Among people who used to attend Sonics games, there were two general groups: Fans of basketball, and fans of the Sonics. Both felt the sting of the team’s departure, but the former group of fans have continued to follow the NBA just as passionately. The latter group follows the NBA with about as much passion as they follow Major League Lacrosse.

Two events in the next ten days should be getting both groups of fans’ mesh shorts in a bunch. This Saturday is the Hoops 206 Charity Basketball Classic, an exhibition at KeyArena that will pit Seattle’s best against a roster of current NBA players.

Then, on July 29 (that’s a week from Friday), the Mariners will host Sonics Celebration Night at Safeco Field, with a pre-game ceremony featuring more than 20 former Sonics.

Both events have attracted big name participants. The charity game has Brandon Roy, Jamal Crawford, and Isaiah Thomas playing with the Seattle team, and Michael Beasley, Brandon Jennings, and Klay Thompson going for “The League.”

The Sonics Celebration will be MCed by former Supes play-by-play man Kevin Calabro, with appearances by stars from all eras of the Sonics’ existence, including Gary Payton, Dale Ellis, Gus Williams, and Spencer Haywood.

So which kind of fan are you? For those who just love basketball, seeing NBA players up close again at extremely reasonable prices ought to be the most appealing. For those diehard Sonics lovers, reveling in the team’s glory years (for around the same cost) is more of a draw.

I would probably choose the charity game, but I’ll be out of town this weekend. My basketball fix for the next 10 days will be cheering on the Storm this Thursday night against San Antonio (very reasonable tickets available for this event as well). The Storm went 0-3 on their recent road trip, they could use some home crowd love.

Among my own friends (mid-30s, raised in Seattle), seems like the Sonics Celebration Night is generating the most interest. One friend, a former Sonics season ticket holder, is organizing a group to go.

The Hoops 206 Charity Game FB page has 1,325 fans, none of whom are friends of mine. Possibly that crowd will be younger, or made up of transplants. Or people who want to donate to the nascent A Plus Youth Program headed by Seattle native and Lakeside High coach Tavio Hobson.

If none of this appeals to you, you might consider checking out the Jamal Crawford Summer Pro-Am League, where you can sometimes see incredible sights like UW recruit Tony Wroten breaking John Wall down off the dribble. The league plays most weekend days from now through August at Rainier Vista Boys & Girls club. Check the league’s Facebook page before you go for updated schedules.

Charity games, pro-ams, celebrations and the Storm. Seems like in Seattle, basketball is now a summer sport.