NBA In The Key For First Time In 10 Years

It's only an exhibition game, but NBA fans in the Seattle area will finally get to attend a game in the Key for the first time since 2008.  The Sacramento Kings will face the World Championship Golden State Warriors .   

A few years ago, Chris Hansen, bought the Kings in an attempt to move the team to Seattle.  The attempt was thwarted by NBA Board Of Governors who wanted to keep the team in Sacramento. Golden State's Kevin Durant played his rookie season for the Seattle Super Sonics.

Tip Off for tonight' game is 7:30.

Hansen's "White Hat" Tarnished

Chris Hansen, who tried unsuccessfully to purchase the Sacramento Kings and bring them to Seattle has been revealed to be the secret donor behind an attempt to put the Sacramento arena proposal that it's City Council passed up for a public vote.
Hansen has said that it is a decision that he regrets, however it remains to be seen if Seattle city officials and the NBA (not exactly known for it's credibility in the Sonics move), and Seattle area citizens will trust him going forward.   It's pretty clear that the idea of the Kings moving here is DOA, but we need to stay tuned to see if Hansen is the man to bring NBA back here either by move or expansion.

It's Final--No NBA In Seattle For 2013-14

Seattle's hopes of gaining an NBA franchise became dim as the NBA voted to keep the Kings in Sacramento.  The Kings have been on the verge of moving for the last few seasons, but a joint effort by NBA commissioner David Stern and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, himself a three time NBA all star has rescued the team each time.  By contrast, when a move by the Seattle Super Sonics took place, Commissioner David Stern rebuked Seattle's efforts to keep the team.

Hansen Bid Shot Down--Kings To Stay In Sacramento

Seattle chance to regain an NBA team took a severe blow when the NBA Relocation voted unanamously to keep the Kings franchise in Sacramento.  It is unknown at this time what the next step will be, but it is clear at this time that the Chris Hansen group will have to entertain other options if it hopes to bring an NBA team here.  Hansen had put 30 million dollars down on a binding offer to buy the Kings from the previous owners, the Maloof Brothers.

Hansen Makes Binding Agreement--Relocation Not Final

Chris Hansen's attempt to purchase the Sacramento Kings seemed to be complete when both parties announced a binding agreement for Hansen and his fellow investors to purchase the team from the Maloof Brothers at the beginning of the week.  It looked like the Sonics return was a sure thing, however, the city of Sacramento has an ace in the hole with Mayor Kevin Johnson.  Mayor Johnson is a former NBA star and has used his influence with commissioner David Stern to fight previous relocation attempts.  At the end of the week, no one in either city knew who would win and whether the Kings would play another season in Sacramento.

Reports--Kings Sold To Hansen

Various news outlets are reporting that the Sacramento Kings have been sold to Chris Hansen, potentially allowing the San Francisco based  financier to relocate the troubled franchise to Seattle.  The move of the Kings from Sacramento to Seattle (I believe) would mark the first time Seattle has acquired a professional sports team by relocation rather than by expansion. 
The original Super Sonics were created along with the Phoenix Suns in a late 60s expansion of the NBA.  The Seahawks and Mariners began play in the mid to late 70s. 

Sacramento Kings On the move

It really hurts to lose an professional sports franchise, but when it's the only team in town, it much hurt worst. Sacramento, it's reported, is about to lose it's only tie to big league sports as the Kings are moving to Anaheim.

Seattle Times Reporter Jerry Brewer pointed out that after 14 years of stability, the NBA has had 4 franchise moves in the last 10 year including our beloved Super Sonics.

For the Kings, who are going back to being called the Royals, this will be the 4th city that they will have called home in my lifetime. When I first started watching the NBA, it was the Cincinnati Royals, then a move to Kansas City, where they became the Kings so they would not be mistaken for the KC Royals Baseball Franchise. they were actually called the KC-Omaha Kings, although they rarely played in Omaha. They eventually dropped Omaha and became,simply, the Kansas City Kings. From there, they headed west to become the Sacramento Kings. If they become the Royals again, it will be so they are not mistaken for the LA Kings Hockey Club. The Club actually began as the Rochester Royals.