With Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson already celebrating his city’s victory in the bid to keep the Kings in town, Chris Hansen and his Seattle-based investment group upped the ante on Friday.
Hansen said his group has raised the proposed purchase price for the franchise by $75 million, bringing the total to $625 million “in an effort to further demonstrate the extent of our commitment to bring basketball back.” The group also guaranteed to the league that the franchise would be a revenue sharing payer, Hansen said.
Sacramento already declared victory last month when the NBA’s relocation committee voted in favor of keeping the Kings franchise in Sacramento, turning down a bid to revive the Sonics.
The unanimous vote left a number of questions about what happens next for Hansen and his attempts to bring the Sonics back to Seattle.
On Friday, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson responded to Hansen's increased bid on Twitter.
"The NBA leadership and owners have always said that their decision would not be dictated by a bidding war," he tweeted. "I believe the owners realize that there is far more to think about than just an increased bid. They know what this story means to the NBA."
NBA’s board of governors is expected to make its final decision on May 15 in Dallas.
