The team formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics saw their prospects for winning soar when they picked Kevin Durant with the No. 2 pick in the 2007 NBA draft. But after one season in the Emerald City in which he won Rookie of the Year, Durant was whisked away to … Oklahoma City, where the Sonics morphed into the Thunder.

Now Seattle is looking to revive their NBA team, but it looks like Durant has given up hope that he’ll ever return to the Pacific Northwest. The NBA’s second-leading scorer and league MVP candidate has finally listed his home in the Mercer Island real estate market.

Durant’s 5,901-square-foot home boasts 5 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms and sits on just over a third of an acre. Like many Seattle-area pro athletes, Durant chose Mercer Island, a community east of downtown Seattle, because larger building lots afford more space. Durant bought the home in 2007 for $2.850 million as it was being constructed and while he lived in it briefly, he has not lived there now for four years as he became an NBA star in Oklahoma, not Washington state.

Meanwhile, the stately home reflects a maturity in styling that appears to fit Durant’s otherwise unassuming personality. With a large foyer, dramatic granite-topped center island in the kitchen and home theater, the house has many high-end finishes.

But as nice as the home is, Durant has earned enough from his NBA contract as well as his $60 million endorsement deal with Nike that he’s off to bigger things — and cribs.

Sources:

Kevin Durant Humble in Heartland [ESPN]
Gary Payton Chats with Patch About the Potential Return of Seattle Basketball [Bellevue Patch]