Clay Bennett has always said he grew up dreaming of owning the Dallas Cowboys. Whether that's revisionist history or the true story of a precocious kid is irrelevant. Because it's irrefutable that once grown, Bennett wanted to own a major league franchise.
Ten years ago Monday, Bennett reached his goal. The Professional Basketball Club, LLC, a partnership of Oklahoma City businessmen led by Bennett, bought the Seattle SuperSonics for $350 million. Bennett was in the NBA club. Soon enough, so was Oklahoma City.
All the thrills, all the chills, all the disappointment and heartbreak, all the sizzling nights downtown when the Thunder put on one of the greatest shows in sport and not just Americans but people from every coast to every coast tuned in to watch, stemmed from July 18, 2006.