OLYMPIA, Wash. - The millionaires who've turned to this state's left-leaning Legislature to authorize a $300 million tax subsidy for a new basketball arena have been playing right-wing politics. Two members of the new Sonics ownership group are heavyweight financiers of a national political group dedicated to banning gay marriage.

Together, co-owners Tom Ward and Aubrey McClendon donated more than $1.1 million to Americans United to Preserve Marriage, a conservative Christian group that opposes gay marriage.

The group is led by Gary Bauer, an outspoken leader of conservative groups including the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family.

According to the group, gay couples "flout marriage by using it for their own political agenda (and) cheapen the institution."

As the team struggles to persuade the Legislature to support a new $500 million basketball arena in Renton, the latest revelations are adding static to the already-strained conversations with Democratic leaders who have consistently backed gay rights issues.

They also come as the National Basketball Association is attempting to define itself as a champion of diversity to counter the public relations fallout from anti-gay statements made by former NBA star Tim Hardaway.

After Hardaway said in a radio interview that he hated gay people, NBA Commissioner David Stern banished him from the All-Star weekend in Las Vegas.

Sonics spokesman Jim Kneeland said the co-owners' contributions and political activity do not contradict the NBA's recent condemnation of bigotry.

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"First of all, (Clay Bennett), who is the managing partner in this effort, is not involved in anyway," Kneeland said. "That's a key distinction.

"People are entitled to have their views, they are not views that I happen to agree with ... but they are not trying to impose them on anyone out here," Kneeland said.

"I won't argue that some of the owners may have more conservative political views than the norm out here; one of the things that they agreed to when they bought the team is that they would leave their politics at the state line," Kneeland said. "They have done that. They were not involved in the election cycle out here last year and have no intention of doing so."

Ward is the chief executive officer of an oil and natural gas production company. McClendon is chief executive of a natural gas production company. Both companies have headquarters in Oklahoma City. The ownership team of which they are a part also owns the WNBA's Seattle Storm.

Sports radio talk show host New York Vinnie Richichi of KIRO-AM/710 regularly hears what thousands of wide-ranging sport fans think on his weeknight call-in show. The Hardaway controversy was a hot topic.

He said the fans' overwhelming view about gay players was one of indifference.

"Especially the way the Sonics are going, they could have 12 gay guys sitting on the bench, we don't care as long as they win," he said. Richichi said stadium opponents could use the issue against the Sonics if the issue ever comes up for a public vote.

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"And I think you'd have certain people in the community who would look at that and say, 'It would be tough for me to say in good conscience to support (this).' It would be tough for Storm fans who are openly out to support an ownership that would do this."

Richichi said the flip side is that most people who root for sports teams don't know that kinds of political activities the owners engage in.

State Senate Ways and Means Chairwoman Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, has been one of Bennett's biggest advocates in the Legislature.

She said the co-owners' political activities are irrelevant.

"I think this is probably the first time that I've known that we are demanding ideological purity when someone comes to invest in our state," she said. "The whole notion that we have to start examining things like that is really odious, and it shows the desperation because it's obvious that we are gaining some momentum."

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