 For over a month, it seemed as though the Kings were leaving Sacramento for Southern Cali. However, Sac-Town will get a second chance at keeping their team.
According to ESPN, the owners of the NBA franchise and the league itself has decided to give Sacramento one last chance to prove it deserves to be an NBA city. So, if things don't change after next season, the Kings will leave, says the Maloof family.
For at least one more season, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and the business community will have a chance to come up with a plan for a new arena after so many failed attempts in the past.
"This is one of the proudest moments of my life because the community believed when no one else did," Johnson told ESPN Monday (May 2). "We kept believing. And if you believe, anything is possible."
The Maloof family planned to apply for relocation to Anaheim, Calif. Now, with this temporary stay up-north, the Maloofs and NBA Commissioner David Stern want results. If not, it's bye bye Sacramento.
"We spent 13 years and millions of dollars to try to get an arena built," co-owner Joe Maloof said. "We don't have the answer. The mayor has the answers and we're willing and able to listen. He's got to have a plan. We never want to be untruthful to the fans of Sacramento. There is a sense of urgency, and that's up to Mayor Johnson and his political team."
During the NBA All-Star break the King's depature seemed inevitable, but Mayor Johnson (a former NBA All-Star himself) mobilizing the community to keep the team ... even if it's just for one more season. After two extensions of a March 1 deadline for relocation, and Johnson's efforts to arrange $10 million in sponsorship pledges from the corporate community, the city got its shot.
Stern said he is sending a team of nine league officials to Sacramento this week to assist with marketing, tickets and the arena.
"I pledged support for a move to another market."
Four California lawmakers, including the leader of the state Senate, sent a letter to Stern last week pledging to work with local leaders over the next year to try to build a sports and performing arts complex to replace the Kings' outdated arena.
The building, formerly known as Arco Arena, once provided one of the most notorious home-court advantages in the league -- a place where fans clanked cowbells so loud opposing coaches and players pleaded to have the noisemakers banned.
However, with budget deficits and heavy job losses during the economic downturn, Sacramento's last priority has been to replace or upgrade the aging arena. But now, if they wanna keep the NBA presence there, they'll have to, and Johnson admits that.
"If we want to be a major league city, you have to have major league facilities," Johnson said. "And what you saw happen today and over the last couple of weeks, is the community stepped up and said we can make big things happen."
If Johnson can't deliver, Anaheim could be an option for the Kings next year with the Honda Center and its luxury suites waiting in Orange County. It's City Council already issued the bonds needed to entice the Kings to move, but the Maloofs decided to give Sacramento one more chance.
"I think it's the fair thing to do," Maloof said. "We've always said we think Sacramento has the best NBA fans in the world. Their overwhelming show of support was incredible. But now they realize that we're giving them another opportunity and we're anxious to play basketball."
In a poll we ran back in late March, 37.5% of the voters said the team should "Stay in Sacramento," but there was a slightly more with 37.88% who wanted them to move to Anaheim.
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