Hoops Heist: Seattle the Sonics and How a Stolen Team's Legacy Gave Rise to the NBA's Secret Empire

This is the untold story of the city of Seattle their beloved Sonics and how the legacy of their stolen team created a transcendent hoops culture and a pipeline of NBA All-Stars champions and icons with roots in the Emerald City and the Pacific Northwest.Few cities in the history of modern sports had a visceral connection to a professional sports team like the citizens of Seattle and their Sonics. Beginning with their first season in 1967 through their last in 2008 the citys love affair with their team and players was unlike any other. From Lenny Wilkens Spencer Haywood Slick Watts Downtown Freddie Brown and Jack Sikma through Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp and the electric 90s era all the way up to Ray Allens run and Kevin Durants single season Hoops Heist explores the incredible impact of the Sonics locally and the importance of the franchise nationally.Featuring exhaustive research and exclusive interviews with Seattle legends NBA Hall of Famers and the players who came of age in the Sonics shadow including Isaiah Thomas Brandon Roy Doug Christie Jason Terry Nate Robinson Jamal Crawford and more Hoops Heist captures the transcendence of the Pacific Northwests basketball scene and its ongoing influence in todays NBA.