The Oklahoma City Kevin Durants?

According to ESPN.com, the Seattle Supersonics, who look closer and closer to relocating to Oklahoma City next season, are considering changing their team name. The franchise, with a storied history in the Emerald City lasting over forty years, has flaunted some of the NBA's more interesting characters: Gary Payton, Detlef Schrempf, Shawn Kemp, and my personal favorite, nerd-turned-punk Robert Swift. Thus, it's not surprising to see some nationalistic movements against the possibility of the Sonics in the buzzing metropolis of Oklahoma City.



And as one-half of the NBA's real estate in the Pacific Northwest and of the famed I-5 rivalry (along with Trail Blazers), the Sonics' relocation will leave the national basketball map a bit lonely on the left hand side. The gray, rainy city of Seattle will now only have hairless Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks to devote their depressed selves to.

Especially if they do change their team name, I will genuinely miss the Sonics. I grew up watching Kemp's thunderous dunks, Payton yelling at referees for no reason, and Shrempf's European crew cut. And although I almost threw up at the first sight of skinny boy Kevin Durant in that green and yellow, I've come to appreciate him as the face of that city (just after Hendrix, of course). And besides, how could you not love a team with the same name as your favorite hedgehog?

And please, in the name of WNBA babe Lauren Jackson, just don't take the Storm too!

-K.H. (Robert Swift's high school bully).

KJ to challenge Obama as best African-American basketball player in politics

Three-time NBA All-Star and dunk-o-matic Kevin Johnson* will be running for mayor in his hometown of Sacramento, a oddly foreign city which declares itself the capital of California (Is this the plot of some Will Ferrell movie or something?!).


This fade is gettin' federal on yo ass.

I usually don't like it when athletes become politicians. Coached athleticism really shouldn't be an advantage to any legislator, no matter what district, state, or department. However, I may consider Johnson as a rare exception to that rule. The man simply known as "KJ" was one of the first NBA icons that I remember from my childhood. I was around 5 years old when I secretly wanted that sweet fade on my head just like Johnson. Unfortunately, I never got that fade and some bald, white guy named Jason Kidd replaced KJ.

However, as a politics major, I now may be able to reconnect my childhood ties with the former Suns guard in future. Who knows? Maybe you'll see a 2024 Johnson-Hsu ticket with the campaign slogan "Rock the Fade."

- K.H.

*Not to be confused with heavily moustached Browns wide reciever Kevin Johnson.