James Donaldson

Longtime Seattle media guy, Jason Puckett, hosts Iconic Sonics for the first time. He's joined by former Sonic Coach and Hall of Famer, George Karl. Puck and Coach discuss the passing of Sonics legend, Bob Kloppenburg, George's recent trip to OKC and the start of the NBA playoffs. They also talk about young hoops stars including SGA, Chet, Maxey, ANT and Wemby.   You can check out Jason's daily content at pucksports.com or on X and Instagram. And you can check out more Iconic Sonics at iconicsonics.com as well as on X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and wherever else you get your media.   Thanks to all our partners who make this Season of Iconic Sonics possible -- Rise Above, Simply Seattle, the Edgewater Hotel, Epic Seats, the Hall Group and Swinomish Casino and Lodge.  

The NBA's new media rights deal is reportedly the final step before the League potentially expands. Guest Hosts Chris Daniels and David Rumsey from Front Office Sports discuss the League's upcoming rights deal, including the dollar figures, timeline and Amazon's potential involvement.Chris and David also talk about the pending League expansion. They discuss how institutional and international capital could affect things and what we should expect for the Sonics return at this point.For more on David Rumsey, visit frontofficesports.com or @_DavidRumsey on X. Thanks to our current partners, Rise Above, the Hall Group, Epic Seats, Simply Seattle, the Edgewater Hotel and the Swinomish Casino and Lodge.  To get discounts on great sports and entertainment tickets from Epic Seats, use the code Coachk.  And use Iconic15 for discounts on Sonics gear, Storm gear and more from Simply Seattle.

Nate McMillan, AKA Mr. Sonic or Mac10, joins the Show for a second time and a first time as part of our special series, Iconic Sonics City Edition. Nate sat down with Omari Salisbury in the Black Media Matters studio during a recent visit to Seattle. They talk here about Nate's connection to the Emerald City, some of his closest relationships in Seattle and and his history with the Black community in town. Mac10 and Omari also discuss his new foundation, the Nate McMillan Foundation, and if he envisions being a part of the future Sonics organization. Thanks to Iconic Sonic Season 5 partners Rise Above, the Edgewater Hotel, Simply Seattle, Epic Seats, the Hall and Swinomish Casino and Lodge. Plus Converge Media, Seattle Magazine and the Nate McMillan Foundation. This episode was produced in partnership with Converge. You can check out the video edition at: https://www.youtube.com/@ConvergeMedia/videos. You can learn more about Nate's new foundation here: https://www.natemcmillanfoundation.org/  The team behind this production included Brett Goldberg, Omari Salisbury, Ciella Sfirri, Allena Rouse, Cory Jackson, Trevor Bond, Danny Ball, Ike Everard and Besa Gordon.

Things are warming up regarding the Sonics anticipated return and Guest Hosts Brian Robinson and KOMO's Chris Daniels kick off the season with an episode of our new series, Iconic Sonic News.  Brian and Chris discuss relevant NBA expansion topics, including recent Sonics mentions from Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. Iconic Sonic Executive Producer Brett Goldberg also joins the Episode briefly in order to help kick things off this season. Thanks to all our Season 5 partners including Rise Above, Epic Seats, the Edgewater Hotel, Simply Seattle, the Hall and Swinomish Casino and Lodge.Plus Converge Media, Seattle Magazine and the Nate McMillan Foundation! This Episode was produced by Brett Goldberg, Allena Rouse, Cory Jackson, Trevor Bond and Danny Ball.  It was edited by Ciella Sfirri. 

Gary Payton makes a return appearance on Iconic Sonics for the Season Finale.  The Glove discusses his active coaching career, his love and connection to Seattle and Oakland, his new partnership with George Karl and Truth+Media and more. Thanks to all our Season 4 partners and partners on this episode starting with our Title Partner, Rise Above, and continuing with Epic Seats, Swinomish Casino and Lodge, the Queen Anne Beer Hall, Simply Seattle, the Edgewater Hotel and Seattle Magazine! 

Blaine native, Pacific Northwest legend and former Sonic Luke Ridnour joins the Show to reconnect with Mike Gastineau.  Luke and Mike talk about former Sonic teammates including Ray Allen, Jeff Green, Rashard Lewis, Nick Collison, Vladimir Radmanovic and his former NBA coaches including Nate McMillian, Scott Skiles and Rick Adelman. They also discuss what Luke is up to now, including serving as the father and the hoops coach for his six sons. He shares too how he thinks about the NBA today and the hopeful return of the NBA to his home state.   Thanks to our partners Rise Above, Epic Seats, Swinomish Casino and Lodge, the Queen Anne Beer Hall, Simply Seattle, the Edgewater Hotel and Seattle Magazine for helping make this episode possible.       

Former Sonic, Vin Baker, joins the Show to talk about his time in Seattle and what he's up to now in Milwaukee.  Recorded with Vin in Greece, who is working out this summer with the Antetokounmpo brothers, Baker discusses his experience as a Sonic and his relationships with guys including Gary Payton and Michael Jordan.  He also talks candidly about his experiences with alcoholism and his 13 years of sobriety. This Episode is presented by Rise Above, Epic Seats, Swinomish Casino and Lodge, the Queen Anne Beer Hall, Simply Seattle, the Edgewater Hotel and Seattle Magazine. 

We're joined in this Episode by Jeff Green, one of two active NBA players who formerly played for the Seattle SuperSonics.  Uncle Jeff joins us on the eve of the NBA Western Conference Finals to discuss his career, his time in Seattle, Kevin Durant and what he's looking forward to in the weeks and years ahead.  This Episode is presented by Rise Above, Epic Seats, Swinomish Casino and Lodge, the Queen Anne Beer Hall, Simply Seattle, the Edgewater Hotel and Seattle Magazine!  

Recorded live at the Edgewater Hotel a few weeks back, we're joined here by icons Lenny Wilkens, Spencer Hawes, Sandy Gregory and Show Host, Mike Gastineau.  The group discusses several topics from the Seattle sports community including the Odessa Brown Children's Clinic, Rise Above, the recently created Sonics Legends Fund and more.    In particular, the Legends Fund has been helping iconic Sonics Gus Williams and Slick Watts with medical treatment and health services.  Visit more about the Fund at https://www.sonicslegendsfund.org/   Thanks to Rise Above, the Edgewater, Seattle Magazine and all our partners for their support of this Episode.  

Today on Iconic Sonics, we’re joined by Guest Host Chris Daniels and Guest Kurt Badenhausen, a sports valuation reporter at Sportico and former senior editor at Forbes.  On the Show we dive into NBA expansion talk, how the new collective bargaining agreement will affect players and owners alike and what a $75 Billion media rights deal might look like. This Episode is presented by Rise Above, Epic Seats, Swinomish Casino & Lodge, the Queen Anne Beer Hall, Simply Seattle, Seattle Magazine and the Edgewater Hotel.