Kings' Move To Virginia Beach Unlikely
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - The reported plan to move the Sacramento Kings to Virginia Beach could be crumbling.
A Virginia Beach city councilman said Tuesday that "no team is willing to sign up." He's referring to a pro sports team they were hoping to lure as part of their plan to build a new oceanfront arena.
The city also released a statement saying it needs a firm commitment from a team before moving forward with a funding plan, but city officials would not comment on which team they were negotiating with. It has been widely reported that the Maloofs were contacted by Virginia Beach officials to possibly move out there.
"We have not reached a level of progress that will allow the city to go before the General Assembly to request the necessary funding," the city statement said. "If the city is to secure support from the state, which is critical to this project, we must have a firm proposal for the legislature to consider. We must make more progress with our discussions."
The Sacramento Kings have been linked to Virginia Beach's arena efforts, but the team has refused to comment on relocation rumors.
Efforts to build a new downtown arena in Sacramento fell apart in 2012 when the Maloofs walked away from the deal orchestrated in large part by Mayor Kevin Johnson. Under that deal, the city was prepared to contribute more than $200 million toward the $400 million facility by leasing out its parking spaces to a private company.
Under the Virginia Beach proposal, the city would own the new arena. Comcast-Spectacor, along with concert promoter Live Nation, would manage it, and an NBA team -- presumably the Kings -- would be its anchor tenant.
