Getty Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets.
Despite coming off major surgery to repair a torn Achilles, some would say Nets’ star forward Kevin Durant is just scratching the surface of his prime.
Even if that is true, in an era where everything is uncertain it is never too early for players like Durant to think about their career plans once they are done playing. Durant’s plans include bringing the team that drafted him back to the NBA while helping to nurture the next generation of players.
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Kevin Durant Wants To Bring Back the Sonics
The casual NBA fan links Durant’s earlier years to his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder with Russell Westbrook and James Harden, but what many don’t know is that the Thunder did not draft KD, the Seattle Supersonics did.
Landon Buford of Forbes asked Durant if he would be interested in helping bring the Sonics back to the NBA and while the thought right now is pie in the sky, if the opportunity presented itself, the two-time NBA Finals MVP would be interested.
”Hell Yeah” I would love to, but it is way easier to say, yeah, I want to be a part of it, than to know how to do it,” Durant told Buford via LandonBuford.com
Kevin Durant shares his thoughts on possibly owning a piece of the Seattle Supersonics one day, and his interest in putting together a winning team, while mentoring young players. #KevinDurant #SeattleSupersonics #Seattle
After agreeing to buy the Sonics along with the WNBA’s Seattle Storm in 2006, Chesapeake Energy co-founders Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward originally had planned to keep both franchises in Seattle as long as they were able to find a feasible leasing partner for an arena to play in.
When they were unable to find public funding for a new arena the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City before the 2008-09 season and thus rebranded themselves as the Thunder.
“That would be so much fun to bring basketball back to Seattle and try to build a winning team as someone that enjoys the business as well but understands the pure game of basketball. Especially, in Seattle that would be sweet. That has always been a dream of mine to run an NBA franchise and help lead young players and young people as I get older that would be an amazing experience,” Durant continued.
”That would be a dream come true because all I really want to do with my time on earth is to be around basketball. If I can’t play anymore that would be the next best option.”
Other Stars Want the Sonics Back as Well
Durant is not the only one who wants to bring the Sonics back to the NBA. Multiple players have voiced their opinions on wanting to see the resurgence of the franchise, including 2020 NBA Hall of Fame Inductee Kevin Garnett.
“If I have a dream, I would say that I would love to be able to go and buy the Seattle SuperSonics and reactivate the Seattle Northwest and get NBA loving back going into that area,” Garnett said via CBS Sports.
“I think it’s needed and it’s essential. Seattle was huge to our league. Not just Portland, but the whole northwest. I would love to be able to do that.”
In today’s NBA, injuries can alter a player’s career in a split second. It’s great that Kevin Durant is already thinking about his career plans post-retirement.
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