NBA

Councilman Ken Fleming Says NBA Study Shows Louisville's 'Poor Business Climate'

Phillip M. Bailey — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:50:55 +0000

The chair of the Republican caucus in the Louisville Metro Council says a study on attracting an NBA franchise shows the city needs to improve its business climate and lift tax burdens.

A summary of the report, which was commissioned by Greater Louisville Inc., found Louisville has an enthusiastic fan base and downtown arena to attract a professional basketball franchise. What the city lacks is a proper corporate base to lease the necessary amount of suites at the KFC Yum Center.

At least one city lawmaker argues that illustrates a larger problem regarding burdensome government taxes, which he claims limit Louisville’s business growth that would attract the NBA and other amenities.

"We are a hamster on an exercise wheel: we work, we work, we work. We get off it, but yet we’re still stuck in the cage of state and government regulation," says Councilman Ken Fleming, R-7. "That’s why this whole state and particularly Louisville can’t do anything because we have politicians that can’t get their head out of the clouds and get down to the brass tacks of doing things and changing this tax structure."

NBA Supporter J. Bruce Miller Forges Ahead; Critic Calls on Louisville to Back Away

Joseph Lord — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:26:54 +0000

The release of a Greater Louisville Inc. study executive summary questioning the support for an NBA franchise among the city's corporations appears to be a hurdle for advocates of professional basketball in Louisville, but a longtime NBA supporter says he's undeterred—and that the prospects are far from dead.

For decades, Louisville attorney J. Bruce Miller has involved himself in the pursuit of an NBA franchise for Louisville.

NBA Feasibility Study: Louisville's 'Lack of Corporate Depth' Hampers Pro Basketball Aspirations

Joseph Lord — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:17:47 +0000

Louisville lacks the corporate support for an NBA team that would likely be needed to attract professional basketball to the city, said a study into the feasibility study commissioned by Greater Louisville Inc.

Those corporations would be called upon to lease suites at the KFC Yum! Center for NBA games—but the "lack of corporate depth" in Louisville means that those companies would each need to lease a greater share, the study said.

Louisville does has a strong potential fan base for the NBA, the study noted.

Local Gay Rights Leaders, Sports Commentators React to Jason Collins Coming Out

Phillip M. Bailey — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:56:09 +0000

Louisville gay rights leaders are praising veteran NBA player Jason Collins publicly announcing that he is gay, but area sports commentators say the revelation will do little to change the game.

The 34-year-old Collins is a free agent who reveals his sexual orientation in the upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated, which makes him the first active professional male athlete to disclose his homosexuality.

Collins cited the recent NBA lockout and his friendship with Demcoratic Congressman Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts as the reasons he came out.

From SI:

Why am I coming out now? Well, I started thinking about this in 2011 during the NBA player lockout. I'm a creature of routine. When the regular season ends I immediately dedicate myself to getting game ready for the opener of the next campaign in the fall. But the lockout wreaked havoc on my habits and forced me to confront who I really am and what I really want. With the season delayed, I trained and worked out. But I lacked the distraction that basketball had always provided.

Seattle Times Columnist Jerry Brewer: 'The NBA Could Work in Louisville'

Joseph Lord — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 12:00:00 +0000

The question of whether Louisville could and should have an NBA team has entered a quieter phase since the Sacramento Kings began talks of relocating to Seattle. Though it's no done deal, as a Sacramento group is also trying to keep the franchise in place.

Either way, at this juncture no NBA team appears up for grabs—though history dictates that that's likely to change in the next several years

As Louisville Ponders the NBA, Agency Offers Ideas for Team Logo. Because, Why Not?

Joseph Lord — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 11:00:00 +0000

The concept of an NBA team bears all sorts of opportunities for academic exercises. The most fun, likely, is what a team would be called and how it would be branded.

This is woefully premature, but the marketing agency Current360 has offered seven ideas for logos of a prospective pro basketball team in Louisville. They range from plausible to, uh, interesting.

NBA's Sacramento Kings Move to Seattle Changes Nothing for Louisville, Fischer's Spokesman Says

Joseph Lord — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 22:15:23 +0000

The Sacramento Kings are moving to — wait for it — Seattle. That's what Yahoo! Sports is reporting.

Report: Virginia Beach No Longer Seeking NBA Franchise

Joseph Lord — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 11:00:00 +0000

One fewer city is pursuing an NBA franchise.

Virginia Beach's mayor said Tuesday that the city is "withdrawing" from efforts to build an 18,500 seat arena in the community with an NBA team as the main tenant, the Virginian-Pilot newspaper reported.

Mayor Greg Fischer Talks NBA, Violence Prevention, Charter Schools and More

Joseph Lord — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 04:30:00 +0000

In an interview broadcast live Thursday on WFPL, Mayor Greg Fischer covered a broad array of topics —violence prevention, charter schools, the NBA and more.

You can listen to a podcast of the interview below, and we'll have more stories Wednesday morning on a couple of specific topics. Here are some of the other highlights.

Forbes Contributor: Louisville Should Top List for NBA Franchise

Joseph Lord — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:01:54 +0000

Which city should be first in line for an NBA team, should one relocate or an expansion franchise be created?

Louisville, writes attorney Darren Heitner on Forbes.com.

Heitner is a professor of sports management at Indiana University and the founder of the Sports Agent Blog. He writes that Seattle and Virginia Beach are contenders, too, but Louisville has advantages such as an existing NBA-caliber arena and demonstrated support for basketball, albeit at the college level.