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NBA ALL-STAR WEEKENDFebruary 16, 2008Billy HunterDavid SternNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA THE MODERATOR: Good evening, everyone. Thanks for coming to our annual All-Star availability. We're going to start with some opening comments from the executive director of the NBA Players Association, Billy Hunter, and some comments from the Commissioner. Before we get started, after Mr. Hunter and Mr. Stern make their opening statements, we'll open it up to questions on the topic they're discussing. BILLY HUNTER: Let me say that I'm happy to be here accompanying the Commissioner on this great occasion, this foray into New Orleans. I know over a year ago or maybe not quite a year, I expressed some grave concerns about the well being of NBA players if they were to come to New Orleans to participate in the All-Star Weekend, and I expressed some concerns about their safety. And I can assure you that any concerns I previously had have been fully allayed. I think the city has done an exceptional job. I think it's been a great weekend, and I think we're going to have a great All-Star Game. The city has stepped up fully, and they've obviously met any concern that I may have had. They've kept every commitment, I believe, that they may have expressed to the Commissioner with regard to the overall organization and conduct. I think the people that I see on the street and I talk to are having a great time. I've heard people talking about running out and buying tickets to the All-Star Game, and about how this is one of the greatest things that could have ever happened to their city. And I'm proud and pleased to be a member of the NBA community on this week on behalf of the Players Association and players, when I say we couldn't have gotten any better treatment than we've received thus far had here in New Orleans. Parallel with that, there's been a great outreach effort made on the part of the league and the Players Association through NBA Cares. And I know that the Commissioner expressed earlier in the year, and he and I actually had meetings about it, that there would be added effort by NBA teams when they came into town to demonstrate their support of the city and the citizenry, and our attempt to help the people get back on their feet and do what we could to enhance the well being of the city of New Orleans. And the NBA has done a great job in that regard. Today, for example, we participated, or rather yesterday, we participated in a program that the NBA coordinated called "Rebuilding New Orleans." It was a joint effort on behalf of the league, and the Players Association. All of our players were out and about participating in all kinds of endeavors ranging from helping to build houses, paint walls, apply sheetrock; you name it, our players were doing it. Along with a lot of the sponsors. Today the Players Association hosted a food giveaway for 3,000 families. And I can say to you that the people who attended that were extremely pleased with the contribution that has been made by the League and the association. I think it's a great weekend. I guess my only regret is that we don't have the kind of crowd, I guess, that we've had in other cities. But I think we're going to have a significant impact on the economy, because everybody knows when the NBA comes, its fans, the people who are drawn by it, spend a lot of money. And it goes to benefit the locale in which the game is hosted. I think these are great times. I think it's great for the league. I think it's great for the attention that we bring to the city, to let people know that the city is getting back up. That things are occurring here. That there is an attempt to rebuild the city and to provide for the folk who have lived here. I feel extremely positive about New Orleans and what is happening, and obviously, the contribution that's being made by our players. We're going to be watched by people around the world. And the focus is going to be on New Orleans, pretty much like it may be on Beijing this summer at the summer Olympics. It's almost like a coming out for the city of New Orleans after having suffered the devastation caused by Katrina. But I can assure you that the players that I represent through the union, our constituents, both men and women, are going to do everything within their power to join hands with the Commissioner and the owners to do what we can to enhance life for everyone here. COMMISSIONER STERN: Thank you, Billy. I would like to just say a bunch of thank-yous to the Players Association, to every participant on All-Star Friday, Saturday and Sunday who participated in really the Day of Service, which was an extraordinary thing for us. And our partners, our marketing partners, our merchandising partners, our broadcast partners, and those of you from the media who partook. I think it was a unique day which gives a strong, strong impetus to our own views. I think collectively with the people in this room, who follow our league, that sports can make a difference. It's not about the PR attached to it, it's about really what we're doing. And as it relates to New Orleans itself, I just want to say that, when I leave here after the All-Star Game, I'm much more optimistic about the prospects of the team meeting the goals that have been set. The people I hear interviewed, the businessmen I speak to, the fans, the government officials, I think there is going to be a unique, unified effort to make sure that New Orleans is very much a basketball town. As I said, I'm optimistic about that. I want to thank TNT that's going to be covering this game live in primetime tomorrow. These events are live in primetime tonight. It's our 23rd year of partnership, and we even have an expanded partnership with TNT in something called NBA Digital, which we can talk about later. From the WNBA players to the NBA players and, indeed, our D-League players. Everyone pitched in, and New Orleans is a great, great host city. We're very thankful to the people for the warmth of our reception. THE MODERATOR: Questions on New Orleans or the day of service. COMMISSIONER STERN: Billy, I think they want to get at me. BILLY HUNTER: Have at it (laughter). COMMISSIONER STERN: Thank you very much, I appreciate it. I guess I'll say a few short things, and then open it up for questions. Although when I say short, it usually never is. I want to say that we're awfully pleased about the state of our game. I sat through a small part of the Competition Committee yesterday, but I loved walking into it with my NBA Cares T-shirt full of mud and my jeans. It created a sensation unto itself. I got to wear jeans for the first time in 24 years in a Competition Committee meeting. The game looks terrific. It's open, it's fluid. There is more movement, and there are more shots. The fact that the shots go in is also good. Shooting percentages are up, three-point shots are up. People are feeling good about the state of the game and the way it is being played, coached, and refed. There are always some improved teams, surprise teams and turn-arounds. You could pick a few, but tonight let's talk about Portland, Boston, and the home team, the Hornets. Big surprises, very nice. Atlanta comes sort of walking out of the wilderness as well. There are other stories that are good. But it's interesting, and we've got, I'm told, 4 1/2 games that separate the top teams, the playoff teams in the Western Conference, and we've never had a race that close at this point in the season. And no, we're not going to a balanced schedule and put those teams into the East, et cetera. And yes, I did notice that Gasol and Shaq got traded to the West, but these things have a way of equalling out. There are some good things that happen. The trades seem to have piqued interest. We've seen that by various visits to our sites and the like. And our young stars are doing great. We've had an opportunity to be with them here. They represent us well on and off the court. The Rookie Game was exciting. And when you see our youngsters, especially, and the oldsters who are not going away so fast, if you want to call Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant our oldsters. The team that's going to go marching to Beijing, the state of the game is very good, and it's getting better. And we're pleased with the 19-year-old entry age. We're pleased with the D-League and its development and its contribution to giving players the competition and the conditioning, and the coaching. Dan Reed, the president, always is telling me something, enabled 15 percent of our NBA players have experience or come from D-League experience, which is a tribute to the D-League, and also to the fact that our teams have confidence that it helps players develop their skills to allow them to play in the NBA. Further, I have nothing more to say, except in response to what you may ask me. Thank you. THE MODERATOR: Questions for the Commissioner? Q. You talked about some trades making interests, there is one ongoing negotiation also drawing some interest with the Mavericks and Nets. There are two issues on there that haven't received real solid answers to. The first one is there has been some contradictory answers to the Jerry Stackhouse situation with his comments earlier on about going straight back to the Mavericks, if, indeed, he's traded and then waived by the Nets. And then the second one, Keith Van Horn may be part of this deal. Did (Aaron) McKie going to the Grizzlies, did that set a new precedent in terms of a player who is not in the league currently? COMMISSIONER STERN: No, no. After we leave the press conference, Joel Litvin and Dan Rube would be happy to spend several hours with you to explain the intricacy of permissible signings. And if a player is a free agent for the team for which he last played, apparently well into his 80s, Joel is. And has the possibility of resuming playing, the team is permitted to sign him for purposes of inclusion and trade. Here the Leno-Letterman team, "Hello, so and so. What are you doing? Well, just resting here. Well, guess what, we're sending you a check for X, and you're being included in the trade, but don't get up." But that's allowed. There's a real reason for it, I just can't understand what it is. But we allow that (smiling). But the lawyers will be happy to talk to you about it. Really, he's here in the front row. Stackhouse, I don't know what's contradictory, I don't think you've heard anything contradictory from the League on Stackhouse. Q. Contradictory reports that have been out that the League has told the Mavs he can't be included. COMMISSIONER STERN: No, we have not told the Mavs he can't be included. What I will say is there can't be a deal in advance. It's not allowed there to be a deal that a team will trade a player, and the team to which he is traded will buy him out, and then he will rejoin the other team. That would, under normal circumstances, that is allowed to happen after a 30-day period, but it's not allowed to happen by prearrangement. Q. What are your thoughts on the international broadcasting of the All-Star Game, and how it has gone over the years, and the massive undertaking it takes to have this game broadcast live to 22 different countries? COMMISSIONER STERN: 200 different countries. 200-something. Wait a minute, 215 countries in 40 some-odd languages. We're advised that 60 of those countries are on-site. And the rest take feed that's we provide. And it's a huge undertaking, and it's extraordinary in terms of how much fun it is for us. It demonstrates the interests in our game on a global scale. It continues to grow. We need to invent spaces for the international media to come and be. That's along with our domestic media which continues to grow as well. And we're very, very pleased with that growth, and we do everything we can to accommodate them. One of the things that has made it easier to grow our game has been the ease with which our fans on a global scale can access information about us on NBA.com. Either the NBA.com English site or the international sites that we have. And I'm pleased to say, as I mentioned earlier, that NBA TV, which is carrying this press conference live, will soon be part of a broader NBA Digital operated by Turner Broadcasting, including our NBA League Pass, our NBA TV, our NBA.com. Our NBA Wireless, and NBA Broadband, NBA Mobile. And we will have, and we have had this weekend, TNT talent. I think we've increased our liability insurance, because that includes Charles. But we've had Marv Albert doing the practice, we're going to have a game starting next season on NBA TV with TNT's crew, both studio and talent. We really believe that there is a huge growth curve that's coming, both for NBA.com, NBA TV, NBA League Pass. And really keeping us completely current on all matters of technology. Turner currently does CNN.com, and NASCAR. You can get for a subscription you can be in every car, depending on which driver you choose to attach to during a race. The PGA TOUR, TBS.com, TNT.com, or Tour Network, they've got huge amounts of expertise, and we think that's going to be very helpful for us with respect to broadening our digital footprint. We're very excited about that. And if any of you had this thing stuck on your TV set that said the NBA and TNT are coming together, it does come off. It's called cling wrap, I guess. Joel Litvin and Adam Silver went around last night putting it on your sets. But we promise it comes off. Q. I'm just curious when a player is blatant or silly enough to talk about a prearranged set-up in a trade, flaunting it almost, does that have any impact on how the League views their trade? COMMISSIONER STERN: You know, since I'm a lawyer and I can represent different sides of a transaction, even though I don't want to give Stackhouse and the Mavs their defense too easily, things happen. He's certainly is allowed to do that in terms of going back after 30 days. The big issue is whether there is an agreement to do it. And speculating about it doesn't make it an agreement. Even if you were either one of the teams and wish he hadn't spoken and made it seem that easy. But I'm not on either his or Mark's Fave 5 list, so I haven't been up to date on the negotiations, so to speak. But it's a subject of interest to us, and the parties the transaction know that it's a subject of interest to us. They've been spoken to. Q. There was a report recently that you were close to announcing that the League was looking to put a five-team NBA division in Europe, with all the clubs based in Europe. How true is that? How much are you looking into that? How interested are you? And I assume you've done feasibility studies to how feasible that is? COMMISSIONER STERN: Actually that was an interesting report, it said in the next decade, just to complete it. So I guess what I would say, for those of you who have been listening to my faulty predictions for a long time, this is not a new subject. What we've always said was that if there were the appropriate arena structure, if there were the appropriate fan affinity, and there was the pricing structure that would be necessary for a team to compete in the NBA, then it would seem to be an opportunity for us to grow. And the interesting thing is that as we've gone to play exhibition games, there's been great interest, at least for single exhibition games, in many countries. And we're going to play exhibition games again this year in Europe. We haven't decided where yet. And we're going to play exhibition games in China, and we haven't tied those down yet. So we've seen the affinity in small ways. We don't know how it scales up. We see increased pricing, but not in basketball, European basketball the way it would have to be, yet. But we are seeing good signs of arena development. The O2 Arena we played in in London, it is an NBA-ready arena. We know there is an O2 World that's likely to open or scheduled to open in October in Berlin. It is also going to be ready, and it's being built by the same company, AEG, that built Staples Center, manages many arenas, and in fact is going to manage the Beijing Olympic arena, which the NBA has an interest in economically and represents and assisted in designating them. They're planning to negotiate and build an arena in Shanghai. So there is a pattern that's emerging here. We see that the building of O2 in Berlin is going to start a trend of major cities building arenas. Because we're spoiled in the U.S., we've retrofitted our buildings. The mayor of Rome is at, or almost at, the cement pouring stage for a Rome arena. Real Madrid has plans for a building, that they've shared with us. I've often said that if Real Madrid has a plan, then Barcelona's going to have a plan or vice versa. It seems that one will do whatever the other does. So you wind up with the emergence over a period of time of the kind of footprint that's going to allow those conversations to occur. There's no announcement scheduled or likely in the near future. But we have no secrets on the subject. It's an interesting subject. And the idea, you know, I think, if you were going to have NBA teams are there, it's not about having one team or even two. It would have to be critical mass for purposes of travel and the like. And that's just something that we'll continue to watch. As my guys remind me often, if you listen to everything I've said, our team in Mexico would have opened a long time ago. But we are watching various markets on a global scale, in a very serious way. More serious than we have ever before. And it's really a continued viability study, because we're always selling television. We're always selling merchandise. We're always selling sponsorship, and we're always playing events there. And we can gauge the interests on the Internet sites as well. So it's almost like a perpetual motion viability study, where we take test borings on issues of interest. And it's just an interesting time for us in that respect. But what I've often said is that unlike any other business, our most important business, and everything on which business depends is right here. So we can talk and speculate about the interesting. But the mother lode, if it's not functioning well, then those other businesses don't exist. If General Motors shuts down Detroit, they can still make cars some place else. If the NBA is not the NBA we want it to be, it doesn't have a shot at healthy international expansion. And at least that's what I tell the owners when I tell them we have to hire lots more people to worry about international. And, in fact, Tim Chen, our president of NBA China, is here because we love to spend some quality time with him. He's got a lot of work to do, and he's out there doing it without undo interference from New York, despite how much we like the command and control model. Q. But with all those points you've just mentioned, once you get that figured out over the next decade, if you will, what about the other side that you're saying here in terms of travel, players, all of that? Do you even come close in considering what that undertaking would be? COMMISSIONER STERN: We do look at that on a regular basis. Even our exhibition games prepare us for the travel. So it's a little bit too glib to say that it's closer to get from Boston to Paris than it is to get from Portland to Miami, true though it may be. And we don't think that travel is an issue. Clearly, players are not going to be an issue. More and more elite players are bouncing the ball rather than kicking it. And we think that over that period of time we'll continue to grow the pull of the League basketball talent. Travel is not going to be an issue. And the logistics will not be an issue. One of the only questions a couple of the All-Stars wanted to ask me today, Billy Hunter and I spoke to the All-Stars and we were just thanking them, and really telling them how good it has been. Well, can we really play an All-Star Game in London? And I said, "Not anytime soon, guys." I said to one of them, "You know, how do you know you'll be an All-Star when we do that?" He said, "I'll come as a guest." It's piqued their interests. It's an interesting subject to discuss. Really it's about what goes on here in the U.S. Q. Is there anyway you can give us any kind of update or briefing on the situation with Chris Andersen? COMMISSIONER STERN: His papers have been submitted to us. The background checks that are provided for in the agreement with the Players Association, because it involves both the Players Association and us, are in full swing. And we are working as fast as we can to conduct the speediest investigation and determine his status. Q. You had said in the summer that you wanted to get a chance to debrief Tim Donaghy before sentencing, is that in the works? And also do you at this point have a complete grasp of how exactly he affected the outcome of specific games or in general how exactly that all worked with him? COMMISSIONER STERN: We have no evidence at this point that he affected the outcome of particular games. The government, as far as we know, has no such evidence either. But we have been told it would be inappropriate for us to have contact with him prior to his sentencing, and that's where we are. We're in the process of working with the referees' union to implement the new work rules that we, you know, modifying the new work rules having to do with what referees can and cannot do. But it's nothing particularly profound. It has to do with cell phones, travel, you know, who they can meet with once the locker room is closed and the like and will be. We're having extensive meetings about that, and we're sharing and exchanging with the union, because we want to do it collaboratively. We have the right to do it, but we want to do it responsibly with them. And they've been extraordinarily cooperative with us. Brian Lamb, counsel to the union, Mel McMorris, the head of the union. Both have been terrific in terms of our dealing with them. And we're planning to continue our relationship that way. Q. When it all happened over the summer, there was an expectation that perhaps fans would be very hard on officials. That you'd go through a period where they would take a lot of heat. It didn't seem like much of that at all happened. Did that surprise you that it was really business as usual once you got back on the court, that it blew over that way? COMMISSIONER STERN: You know, it didn't really surprise me because every time you guys sort of come to camp, watch the referees, learn what they do, you understand that although everyone in the league is a little crazy, including me, we all want to do the right thing and they do the right thing. They bust their butts to make the right call. They take it very personally when they miss one. And I think that our fans realize that guilt by association is not a very good, American approach, and that really the anti-referee yelling is like somehow part of the game. It becomes a sport. In some ways I've mentioned it before, coaches fan it and it has its own life. But the fans have been great. And the referees have been great. And we walk this thin line of making sure we want our rules to be precise. We want them to be beyond reproach. But we also feel very protective of them because they're out there with instant replay and everything else. They're going to make mistakes on somewhere between 5 and 8 percent of the plays, 10 percent, maybe they'll do 92, 93 great games, 94. So mistakes are out there. And we have lots of calls and it's there. But I think our fans are terrific. They've understood it completely. Doesn't make them happy when the home team gets a bad call, but there has been virtually none of the ugliness that we might have thought. Q. Are you more or less equally pessimistic about the situation in Seattle than you were this time last year? And is the Union comfortable with discussing relocation next month given the state of the lawsuit in June? COMMISSIONER STERN: You know, it's interesting to me, it's apparent to all who are watching that the Sonics are heading out of Seattle. There's not going to be a new arena. There's not going to be a public contribution, and that's everyone's right. I mean that sincerely. So the only question now becomes, is the court going to rule that you can fulfill the terms of the lease by paying money for the remaining two years after this? Or, despite everything, there is some reason to keep them there as the clock winds down. To try to compromise the issue I have urged and supported the Sonics to make an offer to Seattle that would both pay the remaining two years of the lease after this, and an offer to pay the remaining bond outstanding indebtedness, that will remain even after the team leaves were it to still stay there for two more years after this, which approaches $30 million. All I can tell you is that in response to that request by me, the offer was made, and it was rejected. I think it's bad public policy. I feel actually badly that the team, when it leaves either now or in two years, is going to leave behind an unpaid debt which the city has. The team's not going to leave it behind, but the city's still going to have a debt on the building. And the Sonics have offered to pay it off. The city says no, and so we'll see. But I don't feel uncomfortable. We know how to observe court orders and we do a pretty good job of that. So if the court says they're not free to just pay and leave, then they won't just pay and leave. But if they are, then they'll be gone and there will be two years of payment, and the city will not have the benefit of the $30 million or so and other things that would be worked on if there were an amicable solution to that. Q. You seem convinced that they're going to leave? COMMISSIONER STERN: I see nothing -- I don't know why anyone would expect in the absence of what they've been saying all along, which is funding for a new building of some kind and a plan for it that they would be staying. I accept that inevitability at this point. There is no miracle here. Q. You talked in your opening remarks about that you were more optimistic about the success of the Hornets here in New Orleans. Just wanted to know, like, how were your talks with business and government leaders? And one thing that Billy Hunter had said when he was up there with you was that the crowds are not as big as they are in other cities. I mean, is there any reaction to that? COMMISSIONER STERN: No, actually, our numbers are pretty good, actually. There is, I think just based upon the ease with which you can get to the city, air travel and the like, it does put a little bit. And the air travel's not back to 100%. I think it had some slight dilutive impact, together with lousy weather in the Midwest. But our numbers are good. They're never going to be as high in some years as in others. But they're in line with our expectations, and our guarantees to the hotels and the food and beverage guarantees. Our senior vice president of events and attractions is here. He made his budget or he exceeded it as he usually does with respect to expenses. And that's fine. I must tell you that part of it was a much more optimistic Hornets team and management based on increased sales of suites, improved attendance, you know. A good night, sellout Saturday night against Memphis, little bit of an uptick in ticket sales. And really in some measure we are looking to somehow get involved in a more aggressive way, or active way and constructive way, in the negotiations among Cox and Charter and Direct TV, and see whether we can't break the logjam on television. That we'll be doing something in the next week, we can't say exactly what it is. Maybe we don't know. We just think that the All-Star Weekend itself is a very effective event to dispel any notion by any business or any person who funds to buy a ticket that they didn't know the Hornets were back, or the NBA was in town, because there was a huge statement being made here about the support, and the Hornets' support. So I'm, you know, no one ever called me a romantic, but I'm feeling pretty good about it. I'm thinking that if the Hornets continue and they're adding people, they're overcoming the difficulties in getting people to relocate, to get the increased staff that they need and they seem to be improving daily in that as well. So I think that the selling season -- actually, renewals are probably going to go out momentarily, and the selling season is going to be really important. But we're going to make it a long selling season. It's going to be very supportive. The mayor, the lieutenant governor and the governor, the head of the city council, issued a lovely proclamation to the NBA yesterday, and New Orleans Sports Council, the Greater New Orleans Sports Council, there is such a countenance of political strength and governmental strength, that I think this is really an opportunity to do something good. Q. Should there be this kind of European league or European conference, whatever, like the other NBA teams? COMMISSIONER STERN: Well, as we see it, it would be NBA teams in Europe some day. I hadn't thought about -- well, I had thought about it, I just didn't talk about it, the idea that European teams would become NBA teams. We really are thinking more about expansion teams in Europe in the decade. And we think the Players Association would think the extra 60 jobs would be a really neat thing. Actually, it's not 60, it's 75 the way our teams are now at 15. So we're not focusing as much on the existing franchises themselves as we are upon new franchises. But we understand that there would be over this period of time lots of negotiations to be had. It's a lot of speculation, but it's always fun . Q. I know that you've been somewhat involved with the Bobcats' television situation. Can you shed any light on where that's headed? COMMISSIONER STERN: You know, those darn lawyers keep making it longer and longer. The drafts keep going back and forth. But I think it's fair to say we're closing in, and that's the best I can say on it. The issues are getting smaller. And we're very optimistic that there will be the naming rights deal, and a sports channel, a sports network deal with improved coverage that will continue to improve the already improved marketing efforts of the team and the financial picture of the team. It's been a priority for us. It's just hard. But we need to finish that up so we can turn our attention to the Hornets and the Cox, Charter, Direct TV triangulation that is becoming a strangulation in terms of reaching certain parts of the population. Q. Where are we in the negotiations with the new arena in Sacramento, and have you spoke with the Cal Expo officials? COMMISSIONER STERN: The answer is my representative has had extensive discussions with Cal Expo. And we're going to have very extensive discussions in the very immediate future, like next week. This week, as we speak. This coming week. That's next week. Tomorrow's the first day of next week. I'm actually, you know, Joel Litvin is a ventriloquist. He's giving me signs here. I hope to have to, you know, if those are successful, I'll be visiting the market next month, hopefully. And if they're not, I may not be visiting the market, and that would not be a good thing. So we're investing a lot of time, energy, money, consultants and expertise to see whether we can formulate a plan. And we're getting to a place where either we will or we won't in a relative -- within the next month. And on that one, we remain optimistic. Until I tell that you I'm pessimistic, that we can do something there. Q. Have you spoken to Governor Pete Wilson? COMMISSIONER STERN: Our representatives have spoken to Governor Wilson and his representatives. And if you have any other questions, Governor Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver will be here at the game. You can ask them directly. Q. Can you talk about the decision to come to Phoenix next year for the All-Star Game after a relatively short period of, I guess, 14 years since the last time. Is that an indication that other cities aren't fitting? COMMISSIONER STERN: Well, it's an indication that when someone puts it all together in the sunshine, that we think our owners will find it attractive. There's been a major revision in Phoenix to rebuilding. They're going to have convention center renovations. There's a new hotel in town, and a real sense of a dramatic change even from the last time we were there. And they made a very compelling case to us on that. And yes, there is a shorter, smaller circle of franchises and cities that can bid or want to bid for the All-Star Game. In some cases it's about the hotel stock, and in some cases it's the location of the hotel stock. In some cases it's the weather. And in other cases it's teams that don't care to dislocate their season ticket base. And for all of those reasons, I think we're going to be on a tighter rotation over the next decade or so of fewer NBA cities, or non-NBA cities, but our guests and media, I promise you, will enjoy it. Q. I wanted to get back to Seattle really quick. Do you think or suspect that the reluctance for public financing of any kind up there is directly related to the current ownership, much like in Charlotte there seemed to be resistance with that? COMMISSIONER STERN: No, absolutely not. They're equal opportunities deniers of aid. Howard Schultz, who was a resident of Seattle, who owned the team previously, who invested time and energy leading lobbying efforts at the city council, at the county level and at the state level, was unsuccessful. Clay Bennett actually spent more money, developed more plans, made more visits, and the answer was no, no, a thousand times no. Indeed, even recently as I read the newspaper occasionally, the Speaker of the House was heard to say that if the university wanted a new stadium, that was certainly a good reason to consider extending the tax that helped build the baseball and football stadiums, but certainly not for the Sonics. And into that sort of wind, it doesn't make a lot of sense to sail. Thank you very much, everybody. End of FastScripts |
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