1978–79 Seattle SuperSonics season

NBA professional basketball team season (won Championship) March 2026 August 2023 Seattle SuperSonics yes yes yes 1979 52 30 Pacific 1 1 Lenny Wilkens Zollie Volchok Kingdome Sam Schulman KIRO-TV 7(Wayne Cody, Steve Jones) KIRO–AM 710(Bob Blackburn) NBA champions(defeated Bullets 4–1) SEA The 1978–79 Seattle SuperSonics season was the team's 12th since the franchise began, and their most successful, winning their only NBA title while being based in Seattle. In the playoffs, the SuperSonics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the Semi-finals, then defeated the Phoenix Suns in seven games in the Conference Finals to reach the NBA Finals for a second consecutive season in a rematch of the 1978 NBA Finals, facing the defending NBA champion Washington Bullets whom they had lost to in seven games. The Sonics would go on to avenge their NBA Finals loss and defeat the Bullets in five games, winning their first and only NBA championship. Dennis Johnson was named the NBA Finals MVP. They would not reach another NBA Finals until 1996 in which they were led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. They also would not win another until 2025 as the Oklahoma City Thunder. This was Seattle's first professional sports championship since the Seattle Metropolitans won the Stanley Cup in 1917. Off-season Draft 1978 NBA draft Round Pick Player Position Nationality College 2 39 James Lee F United States Kentucky 2 42 Keven McDonald F United States Penn 3 61 Dave Baxter G United States Michigan 4 83 Billy Lewis F United States Illinois State 5 105 Ralph Drollinger C United States UCLA Roster Seattle SuperSonics 1978–79 21 Dennis Awtrey C 6 10 235 1948–02–22 Santa Clara 32 Fred Brown basketball G 6 3 182 1948–08–07 Iowa 10 Joe Hassett G 6 5 180 1955–09–11 Providence 24 Dennis Johnson G 6 4 185 1954–09–18 Pepperdine 27 John Johnson basketball, born 1947 F 6 7 200 1947–10–18 Iowa 23 Tom LaGarde F/C 6 10 220 1955–02–10 North Carolina 22 Jackie Robinson basketball, born 1955 F 6 6 210 1955–05–20 UNLV 8 Lonnie Shelton F 6 8 240 1955–10–19 Oregon State 43 Jack Sikma F/C 6 11 230 1955–11–14 Illinois Wesleyan 35 Paul Silas F/C 6 7 220 1943–07–12 Creighton 11 Dick Snyder F/G 6 5 207 1944–02–01 Davidson College 42 Wally Walker F 6 7 190 1954–07–18 Virginia 1 Gus Williams basketball G 6 2 175 1953–10–10 USC Lenny Wilkens (Providence) https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SEA/1979.html 1979–06–26 Season standings SEA SEA Game log Regular season Seattle SuperSonics 1979 Total: 52–30 (Home: 31–10; Road: 21–20) Seattle SuperSonics October yes no 5 0 2 1 |- | 1 | October 13 | Chicago | 0027800096 104 86 | Dennis Johnson (26) | Jack Sikma (12) | Jack Sikma (6) | Kingdome15,219 | 1–0 |- | 2 | October 15 | Kansas City | 0027800017 115 105 | Fred Brown (26) | Lonnie Shelton (8) | Fred Brown (5) | Kingdome11,609 | 2–0 |- | 3 | October 17 | @ New York | 0027800021 120 109 | Tied Brown, D. Johnson, Shelton (20) | Jack Sikma (12) | Tied Brown, D. Johnson, J. Johnson, Williams (5) | Madison Square Garden10,155 | 3–0 |- | 4 | October 18 | @ Indiana | 0027800031 99 92 | Dennis Johnson (20) | Tom LaGarde (15) | Tied Brown, LaGarde, Sika, WIlliams (3) | Market Square Arena7,683 | 4–0 |- | 5 | October 20 | San Antonio | 0027800037 133 117 | Tom LaGarde (32) | Tom LaGarde (13) | Tied Brown, J. Johnson, Williams (6) | Kingdome20,172 | 5–0 |- | 6 | October 25 | Washington | 0027800067 121 92 | Gus Williams (24) | Lonnie Shelton (15) | Dennis Johnson (4) | Kingdome15,089 | 6–0 |- | 7 | October 27 | Milwaukee | 0027800076 80 79 | Fred Brown (20) | Jack Sikma (13) | Fred Brown (3) | Kingdome19,060 | 7–0 |- | 8 | October 29 | @ San Diego | 0027800086 100 103 | John Johnson (20) | Jack Sikma (11) | Tied J. Johnson, Sikma (3) | San Diego Sports Arena9,469 | 7–1 Seattle SuperSonics November no 6 3 3 1 |- | 9 | November 2 | @ Detroit | 0027800103 95 94 | Jack Sikma (20) | Jack Sikma (17) | Tied Brown, SIkma, Silas (4) | Pontiac Silverdome7,432 | 8–1 |- | 10 | November 3 | @ New Jersey | 0027800112 102 81 | Gus Williams (27) | Tom LaGarde (16) | Gus Williams (6) | Rutgers Athletic Center4,756 | 9–1 |- | 11 | November 8 | New York | 0027800134 100 104 | Jack Sikma (22) | John Johnson (8) | Dennis Johnson (5) | Kingdome23,516 | 9–2 |- | 12 | November 10 | Cleveland | 0027800143 109 95 | Lonnie Shelton (19) | Jack Sikma (14) | Fred Brown (9) | Kingdome16,384 | 10–2 |- | 13 | November 15 | New Orleans | 0027800166 135 118 | Fred Brown (20) | Tom LaGarde (14) | Dennis Johnson (6) | Kingdome12,178 | 11–2 |- | 14 | November 17 | Indiana | 0027800175 126 115 | Tied Brown, Shelton (25) | Tom LaGarde (13) | Dennis Johnson (7) | Kingdome14,906 | 12–2 |- | 15 | November 18 | @ Golden State | 0027800185 104 112 | Gus Williams (24) | Jack Sikma (12) | Tied Brown, Williams (5) | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena13,237 | 12–3 |- | 16 | November 19 | Portland | 0027800190 88 85 | John Johnson (21) | Jack Sikma (13) | Dennis Johnson (8) | Kingdome17,809 | 13–3 |- | 17 | November 22 | Chicago | 0027800204 98 96 | Gus Williams (22) | Jack Sikma (11) | John Johnson (6) | Kingdome13,253 | 14–3 |- | 18 | November 24 | Denver | 0027800213 100 103 | Jack Sikma (23) | Jack Sikma (9) | Tied D. Johnson, J. Johnson, Shelton (4) | Kingdome25,127 | 14–4 |- | 19 | November 25 | @ Denver | 0027800223 110 104 | Gus Williams (24) | Jack Sikma (16) | D. Johnson (8) | McNichols Sports Arena17,109 | 15–4 |- | 20 | November 26 | Houston | 0027800225 103 108 | Gus Williams (23) | Jack Sikma (16) | Tied Brown, J. Johnson (5) | Kingdome18,159 | 15–5 |- | 21 | November 29 | New Jersey | 0027800236 125 111 | Fred Brown (26) | Jack Sikma (16) | Gus Williams (8) | Kingdome13,011 | 16–5 Seattle SuperSonics December no 5 2 1 5 |- | 22 | December 1 | @ Boston | 0027800921 80 87 | Jack Sikma (19) | Jack Sikma (15) | Dennis Johnson (5) | Boston Garden11,198 | 16–6 |- | 23 | December 2 | @ Philadelphia | 0027800254 100 97 | Jack Sikma (29) | Jack Sikma (20) | Dick Snyder (5) | The Spectrum15,068 | 17–6 |- | 24 | December 8 | Atlanta | 0027800280 107 106 | Lonnie Shelton (26) | Jack Sikma (17) | Fred Brown (9) | Kingdome13,383 | 18–6 |- | 25 | December 10 | San Antonio | 0027800295 112 99 | Jack Sikma (23) | Jack Sikma (19) | John Johnson (7) | Kingdome13,847 | 19–6 |- | 26 | December 13 | Los Angeles | 0027800305 117 107 | Fred Brown (28) | Paul Silas (15) | Jack Sikma (8) | Kingdome20,178 | 20–6 |- | 27 | December 15 | @ Los Angeles | 0027800312 98 100 | Dennis Johnson (28) | Jack Sikma (8) | Tied Brown, Sikma (7) | The Forum11,149 | 20–7 |- | 28 | December 17 | @ Cleveland | 0027800331 91 101 | Tied D. Johnson, Sikma (17) | Jack Sikma (21) | Fred Brown (7) | Richfield Coliseum8,209 | 20–8 |- | 29 | December 19 | @ Milwaukee | 0027800336 99 128 | Lars Hansen (19) | Tied Hansen, Sikma (8) | Paul Silas (6) | MECCA Arena10,938 | 20–9 |- | 30 | December 20 | @ Kansas City | 0027800342 95 114 | Wally Walker (17) | Jack Sikma (11) | Tied J. Johnson, Sikma, Silas (4) | Kemper Arena8,552 | 20–10 |- | 31 | December 22 | Philadelphia | 0027800349 95 103 | Jack Sikma (21) | Jack Sikma (16) | Dennis Johnson (7) | Kingdome20,133 | 20–11 |- | 32 | December 25 | San Diego | 0027800359 118 123 | Dennis Johnson (28) | Jack Sikma (14) | Jack Sikma (6) | Kingdome11,910 | 20–12 |- | 33 | December 27 | New Orleans | 0027800370 122 103 | Fred Brown (27) | Jack Sikma (11) | Dennis Johnson (8) | Kingdome17,116 | 21–12 |- | 34 | December 29 | Phoenix | 0027800381 119 92 | Dennis Johnson (26) | Jack Sikma (12) | Tied D. Johnson, J. Johnson (7) | Kingdome20,565 | 22–12 Seattle SuperSonics January no 3 3 7 1 |- | 35 | January 1 | Golden State | 0027800397 97 110 | Tied D. Johnson, Sikma (17) | Jack Sikma (11) | John Johnson (6) | Kingdome12,469 | 22–13 |- | 36 | January 2 | @ Portland | 0027800400 109 108 | Gus Williams (25) | Jack Sikma (8) | Gus Williams (5) | Memorial Coliseum12,666 | 23–13 |- | 37 | January 3 | Boston | 0027800411 123 116 | Jack Sikma (21) | Jack Sikma (12) | Tied Brown, D. Johnson, Williams (5) | Kingdome13,398 | 24–13 |- | 38 | January 5 | Denver | 0027800418 92 95 | Jack Sikma (23) | Jack Sikma (23) | Fred Brown (5) | Kingdome22,347 | 24–14 |- | 39 | January 10 | Indiana | 0027800445 118 98 | Jack Sikma (19) | Jack Sikma (15) | Dennis Johnson (7) | Kingdome14,089 | 25–14 |- | 40 | January 11 | @ Phoenix | 0027800450 109 106 | Gus Williams (22) | John Johnson (10) | John Johnson (6) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum12,660 | 26–14 |- | 41 | January 14 | Los Angeles | 0027800471 99 108 | Dennis Johnson (27) | Tied Shelton, Sikma (9) | Gus Williams (6) | Kingdome19,756 | 26–15 |- | 42 | January 17 | @ Indiana | 0027800478 112 102 | Gus Williams (26) | Jack Sikma (16) | John Johnson (6) | Market Square Arena9,280 | 27–15 |- | 43 | January 20 | @ Chicago | 0027800493 107 101 | Dennis Johnson (29) | Tied D. Johnson, Sikma, Silas (7) | J. Johnson (6) | [[Chicago Stadium[]]8,945 | 28–15 |- | 44 | January 23 | @ Washington | 0027800511 103 100 | Gus Williams (24) | Jack Sikma (8) | John Johnson (4) | Capital Centre15,232 | 29–15 |- | 45 | January 25 | @ Atlanta | 0027800520 100 98 | Gus Williams (28) | Jack Sikma (15) | Dennis Johnson (10) | The Omni4,576 | 30–15 |- | 46 | January 26 | @ San Antonio | 0027800528 108 125 | Tied Brown, Sikma (21) | Jack Sikma (18) | Tied Brown, J. Johnson, Sikma (5) | HemisFair Arena13,659 | 30–16 |- | 47 | January 27 | @ Houston | 0027800531 99 94 | Gus Williams (26) | Tied Sikma, Silas (10) | Fred Brown (10) | The Summit15,153 | 31–16 |- | 48 | January 31 | Portland | 0027800549 115 112 | Gus Williams (23) | Jack Sikma (15) | Jack Sikma (5) | Kingdome19,540 | 32–16 Seattle SuperSonics February no 5 1 1 8 |- | 49 | February 1 | New Jersey | 0027800557 107 102 | Jack Sikma (30) | Tied Shelton, Silas (10) | Fred Brown (6) | Kingdome17,332 | 33–16 |- | 50 | February 2 | Milwaukee | 0027800560 104 102 | Jack Sikma (22) | Jack Sikma (17) | Gus Williams (6) | Kingdome24,332 | 34–16 |- align="center" |colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff"|All-Star Game |- | 51 | February 6 | @ New York | 0027800575 99 108 | Gus Williams (26) | Jack Sikma (10) | Gus Williams (8) | Madison Square Garden12,952 | 34–17 |- | 52 | February 7 | @ Boston | 0027800577 100 107 | GUs Williams (28) | Jack Sikma (12) | Gus Williams (5) | Boston Garden6,902 | 34–18 |- | 53 | February 9 | @ Milwaukee | 0027800592 116 118 1 | Gus Williams (26) | Jack Sikma (9) | Tied D. Johnson, Sikma (6) | MECCA Arena10,938 | 34–19 |- | 54 | February 10 | @ Houston | 0027800598 101 113 | Jack Sikma (27) | Jack Sikma (12) | Gus Williams (8) | The Summit15,676 | 34–20 |- | 55 | February 14 | Atlanta | 0027800618 116 104 | Tied D. Johnson, Williams (22) | Tied D. Johnson, J. Johnson (9) | Gus Williams (7) | Kingdome15,223 | 35–20 |- | 56 | February 16 | Phoenix | 0027800631 119 104 | Dennis Johnson (30) | Jack Sikma (15) | Fred Brown (7) | Kingdome23,103 | 36–20 |- | 57 | February 18 | Washington | 0027800644 94 105 | Gus Williams (22) | Paul Silas (16) | Tied D. Johnson, Williams (5) | Kingdome21,935 | 36–21 |- | 58 | February 20 | @ San Antonio | 0027800647 102 118 | Jack Sikma (20) | Jack Sikma (11) | Tied D. Johnson, Silas, Walker, Williams (4) | HemisFair Arena11,765 | 36–22 |- | 59 | February 21 | @ New Orleans | 0027800654 96 94 | Gus Williams (20) | Jack Sikma (19) | Fred Brown (6) | Louisiana Superdome6,327 | 37–22 |- | 60 | February 23 | @ Washington | 0027800660 110 132 | Paul Silas (16) | Jack Sikma (11) | Tied Awtrey, Brown, J. Johnson, Silas, Snyder, Williams (3) | Capital Centre19,035 | 37–23 |- | 61 | February 25 | @ Kansas City | 0027800676 106 114 | Gus Williams (33) | Paul Silas (12) | Gus Williams (6) | Kemper Arena14,059 | 37–24 |- | 62 | February 27 | @ Denver | 0027800684 106 121 | Tied D. Johnson, J. Johnson (20) | Tied Awtrey, Sikma, SIlas (9) | D. Johnson (7) | McNichols Sports Arena14,182 | 37–25 |- | 63 | February 28 | Philadelphia | 0027800689 97 93 | Gus Williams (28) | Jack Sikma (13) | John Johnson (6) | Kingdome18,900 | 38–25 Seattle SuperSonics March no 6 1 5 2 |- | 64 | March 2 | Cleveland | 0027800699 109 111 | Gus Williams (31) | Jack Sikma (22) | Jack Sikma (5) | Kingdome21,337 | 38–26 |- | 65 | March 4 | Houston | 0027800706 119 109 | Lonnie Shelton (28) | Jack Sikma (11) | John Johnson (9) | Kingdome21,219 | 39–26 |- | 66 | March 7 | @ Detroit | 0027800961 99 93 | Fred Brown (27) | Jack Sikma (19) | Gus Williams (7) | Pontiac Silverdome7,069 | 40–26 |- | 67 | March 9 | @ New Jersey | 0027800731 108 100 | Gus Williams (38) | Jack Sikma (16) | Gus Williams (6) | Rutgers Athletic Center6,235 | 41–26 |- | 68 | March 11 | @ Atlanta | 0027800744 111 113 1 | Gus Williams (32) | Jack Sikma (18) | Gus Williams (8) | The Omni10,533 | 41–27 |- | 69 | March 14 | @ Philadelphia | 0027800754 99 96 | Gus Williams (23) | Jack Sikma (13) | Tied J. Johnson, Sikma (6) | The Spectrum11,645 | 42–27 |- | 70 | March 15 | @ Cleveland | 0027800759 104 98 | Lonnie Shelton (28) | Jack Sikma (16) | John Johnson (7) | Richfield Coliseum7,122 | 43–27 |- | 71 | March 17 | @ Chicago | 0027800770 106 88 | Gus Williams (27) | Paul Silas (9) | John Johnson (8) | Chicago Stadium8,974 | 44–27 |- | 72 | March 22 | Boston | 0027800801 112 110 | Jack Sikma (24) | Jack Sikma (15) | John Johnson (8) | Kingdome21,549 | 45–27 |- | 73 | March 25 | Kansas City | 0027800819 111 101 | Gus Williams (38) | Tied Sikma, Silas (10) | John Williams (8) | Kingdome21,497 | 46–27 |- | 74 | March 27 | San Diego | 0027800825 115 109 | Gus Williams (30) | Lonnie Shelton (12) | John Johnson (13) | Kingdome20,087 | 47–27 |- | 75 | March 28 | New York | 0027800835 111 105 | Dennis Johnson (25) | Jack Sikma (9) | John Johnson (8) | Kingdome20,075 | 48–27 |- | 76 | March 30 | @ Phoenix | 0027800847 111 113 1 | Fred Brown (20) | Lonnie Shelton (8) | John Johnson (6) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum12,660 | 48–28 |- | 77 | March 31 | Detroit | 0027800851 123 102 | Tied Hassett, Shelton, Williams (18) | Jack Sikma (14) | Tied Awtrey, Robinson, Williams (6) | Kingdome21,639 | 49–28 Seattle SuperSonics April no 1 0 2 2 |- | 78 | April 1 | Golden State | 0027800860 102 97 | Dennis Johnson (24) | Jack Sikma (11) | Tied Brown, Sikma (7) | Kingdome24,802 | 50–28 |- | 79 | April 3 | @ Portland | 0027800868 102 106 | Gus Williams (28) | Jack Sikma (12) | Gus Williams (8) | Memorial Coliseum12,666 | 50–29 |- | 80 | April 4 | @ San Diego | 0027800872 115 107 | Gus Williams (26) | Jack Sikma (20) | John Johnson (5) | San Diego Sports Arena10,874 | 51–29 |- | 81 | April 6 | @ Los Angeles | 0027800880 113 93 | Gus Williams (31) | Jack Sikma (12) | Gus Williams (10) | The Forum14,343 | 52–29 |- | 82 | April 8 | @ Golden State | 0027800898 86 89 | Tied Hassett, J. johnson (16) | Jack Sikma (7) | Gus Williams (5) | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena8,972 | 52–30 SEA 1979 Playoffs The SuperSonics had a first round bye, then defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semi-finals, the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals, and the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals.1979 NBA Finals - SuperSonics vs. Bullets https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1979-nba-finals-supersonics-vs-bullets.html 2025-03-19 Basketball-Reference.com en Dennis Johnson of the SuperSonics was the Most Valuable Player of the Finals while teammate Gus Williams was the leading scorer, averaging 28.6 points per game. Seattle SuperSonics yes 1979 Seattle SuperSonics Conference Semifinals yes yes no 3 0 1 1 |- | 1 | April 17 | Los Angeles | 0047800016 112 101 | Dennis Johnson (26) | Lonnie Shelton (12) | John Johnson (9) | Kingdome26,377 | 1–0 |- | 2 | April 18 | Los Angeles | 0047800017 108 103 1 | Gus Williams (38) | Jack Sikma (10) | Jack Sikma (8) | Kingdome26,862 | 2–0 |- | 3 | April 20 | @ Los Angeles | 0047800020 112 118 1 | Gus Williams (29) | Paul Silas (13) | Paul Silas (4) | The Forum17,505 | 2–1 |- | 4 | April 22 | @ Los Angeles | 0047800024 117 115 | Gus Williams (30) | Tied D. Johnson, Sikma (11) | Dennis Johnson (7) | The Forum17,505 | 3–1 |- | 5 | April 25 | Los Angeles | 0047800027 106 100 | Gus Williams (30) | Jack Sikma (10) | Jack Sikma (6) | Seattle Center Coliseum14,098 | 4–1 Seattle SuperSonics Conference Finals yes no 3 1 1 2 |- | 1 | May 1 | Phoenix | 0047800034 108 93 | Gus Williams (27) | Jack Sikma (10) | John Johnson (9) | Seattle Center Coliseum14,098 | 1–0 |- | 2 | May 4 | Phoenix | 0047800036 103 97 | John Johnson (21) | Lonnie Shelton (15) | Gus Williams (6) | Kingdome31,964 | 2–0 |- | 3 | May 6 | @ Phoenix | 0047800038 103 113 | Gus Williams (22) | Tied J. Johnson, Sikma (9) | Gus Williams (6) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum12,660 | 2–1 |- | 4 | May 8 | @ Phoenix | 0047800040 91 100 | Gus Williams (22) | Lonnie Shelton (10) | Tied D. Johnson, J. Johnson, Shelton (3) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum12,660 | 2–2 |- | 5 | May 11 | Phoenix | 0047800042 93 99 | Dennis Johnson (24) | Jack Sikma (12) | John Johnson (5) | Kingdome28,935 | 2–3 |- | 6 | May 13 | @ Phoenix | 0047800044 106 105 | Dennis Johnson (23) | Jack Sikma (10) | Dennis Johnson (6) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum12,660 | 3–3 |- | 7 | May 17 | Phoenix | 0047800047 114 110 | Jack Sikma (33) | Jack Sikma (11) | Fred Brown (5) | Kingdome37,552 | 4–3 Seattle SuperSonics NBA Finals yes no 2 0 2 1 |- | 1 | May 20 | @ Washington | 0047800049 97 99 | Gus Williams (32) | John Johnson (11) | Dennis Johnson (7) | Capital Centre19,035 | 0–1 |- | 2 | May 24 | @ Washington | 0047800050 92 82 | Gus Williams (23) | Jack Sikma (13) | Tied D. Johnson, J. Johnson (6) | Capital Centre19,035 | 1–1 |- | 3 | May 27 | Washington | 0047800051 105 95 | Gus Williams (31) | Jack Sikma (17) | Dennis Johnson (9) | Kingdome35,928 | 2–1 |- | 4 | May 29 | Washington | 0047800052 114 112 1 | Gus Williams (36) | Jack Sikma (17) | John Johnson (13) | Seattle Center Coliseum14,098 | 3–1 |- | 5 | June 1 | @ Washington | 0047800053 97 93 | Gus Williams (23) | Jack Sikma (17) | John Johnson (6) | Capital Centre19,035 | 4–1 SEA yes 1979 Awards and records Dennis Johnson, NBA All-Defensive First Team Dennis Johnson, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player 1979 NBA All-Star Game Dennis Johnson Jack Sikma References SuperSonics on Basketball Reference External links Seattle PI: Photos 1979 National Champion Seattle SuperSonics Seattle Category:Seattle SuperSonics seasons Category:NBA championship seasons Category:Western Conference (NBA) championship seasons