Sacramento Kings Move – Anaheim Royals Expected for 2012-2013 Season
LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – The Sacramento Kings are expected move to Anaheim for the 2012-2013 season, and name change to the “L.A. Royals” or “Anaheim Royals”. That news would nominally heat up an ESPN broadcast. But last night, the tensions were revealed on an unlikely non-basketball network: Bravo. In advance of Monday’s broadcast, LALATE had predicted that Adrienne Maloof’s issues with the Sacramento Kings move might just become a Bravo blockbluster. The prediction came true. By evening, the Kings move became one of the biggest stories in cable programming last night.
The Real Housewives franchise has constantly been under fire for manufacturing fake storylines that viewers don’t care about. Whether it was the New York housewives arguing about seat assignments in a Moroccan van, or the Jersey housewives arguing about their swimsuits in Punta Rasa, Bravo has been under fire for delivering trivial storylines that potentially aren’t real and definitely have no significance.
Last night that was definitely not the case. Adrienne Maloof, with a bodyguard by her side no less, tackled the troubles of a NBA franchise move. Her family’s team, the Sacramento Kings, were headline news in April of this year. Anaheim wanted them to move, Sacramento didn’t want them to leave. Sacramento’s Mayor was slamming the Maloofs in the news at the time, the City was threatening Anaheim, and the future of team left fans irate.
So in advance of this season of RHOBH, LALATE questioned if Adrienne Maloof would have ever allowed Bravo cameras to record some of the tensions at the time. She certainly did, as she tackled the team’s move in a second of two episodes that premiered Monday night.
The Sacramento Kings had previously played in Rochester and Cincinnati as the Royals. Even recently, they often featured old Royals jerseys in home games in Sacramento. But in Spring 2011, LALATE broke that the Maloofs are seeking trademark protection for the “L.A. Royals” and “Anaheim Royals”.
So are the Sacramento Kings making the move? The Kings have not officially confirmed the team’s move. But they have informed the NBA that they will move the team in advance of the 2012-2013 if a deal is not reached with Sacramento.
Yet, the Sacramento Kings are still expected to move to Anaheim’s Honda Center for the 2012-2013 season. On May 2, 2011, Adrienne Maloof’s family (the Maloof Sports and Entertainment) confirmed to news that the team will not move this upcoming season (if there is one). “Out of respect to Kings fans and the regional business community, we have decided to remain in Sacramento for the 2011-12 season,” read the news statement “The fans’ spirit and energy, specifically our season ticket holders, has been remarkable, and we are truly thankful for their loyalty. We also are greatly appreciative of the support from our corporate sponsors as well as other local businesses that have come forward in recent weeks.”
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson still wants the Kings to stay in Sacramento. That is unlikely to happen. Anaheim is ready to accept the team’s move.
“Anaheim remains an NBA-ready city,” said Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait in a news statement in May. “We are proud of the work that was done to bring an NBA team to Anaheim’s Honda Center. In particular, we protected the city’s taxpayers and the city’s finances from any risk by using private, not public, funds in the financing. As confirmed by NBA Commissioner David Stern, this process has shown that Anaheim/Orange County is a stand-alone market. With more than 3 million residents, Orange County is its own region – not a suburb. We believe that there should be more than one venue in Southern California to enjoy NBA basketball.”
Michael Schulman, chairman of Anaheim Arena Management, which runs the city-owned Honda Center, issued the following news statement in May. “We are disappointed in today’s developments but remain very optimistic about the long-term future of the NBA in Anaheim. We wish the Maloof family and city of Sacramento well and hope they are successful in their endeavors.”
He added “Since we began working toward bringing an NBA franchise to Orange County, we have maintained that this process is about getting a team for the fans, as basketball is a sport loved by Southern Californians,” said Schulman. “With the nation’s second-most populous region, one which serves as home to nearly the same number of people as the entire state of Texas, we are continuing our pursuit of an NBA team for our venue.”
