Vs: NBA Trades & Rumours 2010-2011
[quote author="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/basketball/nba/wires/05/16/2030.ap.bkn.mayor.kj.kings.1st.ld.writethru.1573/index.html"]
Mayor KJ pivotal in keeping NBA in Sacramento
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The day he departed for the biggest meeting of his life, Kevin Johnson clicked on the television and found an unlikely source of inspiration.
A documentary was airing about the Baltimore Colts' infamous middle-of-the-night move to Indianapolis. He saw how Baltimore's marching band kept playing, kept fighting, kept bringing attention to the city until it was finally rewarded with a new NFL franchise.
"I was watching it and I was very empathetic of that community,'' Johnson said. "We did not want to be one of those cities. It was motivation.''
What a time for that documentary to air.
What a time for a former NBA All-Star to be elected Sacramento's mayor.
The Sacramento Kings were determined to relocate to Anaheim: no longer selling season tickets, applying for new federal trademark names and embracing the Anaheim City Council's vote to issue $75 million in bonds to entice the team.
Even for a guy who once dunked over 7-footer Hakeem Olajuwon, that was a tall hurdle to overcome.
"It was one thing after another. All signs pointed to them being gone,'' Johnson said. "The chances of them staying? I would've said slim to none at that time.''
Slim was good enough.
The culmination of his efforts comes Tuesday night when Johnson represents the team at the NBA draft lottery in a sign of goodwill from Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof, capping a remarkable turnaround for Sacramento that only a point guard-turned-politician might've been able to make happen.
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