One of Pete’s missions was to make sure every guest at every game was treated respectfully and had the best possible experience.

His training programs and guest relations philosophies will continue to shape the staff of all NBA teams, and the NBA recently created an award in his name to recognize excellence in guest relations.

Simply put, Pete cared about people.

I personally experienced this during my time with the Sonics (watching him interact with staff, fans, etc), as well as in my own life. Even after the team relocated to OKC (Pete stayed with the team), Pete and I continued to stay in touch.

Over the next several years, when Pete visited Seattle, we’d connect for lunch – something I always looked forward to. He’d always ask how I was doing, how’s my family, and how could he help.

And that was essentially Pete: always concerned about the well-being of others, and always the first in line to help.

Unfortunately, Pete lost his battle with Lymphoma last March.

So, to honor Pete and his contributions to Seattle and beyond, we needed to do something special.

I’m excited to team up with many of my Sonics co-workers as well as “Mr. Sonic” himself, Nate McMillan, to raise money for an incredibly important cause: to help find cures for blood cancers and improve the quality of life for patients and their families.