Seattle-area sports stars, celebrities help Kraken with Expansion Draft

On a beautiful, clear night, it was raining stars in Seattle.

The NHL's newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken, brought out plenty of recognizable faces with ties to the city to help announce their picks at the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft Presented by Upper Deck on Wednesday.
Former NBA All-Stars Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, who led the Seattle Supersonics to the 1996 NBA Finals, were on hand to help announce the selections of forwards John Quenneville and Joonas Donskoi.
The man who coached the Sonics to their only NBA title in 1979, Lenny Wilkens, announced the selection of defenseman Will Borgen.

And it's impossible to talk about championships in Seattle without mentioning the Seahawks and their most recognizable face, legendary running back Marshawn Lynch, who broadcast the pick of forward Calle Jarnkrok.

Lynch was also doing what he does best for the Kraken, getting the fans hyped up.

Sticking with the Seahawks, linebacker Bobby Wagner announced the selection of defenseman Vince Dunn.

Sue Bird, who has led the Seattle Storm to four WNBA championships and is currently in Tokyo attempting to win her fifth gold medal with the United States Women's Basketball team, checked in via video chat to help make a pick.
Former Seattle Sounders captain Brad Evans also made an appearance to announce a pick.
Rapper and Seattle native Macklemore was also on hand to fire up the crowd.

And the last pick of the night was made by longtime movie producer and Kraken co-owner Jerry Bruckheimer.

"We are the luckiest city in the world to have (general manager) Ron Francis and his team select our players and be part of this fantastic organization," Bruckheimer said to the crowd. "We're so thrilled to be here for the fans."