NBA Owners Keep Kings in Sacramento
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Christopher Trotman/Getty Images(DALLAS) — The NBA owners have voted, and the Kings are staying in Sacramento.
Ownership representatives from all 30 NBA teams met Wednesday in Dallas for nearly four hours and voted to reject the Kings’ proposed move to Seattle.
Last month, a relocation committee unanimously recommended to keep the Kings in Sacramento, but it all became official on Wednesday. NBA commissioner David Stern confirmed that the vote was 22-8 in favor of Sacramento.
“I would say it’s a victory for Sacramento, not a victory for the NBA,” Stern said after acknowledging the toll this has taken on both cities over the past 2 1/2 years.
Stern also added that the Maloof family, which owns the Kings, has a right to retain ownership under league bylaws, but the team could be eventually sold to a group led by Sacramento mayor and former NBA point guard Kevin Johnson.
Deputy commissioner Adam Silver added that “We’ve never wavered in our desire to return to the Seattle market at some point…and we fully expect we’ll return there one day.” Silver will be taking over for Stern in February 2014.
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