Ron Bath | Business First
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, at left, and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer talked shop at a reception before the Leadership Louisville luncheon.
Sacramento, Calif., Mayor Kevin Johnson is fighting to keep his NBA team from leaving town, and there are some Louisvillians who would like to see it move here.
Johnson, a former NBA star, jokingly told about 1,000 people at today?s 2012 Leadership Louisville Luncheon: ?Don?t take my team.?
Click here to view a slide show from the Leadership Louisville Luncheon.
On a more serious note, Johnson said that if Louisville really wants an NBA franchise, then it needs to make sure it?s prepared.
He said the city already has taken a big step by building the KFC Yum! Center.
A deal to build a new arena for the Sacramento Kings in Johnson?s city fell apart when the team?s out-of-town ownership walked away from the agreement. The owners currently are considering a proposal to move the franchise to Virginia Beach, Va.
If you want an NBA team, you?ve got to be ?poised and positioned,? Johnson told the crowd. ?Do what you can do now.?
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, who recently floated the idea of revisiting the recruitment of an NBA franchise to the city, said there aren?t any current talks going on with any professional teams.
But he echoed Johnson?s opinion that the city needs to be ready.
?We have some issues, obviously,? Fischer said, speaking specifically about the University of Louisville?s restrictive lease agreement at the Yum Center.
?We?ve got to be positioned to win.?
John R. Karman III covers these beats: Economic development and government, commercial real estate, transportation, utilities, sports business, lottery, tourism/conventions, higher education, nonprofits, Jeffersontown, Downtown, Central Area.
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