Russell Wilson wants the NBA back in Seattle

Watching the NBA Playoffs, it’s likely Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson took a step back and wondered why his city doesn’t host a professional basketball team.

Maybe it was watching current members of the Oakland Raiders attend the Golden State Warriors playoff game Tuesday night or something else, one thing is clear: Wilson wants NBA basketball back in the Emerald City:

In no way is Wilson wrong here. Seattle has proven it can support professional sports teams, especially with the way the city has taken to both the Mariners and Seahawks.

A petition surely sounds nice here, but it’s unlikely to do much.

The Seattle City Council just recently voted against setting aside an area of the downtown to build a new basketball arena, a decision that is said to have pushed back the potential of a return of the NBA to the city by 60 months.

Seattle’s old NBA team, the Sonics, relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder following the 2007-08 season.

Years after that relocation, fans in Seattle received a jolt of energy with news that the Sacramento Kings were sold to a group that included current Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer with an intention to move the team to the Pacific Northwest.

Unfortunately, the NBA’s Board of Governors voted 22-8 against relocation, pretty much ending any hope of relocation. With this, the Kings remained under their old ownership group and in California’s capital city.

There’s little doubt that Seattle deserves a NBA team. It just doesn’t seem like this is going to happen any time soon.

Until then, maybe Wilson can make that trek to Oakland to watch the Warriors play with home-town hero and former teammate Marshawn Lynch.