Sacramento Kings Tied To Virginia Beach Arena Proposal

State won't fund Virginia Beach arena this year

Kings fans in Sacramento received some good news on Saturday when Virginia governor's proposed budget failed to include funds for the construction of an arena.

Virginia Beach, Comcast still negotiating with team reported to be Kings

Virginia Beach is close to settling on building an arena.

Sacramento Kings Linked To Continuing Virginia Beach Arena Plans

Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms and Vice Mayor Louis Jones "had a good meeting" Thursday in Philadelphia with Comcast-Spectacor CEO Peter Luukko, according to a report from Bruce Rader of the Portsmouth, Va., T.V. station WAVY.

The meeting was significant because Luukko, who sat on the NBA Board of Governors in the past as the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, is a main player in the Virginia Beach arena deal and "is close with NBA Commissioner David Stern," according to the report. Luukko has "convinced the [NBA's] owners" to bring the Sacramento Kings to Virginia Beach as long as the city's council can agree upon a plan to build the new arena.

The biggest holdup to the proposal, though, is whether or not the arena will generate enough money to pay off the bonds needed to pay for construction. The new arena is projected to cost $350 million.

With that major roadblock still remaining, WAVY reports, "there is still a long way to go" before any final decisions are made, and the final vote among the Virginia Beach city council might not come until December.

For more updates on the proposal to build a new sports arena in Virginia Beach, stick with this story stream. For updates about one of the rumored tenants of the proposed arena -- the Sacramento Kings -- head over to Sactown Royalty.

Virginia Beach Arena Plan Drawing Heavy Criticism

With a $700,000 taxpayer price tag, the plan to build a new multi-sports arena in Virginia Beach has drawn criticism from local government councilmen, according to a report on WAVY.com.

Councilmen Bill DeSteph and John Moss told the TV station they did not approve for the arena to be funded with taxpayer money and did not know public funds were being used for the project. After hearing Comcast-Spectator's proposal for the arena, which calls for $700,000 in taxpayer money, the two councilmen are calling for "transparency" regarding "secret meetings" between Comcast-Spectator and the Virginia Beach Economic Development Authority.

The only two local government officials who were aware of the meetings were Vice Mayor Louis Jones and Councillor Rosemary Wilson, and neither told the rest of the council until earlier this month, according to the report.

"Maybe we could have known what was happening and said, 'Wait a minute. Did you have a public vote? Wait a minute!'" Moss told WAVY.com. "And we could have avoided this major creation of a lack of public trust."

DeSteph and Moss support the plan to build a new sports arena only if it is funded by private dollars. If not, the duo wants the proposal, which is to build a 18,000-seat, $350 million arena across from the Virginia Beach Convention Center, to be put to a public vote.

For more updates on the proposal to build a new sports arena in Virginia Beach, stick with this story stream. For updates about one of the rumored tenants of the proposed arena -- the Sacramento Kings -- head over to Sactown Royalty.

Virginia Beach To Spend 2 Months Looking For NBA Or NHL Team

The city of Virginia Beach will spend the next two months looking to find an NBA or NHL franchise willing to relocate to the city, according to a report from Aaron Applegate of The Virginian-Pilot.

A number of companies led by Comcast-Spectacor met with the Virginia Beach City Council Tuesday night to discuss a possible 18,500 seat stadium located next to the Virginia Beach Convention Center near the Oceanfront that would cost an estimated $350 million.

Applegate reports that the NBA's Sacramento Kings are the target franchise for the move, but there have been no talks between Comcast-Spectacor and the Kings.

Comcast-Spectacor reported in its presentation that the arena would host over 200 events a year that would bring an estimated $66 million in revenues to Virginia Beach by 2015. Comcast-Spectacor and its subsidiary Global Spectrum would lease and run the arena for 25 years.

Stay tuned to Sactown Royalty and SB Nation Bay Area for updates, and for all of your NBA needs, keep an eye on SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.

Virginia Beach Arena Proposal To Be Unveiled

Virginia Beach's city council is expected to hear Tuesday a proposal for an arena that could land it a professional sports team -- specifically, the Sacramento Kings.

According to The Virginian-Pilot, the plan is being pitched at 3 p.m. by top officials from Comcast-Spectacor, owner of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers and former owner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. The presentation will reveal an 18,000-seat arena located near Oceanfront that will cost between $275-400 million.

Kings' owner Joe Maloof has denied reports about a possible move for his franchise. In April, plans for a Sacramento-based, $391 million area fell apart, and since then rumors have been flying about a possible relocation spot for the franchise.

Stay tuned to Sactown Royalty and SB Nation Bay Area for updates, and for all of your NBA needs, keep an eye on SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.

America's New Arena Surplus, And The Siren Song Of NBA Expansion

Virginia Beach apparently wants an NBA team, too. Get in line. At least five cities are openly flirting with the NBA, but there are no teams left to move. So don't be surprised if we start talking about expansion soon.

Comcast-Spectacor, Virginia Beach Officials Met About Building An Arena, Kings Not Involved

Virginia Beach officials have met with Comcast Spectacor and LiveNation about building a new arena in that city, the Sacramento Bee confirmed Thursday. City spokesman Marc Davis has this to say:

Davis' comments to The Bee this morning: "All we can say at this point is on Tuesday of this week, the mayor and vice mayor met with LiveNation, and Comcast Spectacor and Global Spectrum. They want to bring next Tuesday an unsolicited proposal to build an arena in Virginia Beach to host a lot of things and potentially an NBA team, and the company is guaranteeing a professional sports team. They are not naming the team."

Joe Maloof denied all reports of the Kings talking to Virginia Beach today.

Stay tuned to SacTown Royalty and SB Nation Bay Area for updates, and for all of your NBA needs, keep an eye on SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.

Sacramento Kings 'Not Going To Discuss' Virginia Beach Relocation Rumors

The Sacramento Kings released a brief statement to quiet the rumors about the team's potential move to Virginia Beach. The PR department sent the media a short notice that said they won't discuss rumors. But the release did say that many cities have touched base with the franchise to express interest in acquiring the Kings.

"The Kings organization over the last several years has been approached by numerous parties and cities interested in buying and relocating the franchise. The franchise is not going to discuss which cities have approached the organization and are not going to comment on every rumor."

To end the talk, the Kings said their only focus will be on the team they're trying to put on the court. But as a whole, the statement did not do a whole lot to deny the Virginia Beach rumors.

The Hampton Roads Business Journal reported earlier today that the Kings could move to Virginia Beach, but co-owner Joe Maloof quickly went public to deny all such discussions. Soon after, the NBA issued a statement to say it had "no information" on the move.

Check out Sactown Royalty for more reaction on the Kings or take a look at the SB Nation NBA hub.

NBA Has 'No Information' From Sacramento Kings On Possible Relocation To Virginia Beach

Despite earlier reports that Virginia Beach had emerged as a possible relocation option for the Sacramento Kings, the NBA has received no information with regards to such a move, according to league spokesman Mike Bass.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass on Kings: "We have no information from the Kings on this matter and there has been no application for relocation."

— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) August 23, 2012

After the Maloof brothers' deal for a $391 million entertainment complex in Sacramento fell through three months ago, reports emerged that they had started looking for a new home for their franchise. Reportedly, Comcast is willing to guarantee a 25-year lease on a new arena in Virginia Beach in exchange for naming rights and the right to broadcast Kings games.

If last year's back-and-forth with the city of Anaheim is any indication, it's likely we haven't heard the last from the Maloofs on the relocation of the Kings.

Stay tuned to SacTown Royalty and SB Nation Bay Area for updates, and for all of your NBA needs, keep an eye on SB Nation's dedicated NBA hub.

Joe Maloof Denies Discussions With Virginia Beach About Possible Sacramento Kings Relocation

Sacramento Kings owner Joe Maloof denied a report Thursday that his team will announce a move to Virginia Beach on Aug. 29.

“We haven’t talked to Virginia Beach,” Joe Maloof told CBS13.

Kings spokeman Eric Rose did not confirm the report from the Hampton Roads Business Journal either, and essentially gave CBS13 an elaborate "no comment":

"The Kings have been approached by numerous cities interested (in) buying the team and relocating it. We are not going to discuss which cities have approached the team and are not going to comment on every rumor. I can tell you that the Kings are 100% focused on putting a winning team on the court."

Will Sessoms, mayor of Virginia Beach, did confirm with CBS13 that Comcast-Spectacor and LiveNation have approached the city with a proposal to partner in building a new arena. Sessoms also said that Comcast would guarantee a professional sports franchise as a tenant in the new arena.

For more on the Kings, visit Sactown Royalty and SB Nation Bay Area.

Sacramento Kings Relocation To Virginia Beach: 'None Of This Makes Any Sense'

Standing in the way of rumors and reports (namely from the Hampton Roads Business Journal) that the Sacramento Kings would leave northern California for Virginia Beach? Facts, and you can bet SB Nation Kings blog Sactown Royalty has a bunch of 'em. First off, there's the issue of population, and the fact that Virginia Beach, a city without any pro sports franchises, has a smaller one than Sacramento:

Virginia Beach may be the biggest city in Virginia, but it's smaller than Sacramento and a much smaller media market. The Hampton Roads area has approximately 1.6 million people, about half of the Sacramento metropolitan area. Sacramento is also the 19th-largest media market in the country, while the Norfolk area is 42nd.

Then there's the fiscal health of the famous Maloof brothers, owners of the team:

The Maloofs don't have any money to build a new hotel. They might say they do, but actions speak louder than words.

Sactown Royalty also notes that Commissioner David Stern said the league wouldn't abide the Kings moving to Anaheim, a much larger market (with an existing arena to boot), so logic would dictate that the league wouldn't let a move to a tiny market on the other side of the country go through, either.

Naturally, this leaves the educated Kings enthusiast with little to worry about:

I could go on, but I don't think I'm going to get super upset over this likely false report. I sincerely doubt that Virginia Beach poses any threat to the future of the Sacramento Kings.

For more on the Kings, visit Sactown Royalty and SB Nation Bay Area.

Virginia Beach Is Potential Relocation Option For Sacramento Kings, According To Report

The Sacramento Kings have a meeting next week to discuss possible relocation to Virginia Beach, according to a report.