Kevin Durant, in Sonics jersey, says he’s hopeful for NBA Seattle return

Oct 5, 2018, 8:24 PM | Updated: 8:53 pm

Kevin Durant wore a Shawn Kemp Sonics jersey during introductions Friday. (AP)

(AP)

BY BRENT STECKER

Seattle Sports

All eyes were on Kevin Durant as the former Seattle SuperSonics star made his KeyArena return Friday night.

He had something special up his sleeve for the city.

As Durant was introduced as part of Golden State’s starting lineup for their NBA preseason game against the Sacramento Kings, he took off his Warriors shooting shirt to reveal his Seattle pride.

KD came out in a Shawn Kemp jersey in Seattle 👏 pic.twitter.com/W44C1SQBa4

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 6, 2018

That’s a Shawn Kemp No. 40 jersey, the same jersey the Sonics wore as they made a run to the 1996 NBA Finals against Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. The jersey fit well with Durant’s green shoes (as seen here) he brought out for the occasion, too.

After his introduction, Durant addressed the crowd from center court. He first gave a shout-out to the three-time (and reigning) WNBA champion Seattle Storm for “holding it down” and winning their third WNBA championship earlier this year, then shared a word of positivity about a potential Sonics revival in the city.

“I know it’s been a rough 10 years. The NBA is back in Seattle for tonight, but hopefully it’s back forever soon,” Durant said.

Kevin Durant addresses the crowd pregame in Seattle. pic.twitter.com/UI4p0M7ENu

— NBA (@NBA) October 6, 2018

Durant gave the Seattle crowd a thrill early in the first quarter with his first bucket from the field, a two-hand slam after he shook Sacramento’s Justin Jackson along the baseline.