Washington Governor Bob Ferguson held a meeting with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday to discuss bringing professional basketball back to Seattle. The conversation appeared on Ferguson's official calendar and was confirmed by the governor's office as focused on restoring the Sonics franchise.

The meeting occurred via Zoom at Ferguson's request. The governor's office described it as an introductory call where the two had a productive conversation and Ferguson offered to provide assistance.

Silver has discussed expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas multiple times. The commissioner plans to make a decision on league expansion sometime in 2026.

"We are looking at Seattle, we've looked at other markets as well," Silver said in December. "I want to be sensitive about the notion that we are somehow teasing these markets because I know we've been talking about it for a while."

The Seattle Supersonics relocated to Oklahoma City over 15 years ago, leaving lasting disappointment among Seattle basketball fans. Steven Pyeatt, founder of the Save Our Sonics movement, invested significant time attempting to prevent the team's departure.

"I have not watched a full NBA game since then," Pyeatt said.

Pyeatt called the original relocation a failure of local leadership. He expressed cautious optimism about current efforts and praised Ferguson's negotiating abilities.

"The disservice that happened here," he said. "It was political malfeasance that happened here. We deserve to have a team back."

The meeting surfaced when KIRO 7 spotted the calendar entry among Ferguson's typical appointments with caucuses, councils and senators. The Thursday 11:15 a.m. slot with Silver stood out immediately.

"All the pieces are here," Pyeatt said. "All we need is a go."

Pyeatt and Ferguson previously competed against each other for a King County Council seat in 2005.

"What we lacked back then, when the team moved, was leadership," Pyeatt said. "But I believe we have leadership now at the state level that can get this done."