A photograph of Tulalip Resort Casino in Tulalip, Washington, featuring the Seattle SuperSonics logo. The image accompanies Bellingham Metro News' exclusive interview with BlackSun regarding its NBA expansion proposal, potential Tribal ownership and plans for a new sports and entertainment district. (Fernando Gonzalez / Bellingham Metro News)
TULALIP — BlackSun says its effort to bring the Seattle SuperSonics back to Washington is moving forward, with the group already discussing its proposed Tulalip arena concept with the NBA, organizing an ownership group and beginning design work on a new sports and entertainment district north of Seattle.
In an Oct. 6 phone interview with Bellingham Metro News’ Fernando Gonzalez, BlackSun’s Global Chief Communications and Strategy Officer Nick Rathod provided new details about the group’s proposed $8.1 billion bid, its partnership with the Tulalip Tribes and the vision behind a permanent home for a potential NBA expansion franchise.
“We are full steam ahead on the bid,” Rathod said.
Rathod told Gonzalez that BlackSun has had “a few conversations already with the NBA” and has been working with financial and other partners to organize the capital needed for the bid.
The group is also finalizing what Rathod described as its governor and ownership group, which BlackSun hopes to announce within the next week or two.
The developments come as the NBA formally explores potential expansion into Seattle and Las Vegas. The league is evaluating prospective ownership groups, arena infrastructure and the broader economics of expansion, with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver saying the league is aiming to reach a decision on whether to expand by the end of 2026.
BlackSun’s proposal differs significantly from simply returning the Sonics to downtown Seattle. Rather than making Climate Pledge Arena the team’s permanent home, the group wants to build a purpose-built NBA arena on Tulalip land near Marysville, surrounded by a larger sports and entertainment district.
Rathod said BlackSun has reached an agreement with the Tulalip Tribes involving land for the proposed development.
“We have an agreement with the Tulalip Tribes, and they have committed significant acreage for the proposed arena and surrounding development as part of our partnership,” Rathod said.
The exact amount of land was not discussed during the interview.
The Tulalip Tribes could also have a considerably larger role than providing the property.
Asked whether Tulalip could eventually own part of the NBA team itself, the arena, surrounding development or some combination of those pieces, Rathod said yes, with the exact structure still being worked through.
What makes this different is that we don’t view the Tulalip Tribes as a sponsor or simply as the landowner,” Rathod said. “We see them as true partners in building this from the ground up—helping shape the arena, the entertainment district and the broader economic vision, with the opportunity to participate in the ownership and long-term value we create together.”
The proposed arena itself is still taking shape.
Rathod did not give an exact seating capacity but said BlackSun envisions a “world-class” facility capable of drawing fans from the Seattle metropolitan area and throughout the Pacific Northwest.
The Sonics would serve as the centerpiece of a larger destination rather than simply occupying an arena.
The facility would also be designed to host concerts and other major sporting events, while plans for the surrounding district envision restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues.
Rathod pointed to the arena issues that surrounded the final years of the original SuperSonics in Seattle as one reason BlackSun believes a purpose-built permanent home is important.
“We’re thinking about the arena as a modern facility within a broader entertainment district,” Rathod said. “The Sonics wouldn’t simply be a tenant in the facility. They would be the centerpiece of an entire sports and entertainment ecosystem.”
BlackSun is also beginning to put that vision on paper.
Asked directly whether the proposed Tulalip arena concept has been discussed with the NBA, Rathod confirmed that it has.
While he declined to go further into the substance of those conversations, Rathod said BlackSun is working with several partners to develop sketches and designs showing what the arena and surrounding entertainment district could look like.
The group hopes to begin sharing those concepts with the NBA and the Seattle community within the next few weeks.
“We’re now working with several partners on the development of those sketches and designs,” Rathod said.
When Gonzalez asked about a preliminary price tag for the arena and entertainment district, Rathod said BlackSun’s “bid overall is $8.1 billion.”
The $8.1 billion figure refers to BlackSun’s overall proposed bid and was not presented during the interview as the construction cost of the arena itself.
Financing for the proposal would come from a combination of sources.
Rathod said BlackSun expects to work with private capital, family offices and other partners to assemble the financing behind the ownership group and project.
BlackSun’s plan does not come from dissatisfaction with Climate Pledge Arena.
“Climate Pledge is a great arena,” Rathod said.
Instead, he described BlackSun’s proposal as a different vision, one centered on giving the SuperSonics a permanent facility of their own.
Rather than being one tenant among several teams, Rathod said the Tulalip development would be built around the Sonics and the experience surrounding the franchise.
Transportation is also being considered as plans for the Tulalip development move forward.
The Interstate 5 corridor through Everett, Marysville and Tulalip already carries heavy traffic, and an NBA team would need to move thousands of fans into and out of the area during its home schedule.
Rathod said BlackSun is looking at the entire game-day trip, including highway access, regional transit, park-and-ride facilities, dedicated game-day transportation and shuttles.
“We would never ask fans to make 41 trips a year to an arena without a credible transportation plan,” Rathod said.
He said bringing roughly 18,000 people into and out of an arena anywhere in the Puget Sound region presents a transportation challenge and that BlackSun wants those issues considered from the beginning as the arena plans develop.
If the NBA ultimately awards a Seattle expansion franchise to BlackSun’s ownership group, the group does not expect the Tulalip arena to be ready for the team’s first season.
Rathod said the group anticipates that the Sonics could initially play at Climate Pledge Arena while the new arena and entertainment district are constructed, subject to reaching the necessary agreements.
“We anticipate that there could be an initial period where we partner with Climate Pledge and play there while the new arena and entertainment district are being built,” Rathod said.
Construction of the Tulalip arena would ultimately depend on BlackSun’s group receiving approval for an NBA expansion franchise.
For Rathod, the long-term nature of the proposal is one of its most important pieces.
He said BlackSun wants to build an ownership structure and permanent home intended to keep the SuperSonics in the region for generations, with the Tulalip Tribes participating as true partners rather than simply sponsors.
“We want to make sure that once the team is here, it never leaves,” Rathod said.
Asked what people in Washington should know about the proposal that may not yet have received enough attention, Rathod pointed back to that ownership philosophy and the Tribal partnership.
“We don’t want this to be just another model where billionaires pass a sports property from one owner to another,” Rathod said. “Our vision is centered on community, long-term partnership and keeping the Sonics in this region for generations.”
With the NBA’s expansion exploration continuing, BlackSun is now working on several fronts at once: assembling its ownership group, organizing financing, developing its Tulalip arena concepts and continuing its conversations with the league.
If the group’s current timeline holds, more details about both the people behind the bid and what a future Tulalip sports and entertainment district could look like may become public in the coming weeks.
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