Published: 1 years 12 days ago
Thousands of rowdy Sacramento Kings fans, many in jerseys and a few waving cowbells, turned downtown's Cesar Chavez Plaza into a sea of purple Tuesday night as they celebrated the team's decision to stay put - for now.
Mayor Kevin Johnson and members of the David Taylor/ICON Venue Group will meet with the Maloof family today for what are expected to be the first talks about what the owners might be willing to invest in a new arena.
Both the Kings and the NBA have said Sacramento needs to come up with a plan and financing for an arena by March, or the Kings are likely to leave.
The emcee's first mention of the Maloofs drew a round of cheers and a few underlying boos from the crowd. But Joe and Gavin Maloof were greeted warmly when they took the stage with Johnson toward the end of the rally.
They elicited one of the loudest cheers of the night when they invited Johnson to represent the Kings at the NBA Draft lottery Tuesday.
"I accept!" Johnson yelled, after picking Joe Maloof up and twirling him in a bear hug.
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/10/3614635/downtown-rally-tonight-will-celebrate.html
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