Maloof brothers keep Sacramento grasping for Kings

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The moment will be seared into the minds of long-suffering Sacramento Kings fans forever.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof standing together at center court, holding hands and raising their arms in triumph after both sides agreed to an arena financing plan to keep the NBA team in town for at least another 30 years.

“There’s going to be a beacon of light shining bright in 2015 — a brand new arena,” a teary-eyed Gavin Maloof told a raucous crowd during a timeout in a win over the Utah Jazz on Feb. 28, 2012. “We still love you. We always loved you, and we always will love you.”

Hugs and handshakes followed, and the relocation chatter that had surrounded the Kings for years finally seemed to be silenced. Instead, barely a month passed before the Maloof brothers backed out of the handshake deal — which NBA Commissioner David Stern had negotiated, and the Sac- ramento City Council approved — and both sides declared the franchise’s future uncertain again.

“It was shocking. But this story every step of the way has been shocking, and I think that’s something that can’t be lost,” said James Ham, who covers the team for the website Cowbell Kingdom.

For the second time in three years, Johnson will make a presentation to NBA owners in New York on Wednesday to keep the Kings from leaving California’s capital city, complete with an ownership group ready to buy the team and a newly approved arena financing plan. The goal is to block a bid by investor Chris Hansen and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who have a pending deal with the Maloofs to buy the Kings, move the team to Seattle and restore the SuperSonics name.

A joint committee of league owners, assembled from the sale and relocation committees, will made a recommendation for the full NBA Board of Governors to consider when it votes at its annual meeting April 18-19 in New York.