Now that the 2011 NBA regular season is over, the Sacramento Kings fans and mayor are hoping to keep the team there.
There’s a possibility the team could move to Anaheim. Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof must file a relocation application with the league by Monday.
The Maloof brothers are considering the move, while Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson is making a presentation in New York, in front of NBA owners.
“Some things are worth fighting for and this is something that is worth fighting for here today,” Johnson told the Associated Press.
Johnson was a former NBA All-Star with the Phoenix Suns, playing alongside Charles Barkley.
The Sacramento mayor told the Associated Press he plans to reveal to the owners’ finance committee details of a “significant amount of dollars” that he said business leaders raised in the last few weeks and would reiterate the city’s commitment to building a new entertainment complex to replace the Power Balance Pavilion.
Johnson claimed that Sacramento has sold out 19 of its 26 seasons in the NBA. He said the Kings are top-20 TV market and a “viable market.”
“We have the chance to build a case for why it makes sense to stay in Sacramento. If the Maloof’s are willing to do it, we’d like to have them there. We’d like to let the NBA owners know that we’re committed to remaining a good basketball community,” Johnson told AP. “I think we have a very compelling case to share with the owners today here in New York.”
Last night loss against the Lakers could possibly be the last game in Sacramento for the Kings.
