Baltimore Pursues NBA Team

June 8, 1999 / 8:39 PM EDT / AP

Baltimore is actively pursuing an NBA team to play in a proposed $200 million, 19,000-seat downtown arena, a city official said Tuesday.

Charles C. Graves III, the city's planning director, said he has spoken in the past 30 days with "high-ranking team officials" from several NBA teams, who have the authority to decide whether to relocate the franchises.

Graves said he has spoken to officials from the San Antonio Spurs, who will play in the upcoming NBA Finals, and the Sacramento Kings.

Kings spokesman Troy Hanson denied his team was involved in talks with Baltimore officials.

"I spoke with the incoming president, John Thomas, and he says there is definitely no truth to that," Hanson said.

The Kings and the 17,317-seat Arco Arena were sold in January to a group headed by Joe and Gavin Maloof, who will take control on July 1. Hanson said the Maloof family is looking to stay in Sacramento.

Hanson said the 11-year-old Arco Arena is a prototype for modern NBA facilities, with luxury boxes and club seats. The Kings are happy with their home and there has been no talk in Sacramento about replacing the arena or moving the team, Hanson said.

The Spurs play in the Alamodome, which was built for football and seats between 20,557 and 34,215 for basketball. Team officials have made no secret of the fact that they want a new arena.

A telephone call by The Associated Press seeking comment from the Spurs was not immediately returned Tuesday.

While the new arena is under construction, an NBA team moving to Baltimore would play for at least two years in the 36-year-old Baltimore Arena, which seats 11,200 and has a permanent concert stage at one end.

The International Basketball League's flagship franchise, the Baltimore Bay Runners, will open play in the Baltimore Arena Thanksgiving weekend.

Greg Smith, the team's acting president and league vice president, said he was not surprised to hear that the city was negotiating for an NBA team, adding that he did not perceive the talks as a threat to his team or league.