Sacramento Kings May Get New Arena
While Jay-Z was making an announcement about the new Brooklyn Nets Stadium, the Sacramento Kings were hoping to create a new home of their own.
The Sac Bee recently reported that Kevin Johnson, Sacramento mayor and former NBA all-star, is speaking with Anschutz Entertainment Group about creating an arena for the team.
With talks of the team being non-existent next season, the Sacramento City Council scheduled a vote on Tuesday to speak about the Sacramento King’s survival.
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The council had to decide on whether to build a sports and entertainment complex worth $387 million, which would keep the Kings in the city. According to Los Angeles Times reports, the team owners were rumored to be looking at Anaheim, Calif. for their next home.
However Johnson spoke with USA today about keeping the Kings in Sacramento. The mayor said he spoke with the Maloof brothers, the Kings’ owners, about making increased efforts during the new season.
“Joe and Gavin Maloof are going to focus on the basketball operations for the 2011-2012 season,” Johnson told USA today. “They're going to get out there in the community, talk up the team, sell season tickets, become part of this community in a more intensified way than they've done in the past The other brother, George Maloof, he's the one going to be the point on the entertainment sports complex. He is working with the NBA.”
He spoke with USA today about the prospective opening date of the new arena, if approved.
“We think the worst-case scenario is 2015. If we can get the financing of all this stuff lined up as we think we can, before 2012, we've already got a design team, architects and contractors starting to work on real numbers, starting to think about schematics and renderings and all that,” Johnson said.
