Where are they now? The 2007-08 Seattle SuperSonics

The 2016-17 NBA season has come to a close, making it officially nine years since our beloved Seattle SuperSonics packed up and headed southeast.

That 2007-08 team was, for the most part, pretty forgettable. They finished the season 20-62, good for dead last in the Western Conference. The team was made up of mostly a mish-mash of veterans and guys who probably belonged in the Development League, and then there was Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant and fellow lottery pick Jeff Green. The team wasn’t built to win, it was built to shine the diamond that was KD so that he could sparkle once the team got to OKC.

Let’s take a look at the 21 players to suit up in Seattle SuperSonics’ green and gold that season and where they are now.

• Nick Collison
  Collison still plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, although he will become a free agent on July 1. In 20 games played last season, he averaged 1.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 6.4 minutes per game. He will be 37 by the time next season, his 14th, starts but, as of last month, he said he plans on returning. “I wasn't sure going into the season how I would feel at the end of the year, but I still enjoy playing, and I enjoy being around the group. I enjoy being on the team, and I still think I have something to offer."
• Ronald Dupree
  Dupree only played four games for the Sonics and - aside from a cup of coffee with the Toronto Raptors in 2010 - spent most of his career bouncing around the DLeague, playing for the Tulsa 66ers, Los Angeles D-Fenders, and Utah Flash. He also had a couple stints overseas in Argentina, Germany, and Israel. In 2014, he retired and became a Student Assistant at Louisiana State University under then-coach Johnny Jones. When Jones was fired and became the head coach at the University of Nevada, Dupree followed and is now an assistant coach for the Wolfpack.
• Kevin Durant
  Durant has, by far, been the most successful player from the 2007-08 Sonics. After winning Rookie of the Year, he went on to win the NBA MVP award in 2014 after scoring 32 points per game. He has averaged 27.2 points per game over his career. Last summer, Durant left the Thunder and joined the Golden State Warriors, where he won the 2017 NBA Championship and was named NBA Finals MVP. He has a player option for next season that he is expected to exercise. Durant will actually be declining his player option to get a larger pay day. (Credit: Kevin Pelton)
• Francisco Elson
  Elson bounced around the league, playing for Milwaukee, Utah, and Philadelphia after the Sonics moved. He retired in March of 2014 and is now Senior Managing Director for a pain relief cream called Flexpower in the Netherlands.
• Mickael Gelabale
  Gelabale spent most of his post-Sonics career overseas, playing for teams in Spain, Russia, and his native France. He did return to the league in 2012-13 with the Minnesota Timberwolves, playing in 36 games. “Gelly” still plays professionally for Le Mans Sarthe of the French league LNB Pro A, averaging 8.6 points per game. He also plays for France’s national basketball team in international competition.
• Eddie Gill
  Eddie Gill suited up for one game as a SuperSonic in their final season. He played five minutes and recorded one assist. It’s not much but it’s enough to get him on this list. Other than six games with Milwaukee the following season, Gill’s post-Sonics career was spent mostly in Germany and Australia. He retired in 2012 and is now a financial adviser, specializing in wealth management, at Wells Fargo. He is also a Board Member of The Children’s Bureau & Marian University and is active in community initiatives with the Indiana Pacers.
• Jeff Green
  “Uncle” Jeff Green, the man the Sonics traded Ray Allen for, has had some trouble sticking with one team. Green stayed with the Thunder for three seasons before being traded to the Boston Celtics (the team that originally drafted him). He played four seasons there before being traded again, this time to the Memphis Grizzlies. After two seasons with them, he was traded yet again to the Los Angeles Clippers. He played 27 games for the Clippers and then signed with the Orlando Magic last summer. He averaged 9.2 points per game and missed the last nine games of the season with a back injury.
• Adrian Griffin
  Griffin was traded mid-season to the Milwaukee Bucks, who then waived him and subsequently hired him to their coaching staff. He stayed in that role for two seasons before joining Tom Thibodeau and the Chicago Bulls. He would serve as an assistant there for five seasons before being hired by the Orlando Magic, then joining the Oklahoma City Thunder the following season.
• Donyell Marshall
  After his tenure with the Sonics he was released by the Thunder. He played one final season with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers before retiring. He immediately jumped into the collegiate coaching ranks as an assistant for first George Washington for a season, then the Maine Red Claws called his name, the following year he headed to Rider University. He spent the last year as head coach of the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils men's basketball team. The team finished 6-23 for the season. Despite the bad record he’s considered one of the rising stars in the collegiate coaching realm.
• Ira Newble
  Newble only played two games for the Sonics after being traded to them from the Cavs. He was quickly released. Newble bounced around a bit more after his release playing in Europe to finish his career. After his retirement from playing he became an assistant for the Canton Charge. He’s currently slated to start his third season with Bakersfield Jam as an assistant.
• Johan Petro
  After leaving the Sonics, Petro bounced around the league, even being traded for “ISO” Joe Johnson at one point. His claim to fame during his Nets tenure is that he scored the final points for the team when they were in New Jersey. Petro has played for seven franchises since his time with the Nets. He last played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the D-Leauge this past season. He is currently a free agent.
• Luke Ridnour
  After the Sonics left for OKC, Luke had a bit of a time sticking with one franchise. In the seven years post-Seattle, Luke was traded seven times. Four of those times came in a span of a six days. Ridnour is now retired and running an extensive basketball camp up in Blaine. We’ve reached out for numerous interview requests, but have yet to hear back from him. I feel he is destined to be the coach of the Suns in the next couple of years. You’ll see why in a bit.
• Mouhamed Sene
  Sene is one of the many failed center projects of Sonics Draft Lore. The oft injured center has bounced around the NBA, D-League, and overseas franchises since his depture from Seattle. He last played for the Spurs D-League team in 2016. He’s currently a tutor in the Senegal SEED Programme.
• Robert Swift
  This SI piece more than covers it.
• Wally Szczerbiak
  Szczerbiak was traded midseason to Cleveland where he played in 99 regular season games for the Cavs and a few more in the playoffs. After his third major knee surgery Szczerbiak retired from the sport and jumped right into being a collegiate basketball analyst for CBS Sports. He now works for the MSG Network covering his childhood team, the New York Knicks.
• Kurt Thomas
  Retired in 2013 after being released by the Knicks. We dug as much as we could to get some info on Thomas, but the man has been very successful at staying completely out of the spotlight the last four years.
• Earl Watson
  Watson is currently the head coach of the Phoenix Suns. He played for three more teams before becoming an assistant coach in the Spurs system. Watson is currently heading into his third season as Suns coach where he has a 33-82 record. He’s got a lot of young talent to work with. (Correction credit: Kevin Pelton)
• Delonte West
  The Huff Post has an incredibly sad story on West. Again, they cover it way better than we could.
• Chris Wilcox
  Wilcox played for the Celtics, Pistons, and the Knicks before he retired in 2013 due to a heart condition. Chris hosts an annual golf outing called the Chris Wilcox Power Forward to Save Lives. The event benefits the local Raleigh chapters of the American Heart Association and the Lupus Foundation of America. His jersey is framed in my office for obvious reasons.
• Damien Wilkins
  At the age of 37, Wilkins is still playing basketball in the D-League, for the Hornets’ affiliate team, the Greensboro Swarm. He last played in the NBA in 2013 for the Philadelphia 76ers. He has also played in China, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
• Mike Wilks
  After a couple months in OKC, Wilks was released when the Thunder brought in Eric Maynor. After not finding another NBA squad, Wilks finished his playing career in Poland. He joined the Thunder as a scout in 2012 and is now their Director of College Player Personnel.

Coaching staff

• P.J. Carlesimo
  After being unceremoniously dumped the season after the Sonics left for OKC, P.J. spent a couple years as an assistant in Toronto and Brooklyn. He took over for Avery Johnson in 2013, after the Nets fired Johnson. Now you can hear P.J. doing color commentary for Turner and ESPN.
• Scott Brooks
  Brooks currently the Head Coach of the Washington Wizards. He led the Thunder to the Finals in 2012 and was the hottest young coaching prospect in the league. His Wizards squad is a fast rising team, taking the #1 seed Boston Celtics to the seven games in the second round of the 2017 playoffs. He has a 387-240 record as a head coach in the NBA.
• Mark Bryant
  Bryant is still on the Thunder coaching staff. This could be his lot in life going forward.
• Ralph Lewis
  Lewis stuck with the Thunder until June of 2009. In 2010, he joined the Charlotte Bobcats as an assistant to Paul Silas. He spent three seasons in Charlotte before being fired. He is now retired.
• Paul Westhead
  After spending one year as an assistant for the Thunder, Westhead signed a five-year contract to become head coach of the Oregon Ducks womens basketball team. He had a record of 65-90 while there and his contract was not renewed. He is now retired.