Climate (Pledge Arena) Is Right For Return Of Sonics, NBA

The NBA’s return to Seattle partially hinged on a home arena better than the one they left. Climate Pledge Arena was the ingenious solution.

Tod Leiweke, parent company CEO of the Seattle Kraken (and proposed Seattle Sonics) called it “a 30-year problem.”

The “problem” – a Key Arena the NBA no longer found suitable – was actually several problems. Obstacle one: the league allowed carpetbagging owners from Oklahoma City to abscond with the Sonics in 2008, leaving Seattle without an Association team to cheer for. Obstacle two: winter pro sports leagues would only be enticed by a home with significant upgrades.

“Places like KeyArena felt like dilapidated homes on a block full of McMansions,” wrote Jordan Ritter Conn of The Ringer. Why? Because during the first decade of the 2000s, cities around the NBA were constructing palaces for their franchises. “These new buildings were built for one reason: money. We’re talking about luxury suites, corporate sponsors. We’re talking about hosting major concerts and other big events.”

New tenants weren’t likely to come knocking on Key Arena’s door. Despite a 1997 renovation, The Key didn’t have luxury amenities to lure expansion sports teams. Meanwhile, substandard acoustics meant Des Moines, Iowa was booking concerts ahead of the Emerald City.

Obstacle three: no matter that the MLB Mariners and NFL Seahawks had won earlier taxpayer funding for new playpens. The public appetite for such largess had evaporated by the time the Sonics went looking for their handout. Sonics president Wally Walker at the time called it “Sports Facility Fatigue.”

In 2006, 74% of Seattle voters approved Initiative 91, requiring the city to receive a “fair value” return on any taxpayer funding for professional sports facilities. A decade later, the Seattle City Council voted 5-4 against $200 million in public money for a proposed new arena next to the baseball and football stadiums.

Solution To “The Problem”

Leiweke, an NFL executive in 2017, took a call from his brother Tim, CEO of Oak View Group development company. Brother Tim said, “I think we might be able to figure out that arena situation.” Tod promptly left his pro football COO gig to return to Seattle, where he’d previously been a Seahawks executive.

Without asking for taxpayer subsidies, Oak View Group won the right to reimagine the one-time Seattle Center Coliseum, originally built for the 1962 World’s Fair. Work began on Dec. 5, 2018, one day after the NHL officially green-lit an expansion team for Seattle. The birth of the Kraken undeniably played a large role in the possible rebirth of the Sonics.

OVG made sure the new arena would be “compliant with NBA standards,” according to the Climate Pledge Arena website. A reported $50 million was allocated specifically to meet those requirements.

Literally ‘Raising The Roof’

Obstacle four: renovating Key Arena created a new series of problems to overcome. “There were engineers who said we couldn’t hold up the roof” while excavations were done beneath, Leiweke recalled.

Ah, the 44-million-pound roof. Be sure to admire it when arriving at or exiting from CPA. Paul Thiry, known throughout Washington as the “Father of architectural modernism,” had designed the distinctive roof for the World’s Fair. The first engineering marvel was detaching it from concrete columns and buttresses. The second was supporting it through use of temporary steel columns, cross-beams, and a “kickstand.” All 22,000 tons floated above a hive of construction until being lowered atop the new arena.

One concession to the roof’s age and design is that the arena features two giant video boards – known as “the twins” – offset above the playing surface. Placing a single scoreboard high above the center circle/center ice was determined to not be structurally sound.

Financial & Ecological Sustainability

Obstacle five: “There were others,” Leiweke recalled during a 2024 Seattle University commencement speech, “that said this can’t be privately funded. It’s never been done before in sports in our town.”

Originally estimated at $700 million, Climate Pledge Arena’s final price tag came in closer to $1.15 billion. Part of the reason was a hurdle not even Tod Leiweke saw coming, smack in the middle of the renovation: COVID. OVG and other investors are recouping their money from events since the building’s 2021 opening.

From SeattleCenter.com: “This project completely transformed the building beneath its iconic, landmarked roof structure, nearly doubling the interior space. The project included a new entry atrium and below-grade expansion for additional seating and circulation, parking for 400 vehicles, and a loading dock accessed by an underground tunnel. It also upgraded outdoor spaces on the site and signage.”

Sustainability is one of the mantras of Climate Pledge Arena. The ice the NHL Kraken skate on at CPA is reclaimed rainwater.

The arena is named after The Climate Pledge, an initiative founded by Amazon and Global Optimism, asking corporations to become net zero carbon by 2040. In October 2023, the building became the first arena in the world to receive International Living Future Institute’s Zero Carbon certification. A year later, CPA received a Platinum certification for operating a functionally zero waste arena by The Green Business Certification. (More than 93% of generated waste is compostable or recyclable.)

Boffo Basketball Reviews

“What an awesome venue,” Colorado State men’s basketball coach Niko Medved told the Tacoma News-Tribune, when CPA hosted NCAA tournament games in March. “What an awesome set-up here. Just incredible. I know this: This is a great basketball town. People love basketball here. What more can you ask for?”

During past “Rain City Showcase” NBA exhibition games, the 18,100-seat venue also drew rave reviews. These quotes are plucked from various Seattle Times stories.

“A facility that’s top notch,” said former Sonic Detlef Schrempf, “puts everyone on notice that if there’s a team that’s available, this is the place to be.”

“(Seattle)’s got the best building in the world,” said former Sonics coach George Karl. “How does the NBA say no to that?”

“I’m so excited to see Climate Pledge Arena, this fantastic building, light up tonight,” Clippers owner and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told the crowd in 2022.

“A world-class facility, built for an NBA basketball team,” Seattle University VP of athletics Shaney Fink said. “I focus first on the fan experience, because I think that does impact the overall experience for the athletes. There’s not a bad seat in the house. A lot of great energy. You can feel it bouncing off the walls. Every detail is set for the fan and for that experience.”

Former Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird, who finished her storied WNBA career playing at CPA, and whose retired #10 hangs from the rafters, said, “Climate Pledge exceeded my expectations. This place was built with basketball in mind. They really thought of everything from the players to the fans.”