"They deserve to have a team" - Kevin Durant would love to help Seattle get an NBA team once again
Kevin Durant hopes to return one day to Seattle, not as a player but as an owner of an NBA team. The Supersonics drafted “KD” in 2007 but the franchise moved to Oklahoma the following year.
During his appearance at an event in Los Angeles, Durant had this to say about potentially owning a team in the league:
“That [owning a team in Seattle] would be cool, for sure, in a perfect world. Whatever opportunity comes up, hopefully, I can be part of something special.
"Seattle would be the ideal spot. They deserve to have a team there again. I would love to be a part of the NBA in that fashion."
NBA Champion and Boardroom Co-Founder @KDTrey5 discusses his dream of owning his own team at #GamePlan23 with @andrewrsorkin pic.twitter.com/YX8bst8eJc
One of the biggest reasons why the Sonics became the OKC Thunder was Seattle’s failure to get public funding for a new arena. The team rented the KeyArena for home games but the lease was set to expire in 2010.
The KeyArena, which underwent a $1.15 billion re-development from 2018-2021, is now called the Climate Pledge Arena. It is now the home of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and the NHL’s Seattle Kraken. Seattle fans have longed for the day they could see the Supersonics play again on their new home floor.
Kevin Durant knows that Adam Silver has been planning an expansion, particularly in the Seattle, San Diego and Las Vegas markets. The NBA commissioner, however, was emphatic that they’re not discussing that issue right now.
KD and potentially interested parties may have to wait for a few more years before the NBA will expand to new cities.
Kevin Durant would be happy to see Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp's numbers retired
Gary Payton and Shawn Kemps were the stars of the Seattle Supersonics when Kevin Durant was growing up. The duo never won a championship together during their prime with the Sonics, but the team could still have their jersey numbers retired.
Payton was drafted by the Sonics in 1990 and immediately made an impact on the team. Notably, eight of his nine All-Star selections happened in his Seattle days. “The Glove” also won the 1995-1996 NBA Defensive Player of the Year as the team’s franchise player.
Shawn Kemp came in a year ahead of Payton and was an All-Star in five seasons with the Seattle Supersonics. The duo easily made the team one of the most exciting teams in the NBA. Payton’s trash-talking and Kemp’s thunderous dunks were staples during their peak years in Seattle.
The Gary Payton-Shawn Kemp Sonics era was special 🔥
Catch the premiere of Basketball Stories: Reign Man & The Glove, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. ET. on @NBATV pic.twitter.com/MDbZlwt9ve
Kevin Durant acknowledged their impact on the franchise when he was drafted by the Sonics, and has said he would be happy to see their jerseys go up the rafters.
Also read: "I actually called and advocated": Kevin Durant pushed Adam Silver to get marijuana off the banned substances list