Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant sent some love to the city where it all started for him – Seattle. With the team taking on the Sacramento Kings in a preseason game Friday night that was played in Seattle, Durant had a special treat for the crowd.
As NBATV revealed, the star forward was introduced to the fans while wearing a throwback Seattle SuperSonics Shawn Kemp jersey.
As you can hear, Seattle fans were loving it, and the announcers revealed that Kemp was actually supposed to be in attendance for the game. It was a cool gesture from Durant, who was a member of the Sonics for one season before the team moved to Oklahoma City.
Kevin Durant’s Tenure in Seattle, Comments on City
After being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the team, Durant averaged 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game as a rookie. He shot 43 percent from the field and obviously gave Seattle fans plenty of reason for optimism.
The move was both disappointing and stunning, but ahead of the recent preseason game, Durant made it known that he believes the city deserves an NBA team.
Per ESPN’s Nick Friedell:
“For sure,” Durant told ESPN. “Most definitely. It’s a basketball city. It’s a sports town. … They have a good representation of basketball in the NBA from Seattle-born players, Washington state-born players. And I feel like that whole brand deserves an NBA team. Just like the Golden State Warriors deserve a team or the Los Angeles Lakers deserve a team, Seattle is that same way. [A team] has that same type of impact in the community. So [we have] a lot of time in life before this whole thing is over, and I’m sure we’ll see a team before it’s time.”
Time will tell, but the fanbase is obviously craving a team to get behind on the NBA front.
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