The Sonics new logo unveiled prior to the 2001-02 NBA season is the sixth in the team's history. The revised official colors signal a return to the green and gold color scheme that represented the team in its inaugural 1967 season and during the 1979 NBA championship campaign. The following describes the evolution of the Sonics identity.
1967-70
The Seattle-based David Stern Advertising Agency created the first SuperSonics logo. The logo featured a SuperSonic jet ascending from a basketball that displayed the team's name.
1970-71
The 1970-71 logo was used only one season, but was introduced during the historic year that the Sonics' Spencer Haywood became the first player to jump from the ABA to the NBA. The short-lived logo gained even more exposure that season when Seattle player/coach Lenny Wilkens was named MVP of the NBA All-Star Game.
1971-75
The "Sonics" script from this logo was incorporated into the front of the uniform for the 1973-74 season. The following season, Sonics Head Coach Bill Russell had the uniform changed to resemble the jersey of his former team -- the Boston Celtics.
1975-95
The logo by local designer Dennis Strickland, which depicted the city's skyline within the shape of a basketball, was originally created for Seattle's hosting of the 1974 NBA All-Star Game. The All-Star design was red, white and blue, and featured stars above the illustration to represent the unique fact that the midseason classic was played at night. The logo was modified and adopted as the team's official logo prior to the 1975-76 season.
1995-2001
A fresh logo was created to mark the official opening of KeyArena -- the Sonics new home court in 1995. In the circular design, the word "SONICS" was depicted in a balloon-style font with Seattle's Space Needle representing the letter "I." The new design received worldwide exposure that year as the team earned a trip to the 1996 NBA Finals.
2001-present
The current logo and official colors celebrate both the Sonics heritage and the beginning of a new era. The traditional green and gold color scheme is resurrected from the team's inaugural 1967-68 season and 1979 championship campaign. The design combines both classic and progressive elements.
Team Name History
Seattle's NBA franchise selected its team name through a public contest that generated more than 25,000 ideas. The winning entry was a sign of the times with more than 200 submittals with the name "SuperSonics." During the 1960s, The Boeing Company had announced its proposal to build a Concorde-style jet known as the SuperSonic Transport. Though the plan to roll out the conceptualized aircraft never happened, the name had a lasting effect on the public.
In the end, local school teacher Howard E. Schmidt and his son Brent were credited with originating "SuperSonics" as the club's name. They won the competition by submitting the first entry suggesting "SuperSonics" -- the organization's final choice for its moniker. Although the team is often referred to as the "Sonics," the official name of the franchise remains "SuperSonics."
