NBA to head initiative for new Kings arena
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The NBA will take the lead in the Sacramento Kings' long-running attempts to get a new arena, the league announced Wednesday.
Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof met with commissioner David Stern to discuss the change in tactics after a ballot proposal for a sales-tax increase to help fund a potential new arena was defeated by Sacramento County voters last week.
The NBA will now be in charge of seeking a public/private funding deal.
The billionaire Maloofs have been roundly criticized by local taxpayers' groups for seeking public funding for a proposed multi-use arena in downtown Sacramento or north of town near Arco Arena, the Kings' aging current home.
"The Maloofs have never wavered in their interest in keeping their teams in Sacramento, and they have requested that we take a leadership role in helping them achieve that goal," Stern said.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
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