SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Civic leaders and local businesses emerged from a meeting at the downtown offices of The Golden 1 CU with commitments for $10 million in sponsorships in an effort to convince the city’s lone major league sports team, the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, to stay in town.
Mayor Kevin Johnson said the city’s business community "made a down payment on the Sacramento Kings and this being their permanent home,” with commitments from the credit union giant, as well as local companies Sleep Train, Zoom Imaging Solutions and Arden Fair Mall. Each of the businesses wrote checks covering 20% of their total pledge.
The pledges ranged from advertising and sponsorship deals to the purchase of season tickets. Thirty-three businesses made pledges.
"They told us $7 million; we raised $10 million. They wanted it in a short time; we did it even faster," Johnson said outside the credit union’s corporate offices.
"We are for real and we are here to support the NBA and the Kings – not just for this year, but for many years to come," said Matt Mahood, president of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce.
The Kings, big busts both on the court and off the past few years, are considering leaving Sacramento, perhaps to the Los Angeles suburb of Anaheim. The Kings have until Monday, May 2, to file with the NBA for relocation.
