Sacramento Kings Moving G League Team From Reno To Stockton
STOCKTON (CBS13) — City and community leaders continue to work on improving downtown Stockton, and now they are getting a little bit more help from the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings organization announced on Monday it plans to move its G League from Reno to Stockton.
No one is happier to welcome the team than Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs.
"I think the Sacramento Kings moving their G League team to the city of Stockton, again shows it's a city on the rise and there is a lot of momentum here," said Tubbs.
The Kings organization wants to move its minor league franchise formerly known as the Reno Bighorns to Stockton. Pending approval, the team would be playing in Stockton next season.
"I know so many people in this community, love basketball and are Kings fans and now they don't have to drive to Sacramento, they could watch the G League team play here at the Stockton arena," he said.
Community leaders say the Kings organization will bring a level of family, friendly events to compliment Stockton's hockey and baseball assets. The city is expecting more jobs and also more foot traffic through downtown.
"Downtown is seeing a resurgence now, you're starting to see investment on the private side so they are building apartments and new businesses are moving downtown, and you are continuing to see this interest," said Wes Rhea, CEO, Visit Stockton.
On April 17, the Stockton City Council will review and vote on the agreement that will allow the team to use the arena. Once things are finalized, the hope is the partnership will open more doors for businesses to invest in Stockton.
"Last year, we had, of course, new breweries, a few new restaurants. We're starting to see more interest on the retail side, and once we have more people living down here and those apartments are coming along, I think that will start to grow. But no one is shying away from downtown Stockton, there is a lot of opportunity out here," said Rhea.
In the coming weeks, the team will be posting various positions within the organization. It plans to host an open call job fair. The minor league team's new name will be unveiled next year.