Gary Payton says he refuses to let the Oklahoma City Thunder retire his jersey because it would be disrespectful to Seattle
“Oklahoma City fans never watched me play a game in Oklahoma City. Who watched me play all the time, Seattle fans. Why would I disrespect the Seattle fans by going up there, getting in a celebration on a court, and let them get that when I've disrespected them”
“I'll never do that ever in life. The fans in Seattle are the ones who supported me and got me to where I wanted to be. It's nothing against Oklahoma City. I never played one day in Oklahoma City, so I'm not doing that. It's only right for me to respect the people in Seattle for that, and I won't”
Another example of how anti-Portland attitudes are part of a bundle of grievance and resentment politics that actually has little to do with economics or livability.
A lot of it is literally just people being afraid or hateful (or both) of people who are different from them.