During his annual “State of the City” address on Tuesday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell shared what he sees as the city’s progress. However, a joke he made during the speech quickly went viral.
At one point, Harrell paused and said, “Right at this moment, I have an announcement to make.” He then pulled out a basketball and began spinning it, hinting at a big reveal. For a moment, it seemed like he might announce the return of the Seattle Supersonics to the city. But Harrell quickly pulled the ball back and laughed, saying, “I’m just kidding, I just got you.”
The audience, which included council members, city officials, and civic leaders, initially cheered but then groaned and laughed in response.
“It’s a long speech, I had to break it up a little here,” Harrell explained before continuing with his address.
A video of the moment, shared by KOMO News photojournalists TK Johnson and Dan Liberator, quickly gained over 400,000 views on social media. The reaction, however, has been largely negative, with many expressing frustration over the joke, suggesting that it still stings for fans of the Sonics.
Harrell has frequently mentioned his desire to bring the team back to Seattle. He was a city council member in 2008 when Mayor Greg Nickels signed an agreement allowing the team to move to Oklahoma City. Notably, Harrell did not support Nickels during that decision.
Interestingly, Nickels was sitting just a few rows away from the stage when Harrell made the joke on Tuesday.
