Starbucks Corp. has ended a long-term sponsorship of the Seattle Sonics a year after the coffee giant's chairman, Howard Schultz, sold the NBA team.

The company also will no longer pour its drinks in KeyArena, the home of the Sonics, as Seattle-based Caffe Appassionato has won that contract and is now a sponsor.

"We are moving away from sports sponsorships," said Valerie O'Neil, a Starbucks' spokeswoman. "The Sonics' sponsorship by Starbucks was completely separate from Howard's ownership of the team. The sponsorship predated Howard's ownership, and it has been a long-term relationship that we decided not to renew. ... The timing is coincidental."