SEATTLE – The drizzle couldn't contain King Allah's excitement.
"I've never seen him before," said the 9-year-old, as he anxiously ran around Seattle's Powell Barnett Park.
Allah’s eyes darted toward the staircase where former Sonic, NBA MVP, and gold medalist Kevin Durant was due any minute.
"I've heard of the Sonics," admitted Allah, who was just one year old when Durant left town and moved to Oklahoma City.
But he was back on Friday, after putting money into the Seattle City Park, which is named after a longtime community activist and Seattle Urban League President.
"It was huge area, and I think it needed a makeover, and I wanted everyone to know in this community that I've been thinking about ‘em and wanted to give back," said Durant, now with the Golden State Warriors.
His foundation teamed up with his Seattle-based sponsor Sparkling Ice to renovate the basketball court.
The paint still smelled fresh on Friday. It includes new hoops and Durant's signature 'KD' at Center Court. He's done the same thing in Oklahoma City, Austin, Texas, China, and Germany.
"Seattle was a huge part of my journey and my career, and I look forward to coming back more and more,” Durant told the assembled crowd of adults and kids at the park off of Martin Luther King Junior Way.
Durant was mobbed by the youngsters after he took the ceremonial first shot and seemed genuinely surprised at the reaction.
"I didn't know what to expect coming back. Been a while since I've been back; shows how great these people are to embrace someone who only played here for a year," said Durant. "It was an important time in my life, and I felt as if I didn't have a say on if I was leaving or not. I still felt like I was part of this community, and I felt like they were attached to our team, although they were upset that we left."
He seemed at ease talking about the past, saying he looks forward to the day he can play in Seattle again.
"Hopefully that's soon. They figure something out and get a team here, cause the fans deserve it and the city deserves that," Durant said.
In the interim, "We can always play old school style at this court,” Durant joked.
It's something that Allah plans to do, he said, if "my mom will let me come back here."
As far as seeing KD?
"It's a fun day, one of the funnest days I've had in my life,” Allah said.
