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NBA legend Gary Payton, who coached the Boston Ball Hogs to a 2026 championship in the Big3 league, spoke to Courtside Buzz about a potential return of the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA amid likely expansion. He played with the franchise for 13 seasons and averaged 18.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds over 1,093 games (999 in the regular season and 94 in the postseason), shooting 46.7% from the floor and 32.5% from the three-point line. Payton was a nine-time All-Star with the SuperSonics. So, of course, when the opportunity presented itself, Gary Payton wanted to give back to the franchise that drafted him in 1990 and gave him such a star-studded NBA career. “I’m a part of it. Our group is gonna be good. It’s going to be really good,” said Payton, who previously claimed he would openly recruit Kevin Durant to the franchise when the expansion happens. “I’m gonna help them in the front office and get players together like I do [in the BIG3]. We want Seattle to come back strong. It’s gonna be a journey for the first year or two, but we’re gonna get players who can play & coaches who can coach. We’re gonna be competitive, I know that. And I’m very trustworthy in the group that’s going to own it in Seattle, and I’m just looking forward to it,” Payton added. Gary Payton II, son of the SuperSonics legend, is also reportedly willing to commit to the SuperSonics on the same day it is confirmed they will be part of the next season. Their current target is the 2028-29 season. “I would probably request a trade immediately,” Payton II told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. “Even though I love where I’m at, it’s about being able to throw on that Sonics jersey before my career is over. “I really hope they end up getting that done so I can go hoop for the hometown one time.” Samantha Holloway, the owner of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, is currently the only publicly known bidder for the Seattle SuperSonics. But the full list of confirmed bidders and potential owners of the new teams in Las Vegas and Seattle is expected to be released later in 2026. Gary Payton not only offered his own help but also offered to bring along two franchise legends: Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf to help in an advisory capacity as he will be. The reporter from Courtside Buzz also asked Payton if he feels that Shawn Kemp deserves more recognition in today’s generation. “Yes, Shawn [Kemp] & Detlef Schrempf will be a part of Seattle. And yes, Shawn was great; y’all think about the players that play now and all them other little players; y’all gotta understand how good Shawn was. Shawn wasn’t just a dunker; he was a player. He could hit mid-range, shot free throws, he did a lot of things.” “And yes, I’m going to get him in the Hall of Fame. I’m going to keep talking about it and get people to put him in the Hall of Fame. He should be in the Hall of Fame for what he did,” Payton concluded. During his time with the SuperSonics, Shawn Kemp averaged 16.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 52.1% from the field across eight seasons with the team from 1989 to 1997. Payton feels his time with the SuperSonics amid a 14-year NBA career deserves Hall of Fame recognition. Detlef Schrempf is also a franchise veteran who spent six seasons with the team from 1993 to 1999. He averaged 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 49.4% from the field and 41.4% from behind the three-point line in that time. All three players were part of the team’s iconic 1996 NBA Finals run, which turned into a what-if story when they ran into Michael Jordan, who was making a comeback with the Chicago Bulls in 1996. But just because they never won a championship doesn’t mean the franchise doesn’t see value in their contributions or that the league doesn’t respect them. It will certainly be interesting to see how such iconic names returning to the franchise would spark a rebirth of SuperSonics culture in Seattle.