Kevin Durant will return to Seattle for a preseason game of his Golden State Warriors. The Warriors meet the Sacramento Kings and will play the first NBA game in ten years in this city.
The second test of the master will start on Saturday at 4.30 a.m. German time. Durant was second drawn to Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 draft, where he began his NBA career and is already looking forward to his return: “It means a lot to me. I was there one season and the fans treated me great. It was pretty bad how we left in the middle of the night and I know the fans have been longing for basketball for so long,” Durant told ESPN.
Durant has also reiterated his opinion on the issue of whether Seattle should once again have its own NBA team: “Absolutely. It’s a basketball town. It’s a sports town. In my opinion, this whole brand deserves an NBA team.”
Durant had only played his rookie season for the Sonics, then the franchise moved to OKC and became the Thunder there. KD played at OKC for eight years before joining the Warriors in 2016. “Of course I look back and wonder what it would have been like to stay here longer, but I had no control over this move. I had great years in Oklahoma City, but I still have a connection to Seattle forever.”
Steve Kerr agreed, “We need a team in Seattle.” However, the Warriors’ coach is more in favour of a move and spoke out against an expansion of the league. “I don’t think an expansion would be good at the moment because the existing talent is not enough. But Seattle is the logical choice for me if there is a move or expansion. Seattle must be at the top of that list.