Rule's backup), and other than rebounding their defense was as poor as that of the rest of the team.

There were some memorable highlights in the season. The Sonics tied the LA Lakers 4-4, despite the awesome combination of Jerry West, Seattle U. legend Elgin Baylor, and rookie Gail Goodrich. Though the Sonics allowed 150 points in one game against the Lakers, they normally played them competitively, usually winning or losing by about 10 points.

Some trivia: The Sonics' first franchise win came against the San Diego Rockets (the 3rd game of the season), 117-110.

On November 21, 1967, Seattle beat the Lakers 137-132 in their first meeting. Most of the Sonics' victories over the Lakers came in November and December.

Teams with worse 1st-year records in the 60's: the 1961-62 Chicago Packers (18-62; aka The Washington Wizards); The 1967-68 San Diego Rockets (15-67; aka the Houston Rockets), the 1968-69 Phoenix Suns (16 66).

Teams with better 1st-year records in the 60's: The 1968-69 Milwaukee Bucks (27-55), the 1966-67 Chicago Bulls (33-48).

The Sonics have not yet had a worse record than their 1st year 23-59 mark.