Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett, when contacted by The News Tribune on Monday, said he’s had no talks with representatives of the Seattle SuperSonics ownership group — or any other NBA franchise — involving a team moving to his city.
“We haven’t had any discussion or entered into a discussion with a franchise, or are actively seeking a franchise at this time,” Cornett said. “But I have been very public about the willingness to consider building a new facility to replace the Ford Center.”
Cornett’s comments were in response to a story The News Tribune published on Saturday. Sonics chairman Clay Bennett said during a meeting with Sonics employees that Oklahoma City officials were willing to foot the bill for the Sonics’ moving there, according to an employee who spoke to The News Tribune on the condition of anonymity.
Bennett clarified those statements on Friday, saying that his comments were a hypothetical response to why the Sonics would consider relocating to a medium-sized market like Oklahoma City.
Cornett reiterated even though he and Bennett are good friends and have known each other for nearly 20 years, the two have not formally discussed the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City since Bennett’s group purchased the team over a year ago.
Cornett’s city got a taste of what it would be like to support an NBA team for the past two seasons. Oklahoma City played host to a majority of the New Orleans Hornets’ games after Hurricane Katrina ravished the Crescent City; the Hornets sold out 18 of 36 games at the Ford Center (capacity 19,000) during the 2005-06 season.
“I think the Hornets experience was very positive,” Cornett said. “Our citizens in general would like to see an NBA franchise return. The NBA met or exceeded our expectations on just about every level. … We were just very impressed with the level of professionalism in the two years that they were here.”
But Cornett realizes the Ford Center would need to be replaced in the near future if an NBA team were to relocate there, and he would consider proposing a tax measure – that might include funding for a new stadium and convention center – for a vote.
Oklahoma city already passed similar capital improvement tax measures in 1993 and 2001, called Metropolitan Area Projects, or MAPs. The sales tax initiatives, approved by a majority of city voters, helped pay for sports, recreation and cultural projects geared toward redeveloping the city’s urban core and improving education.
Cornett also said part of the allure of securing an NBA franchise is putting his city on the map nationally.
“There’s a superficial level of equality that occurs when you watch SportsCenter,” Cornett said. “When you see cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, and then you see your city’s name out there on an equal playing field, there’s a value to that from an economic-development standpoint on being a major league city.”
For now, the fate of where the Sonics will play their games remains in Seattle’s court. The city has the Sonics under lease until 2010, and Seattle mayor Greg Nickels has indicated he will enforce the lease.
Nickels and Bennett have not spoken since trading barbs in the media Aug. 2 after Nickels stated that the Sonics could remodel or build a new arena at the KeyArena site if Sonics ownership were willing to contribute $100 million.
Marianne Bichsel, spokesperson for Nickels, said the Sonics have not formally or informally inquired about negotiating a buyout of the KeyArena lease.
“Unless we hear differently, we have an agreement that keeps them here through 2010,” Bichsel said. “We would love to enter into negotiations to keep them here long past that. And that offer is on the table.”