Plenty of players participate in Pro-Am leagues during the summer, and it’s usually not necessarily newsworthy unless you happen to live in the community where the games are taking place.
But Kevin Durant and Jeff Green returning to play in front of fans in Seattle is a bit more interesting.
Durant and Green began their NBA careers with the Supersonics, each playing their rookie years in Seattle before the team was moved to Oklahoma City following the 2007-08 season.
They’re slated to return this weekend to play in a league hosted by Jamal Crawford.
From Percy Allen of the Seattle Times (via HoopsHype):The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar and Jeff Green, who starred with Durant during their one season in Seattle, are expected to be the headliners this weekend at the Jamal Crawford Summer Pro-Am.
For a league that bills itself as “All Hoop, No Hype,” promoting the return of the former Sonics goes against the pro-am’s mantra. There’s also no guarantee Durant or Green will show up.
“I’m usually hesitant about making these kinds of announcements until I see guys actually walk into the gym, but Jamal tells me this is a done deal,” said tournament director Rashaad Powell. “The flights are booked. The hotel reservations are set.
“Now we’re just waiting for the show. And it should be a great show.”
It’s true that these types of leagues (like the Drew in Los Angeles) rarely make announcements as to which players will attend, because last-minute things can come up that can force a player to back out of these somewhat unofficial commitments.
But it appears as though Durant and Green will be playing in front of the fans in Seattle in the coming days.