By Bob Moffitt
At this time in 1985, the Kansas City Kings were playing their
final home games before sparse crowds of fans who knew the end was
near. Two days after the season ended, NBA owners approved
the Kings' move to Sacramento.
Kevin Gray: "I think the immediacy of the fallout was certainly frustrating and disappointing to some, but I think on the other hand, people kind of turned the page pretty quickly, kind of moved on."
But, Kansas City's Sport Commission's Kevin Gray says it would be 22 years before the city fully rebounded. The 19-thousand seat Sprint Center opened in 2007 on time and on budget and was financed by rental car fees, hotel fees and by AEG in exchange for exclusive management rights.
The city would entertain having a pro team move in…now. But, Gray believes it was easier to get the center built then because there was no team, no team owners and no emotional fans to get in the way of the process.