Shawn Kemp’s loyalty to the Seattle SuperSonics has never been questioned in this city’s post-basketball era.

And the former Sonics legend only reinforced that loyalty in a radio interview with 950 KJR AM on Tuesday, telling Dave Mahler and Ian Furness that he declined an offer from the Oklahoma City Thunder to sit in the front row for their final game against Denver in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.

“I live out here in Seattle,” Kemp told KJR. “I carry the Sonics in my heart for the rest of my life, but I have a problem rooting for Oklahoma.”

Kemp said the team contacted his wife to gauge Kemp’s interest in sitting courtside for a Thunder playoff game.



“She knew what the answer was,” Kemp said.

“I can’t do it. … It’s loyalty, man. I don’t think it’d be too smooth for the people here to look up one day and see me sitting in the front row for the Oklahoma Thunder.”

Kemp, however, remains as smooth as ever.

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