Howard Schultz said that during his time as owner of the Seattle Sonics basketball team, he learned how to better handle having power.

The former Starbucks CEO was responding to a Washington Post article critical of his ownership of the NBA team, which moved in 2008 and became the Oklahoma City Thunder after Schultz sold it. According to interviews with former Sonics employees, Schultz’s leadership of the team was full of conflict with players and outbursts at city council members, Washington state lawmakers, and lower-level employees.