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One of the most popular players in Seattle SuperSonics history, Slick Watts continues to be a favorite in his adopted hometown. Watts and Spencer Haywood will be honored this Saturday, when the Sonics & Storm Legends Tour stops at the Magnolia Community Center/Catherine Blaine Elementary. Before that, Watts chatted with SUPERSONICS.COM about his relationship with the Seattle community and Sonics fans, as well as looking up to Haywood while growing up.

"The people, they really appreciate you, especially if you're a Sonic. People talk Sonics and they talk to me like I'm their friend." Sonics Photos

SUPERSONICS.COM: What did you know about Seattle when you came to the Sonics, and how quickly did the city grow on you?
Watts: As I recall, years ago, looking back, I had no relation concerning the Northwest. I often thought of Washington as Washington, D.C. When I got the opportunity to come up here, I was surprised that the direction was even going to the West Coast, figuring I was going out East. When I got a chance to get a tryout with the great, fabulous Bill Russell, who had won 13 championships, I was overjoyed by the opportunity to come up here and give it a try. Once I got up here, within about two months, people started catching on and appreciating my hustle and desire and total commitment to the game. It kind of stuck on me and I started learning my way around and had a little orange Volkswagen, just going from place to place and talking to people. Everything caught on like a wildfire.

A lot of guys have talked about seeing the beauty of the area while flying in. Do you remember anything like that?
I guess my biggest thing was coming in from Denver, we had a strong wind. The plane almost crashed on me. I was scared to death, because coming from a small college, we didn't fly that much. Coming from Denver to Seattle, the plane looked like it was ready to go down. That was kind of scary, so I didn't have time to look at the scenery. Once I got here, I enjoyed how beautiful it was - the water and the mountains. Everywhere you went, there were mountains. Coming from a flatland, as soon as I got here I could appreciate all the beauty that Seattle as a city gives you.

Why do you think so many former Sonics players, including yourself, have made a home in Seattle?
The main reason why a lot of players stay here - speaking for myself also - first off, people appreciate you and you have a nice diversity of people. The people, they really appreciate you, especially if you're a Sonic. For me, going to stores - Safeway, QFC - people talk Sonics and they talk to me like I'm their friend. I feel at home. Once I go back down South, I don't get that same feeling of belongingness that I feel when I'm here. So they've got some great fans here, and that's the reason I didn't leave. I think most of the players that come here, they find out how important it is to mean something to the community. Like I said, when you go down South, you don't get that same feeling of appreciation when you walk around.

What does it mean to you to be a part of the Sonics & Storm Legends Tour?
To me, as a young man growing up, aspiring to be a professional athlete, I always wanted to make a difference. To not get drafted and to come up here and be a part of something as great as the SuperSonics organization - an organization that's been in the NBA for 40 years and is one of the most successful teams in the history of the whole league - to be a part of it and get your name put on a basketball court is just something that I'll be able to tell my grandchildren about. Who knows, when I'm dead and gone, they can say, 'My grandfather, this is where he used to play. He was a Sonic.' It's something I appreciate, and I'm thankful to the Sonics, that they're around. I hope they're around 40 more years so my grandchildren's grandchildren can enjoy it.

Spencer shared with us that the two of you grew up about 15 miles apart in Mississippi. What do you remember of him?
I was in Rolling Fork, Miss., and he was in Isola, a little town. Spencer was the big dog in town. He was a young kid that everyone dreamed of wanting to be like. He was a big Olympic player and, leaving Mississippi, he was someone that all of us Mississippians looked up to, because he kind of put the state of Mississippi on his back in the Olympic days. We had our roots. Then to meet each other up in Seattle and play against each other and with each other, it was quite a kick for me. I really enjoyed it, being able to bring it to the right side and feed it to the captain, big Spencer.