Ferguson meets Silver to bring the Sonics back to Seattle.

Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson will meet with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday.

The meeting is about bringing the SuperSonics back to Seattle.

It will be held virtually.

Ferguson's office reached out to set it up.

The governor announced the meeting Wednesday at the end of his postelection media availability in Olympia.

This is not their first conversation.

Ferguson and Silver first met virtually on Feb. 5.

That was a month after Ferguson used his State of the State address to call for the Sonics' return.

They met again in March.

That was before the NBA officially said it was focused solely on Seattle and Las Vegas as expansion markets.

It was also before the expected price tag for the new franchises started climbing significantly.

Ferguson described his role in the process.

"My role in this is to maintain communication with the commissioner," he said.

"My suspicion is, we reached out to make sure that I'm doing what I can to be helpful in that process, to bring a team back to Seattle."

He also said he remains optimistic.

"I think what I would say is I still remain optimistic," Ferguson said.

"I read all the same news that you do about what is going on with Las Vegas and Seattle."

"I don't pretend to have a crystal ball on that and those conversations going on with NBA owners," he added.

Ferguson emphasized Seattle's history with the franchise.

"What I do know is Seattle has a deep history here with Sonic basketball," he said.

"I lived it as a kid, living close to the old Coliseum."

He argued that the city checks every box for the league.

"Our bid is strong, we have the right arena," Ferguson said.

"I mean, we check each and every box that the NBA could possibly hope to have for someone bidding for a new team."

Ferguson pointed to national sentiment.

"Look, I think fans and NBA players across the country understand that NBA basketball needs to return to Seattle," he said.

The SuperSonics left Seattle in 2008.

The team relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder.

Seattle had won the NBA championship in 1979.

The franchise had been in the city since 1967.

The current bid to bring the team back is led by One Roof Sports and Entertainment.

That group has been viewed as the only viable bid from the outset for Seattle.

In Las Vegas, three separate groups are competing for the expansion team.

A decision on the winning group in Las Vegas is expected soon.

The NBA has said it intends to make a final decision on expansion before the end of the calendar year.

In March, the NBA's Board of Governors voted to formally explore expansion into Seattle and Las Vegas.

The league also hired an investment bank to evaluate both markets.

The evaluation includes their arenas and potential ownership groups.

Any expansion still requires approval from the league's current owners.

Silver has acknowledged that the NBA could decide against expanding at all.

Fans reacting to news of Thursday's meeting were not optimistic.

"Well that seals it… Sonics ain't comin' back," one fan wrote.

Another fan added: "It's over."

"Oh, we're doomed," a third fan commented.

One observer was critical of Washington state itself.

"We all know there is zero chance of the Sonics coming back to this mess of a state," the comment read.

Other reactions focused on what Ferguson could accomplish in the meeting.

"Don't screw this up, please," a fan remarked.

Another fan appealed directly to the governor: "Bring it home."

The meeting comes at a time when the NBA is facing criticism over its schedule.

Bill Simmons, a prominent basketball analyst and podcaster, has publicly ripped Silver.

Simmons accused Silver of "negligence and greed" over the 82-game schedule.

He called the schedule "inexcusable and semi-reprehensible."

Simmons said Silver is "ruining your players" by refusing to shorten the season.

Star injuries have piled up just two weeks into the 2026-27 NBA season.

Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton have already missed time.

Simmons is not the only critic.

Stephen A. Smith has pushed back against Silver's alternative idea.

Silver has been considering cutting games from 48 minutes to 40 minutes.

The idea is to reduce wear and tear on players.