Plucky Virginia Beach is getting closer, it would seem, to luring the NBA to its shores.
The city and Comcast-Spectacor have worked out the details for a proposed $350 million arena intended to house the Sacramento Kings, according to a report by WAVY-TV 10 in Hampton Roads. The next step is for Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms to ask the commonwealth for $150 million to help make it happen.
But there's still a long way to go. Only when a financing plan is in place would the NBA even begin to consider whether Virginia Beach is a market ready for a professional basketball team. The NBA already knows Seattle is, but the group planning to build an arena there wants its own team, not one owned by the Maloofs.
Speaking of which, the Kings' owners hold the final key to any potential relocation, but they have a mountain of problems, both financial and otherwise, that need solving before they can move the team out of Sacramento. There's a good chance they never will, but Virginia Beach isn't waiting to find out.
- Craig Stouffer
