Seattle will host its first NBA game since the Seattle SuperSonics left town after the 2007-08 season and moved to Oklahoma City, the Golden State Warriors announced on Monday when they released their full preseason schedule.
Kevin Durant, who played his rookie season in Seattle, and the Warriors will play the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 5 at KeyArena.
Durant, the second overall pick in the 2007 draft, was the 2007-08 NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists for Seattle. But the team moved to Oklahoma City and changed its name to the Thunder after the season, and Seattle fans weren't able to watch K.D. in person anymore unless they traveled.
Back in February, when learning about the possibility of playing a preseason game in Seattle, Durant told the San Francisco Chronicle, "That would be amazing. Hopefully that goes through.
"The fans of Seattle definitely deserve basketball and that would be amazing. So, I'm looking forward to that."
Seattle was home to the SuperSonics since the team's inaugural season in 1967, winning one NBA title (1978-79) along with two other Western Conference championships (1977-78, 1995-96).
Seattle and Las Vegas are reportedly among a short list of cities the NBA is considering if it expands or needs to relocate a team.