Sonics fans confront ex-Sonics owner at book signing, sparks fly (video)

Yes, Seattle SuperSonics fans are still miffed over former owner Howard Schultz selling their team to the guy who moved it to Oklahoma City. Occasionally, that angst manifests itself like this. Other times, it’s louder. Like when filmmaker Adam Brown showed up at an Issaquah Costco on Friday to confront Schultz on film. For whatever reason, Schultz got one look at Brown — who was wearing Sonics gear — and asked store security to throw him out.

Brown is the producer of the documentary Sonicsgate, that chronicles the Sonics’ move to Oklahoma City (Jason Reid directed it). Schultz, president and CEO of Starbucks, was at Costco for a book signing.

Schultz was signing his new book “Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul.” Brown seemed intent on confronting Schultz about a missing piece of Seattle‘s soul, but another attendee beat him to it.

As Brown works his way through the line, a man in front of him whispers, “Watch this,” and proceeds to cut ahead and start yelling at Schultz.

“You betrayed the city of Seattle!” he yells. “… How do you show your face around here?”

After that, whatever Brown had planned goes out the window. Security descends on the scene and Brown is kicked out. Apparently, Schultz told security he specifically didn’t want Brown there.

“Schultz just confirms what we all knew,” Brown says. “You are a coward. You are a traitor.

“You owe Sonics fans an apology.”

Kind of a coincidence that the guy right in front of Brown gave him some great footage. A little too much of a coincidence. Anyway, Schultz kind of kicks himself in the butt by having Brown thrown out. If he’d just ignored him, I doubt the video would have received any publicity at all.

But as a former resident of Seattle myself, I think that browbeating Schultz for past misdeeds is a waste of energy. Schultz is a great businessman but was a terrible owner; he had no idea how to run a pro sports team, and the region is better off without him. The way I look at it, the Sonics franchise was destroyed to put it out of its misery. Better to close that chapter and use your energy to acquire another NBA team. Have Squatch attack David Stern at the Bellevue Fred Meyer; I would get behind that.

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Sonicsgate producer kicked out of Howard Shultz book signing [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]