Even though the Sonics are gone, Seattle isn’t starving for quality basketball. They have the reigning WNBA Champs in the Seattle Storm. Isaiah Thomas hosts his annual Zeke-End Tournament in nearby Tacoma and native son, Jamal Crawford holds the Crawsover Pro Am League in Seattle between July and August. The hoops scene in the Emerald City is alive and well but they are missing the symbolic cornerstone of a NBA franchise. Kevin Durant seems to think this won’t be the case for long.
Durant spent one season in Seattle before the team relocated to Oklahoma City so he has had the opportunity to be enveloped in its basketball culture. He, like many others, feels that Seattle deserves a NBA team. They will get a taste of NBA basketball on Friday when the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings take the court at Key Arena for a preseason game. You can guarantee the atmosphere will be electric. Durant is definitely up for the game.
He said, “Even though it’s just a preseason game and it’s one game, hopefully we can give them a nice little show for the night,” Durant added. “I’m looking forward to going back and playing in front of that crowd again, and I know my teammates are going to be excited as well. The energy is going to be amazing in the building.”
There has been much discussion of a team returning to Seattle pretty much since the Sonics left. The state of Washington also has solid representation in the NBA with the aforementioned Thomas and Crawford. Former Slam Dunk Champion Nate Robinson also calls Seattle home. Durant refers to Seattle as “a basketball city” and he’s 100% right. He looks back fondly on his short time in the Pacific Northwest and he still makes his way to Seattle every now and then.
When people say “Bring basketball back to Seattle” what they really mean is “Bring the NBA back to Seattle”. There is plenty of basketball there and the scene is thriving. But the fans there, just like the rest of us, are clamoring for Key Arena to be jumping again from November to May.