Thursday's Sonics Rally featured a handful of big names, but no two names were bigger than Gary Payton's and Chris Hansen's. Gary Payton is the unquestionable face of the Sonics franchise and Sonics history in general. "The Glove" could see hundreds of people at Occidental Park wearing his No. 20 jersey. Payton reiterated his wish to have his jersey hung up in the rafters in Seattle.
Sonics Rally 2012, Gary Payton Speech (via kcacabelos)
None of this would have been possible without the efforts of Chris Hansen. The formerly mysterious Hansen showed up in the flesh for every Sonics fan to see and addressed the crowd at Occidental Park. The man behind the stadium proposal urged fans to voice their opinion and their passion in letters and emails to the Seattle City and King County councils.
Sonics Rally 2012, Chris Hansen Speech (via kcacabelos)
Stay right here with us in our Sonics Arena Rally StoryStream and for more background on the bid to build a new sports arena in Seattle, head over to our NBA, NHL in Seattle StoryStream.