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Could QB Patrick Mahomes be the key to Kansas City regaining an NBA team?
Earlier in 2021, it was reported that NBA commissioner Adam Silver was considering an expansion from 30 teams to 32. The league would be seeking around $3 or 4 billion for two new teams.
One is basically already promised to Seattle, who once had the SuperSonics, now named the Thunder. Kansas City wants to be looked at as a potential NBA destination, but Las Vegas has the upper hand. NBA team president Andy Dolich says the "ABCD" is needed when choosing the cities.
A: Avidity - the city has to have an established, avid sports market
B: Billionaire - No billionaire to back the team, no chance you get a team
C: Community - elected officials and large businesses need to be able to support the team and fanbase
D: Destination - the NBA wants their new teams in the best arenas possible
A move to 32 NBA teams will help owners make up the 40% revenue loss from COVID-19 and empty arenas. Teams could see $130 million for each new expansion team. This will also be the first expansion since 2004 with the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets, and it took $300 million to get them started. Kansas City might face struggles to get their bid, but they have something Las Vegas doesn't: a former MVP and Super Bowl champion QB in Patrick Mahomes.
"It would definitely be a goal of mine to get a team to Kansas City. It's a long-term play that hopefully we'll be able to do someday," Patrick Mahomes told The Star.
Patrick Mahomes already has sports ventures outside of the NFL with an ownership stake in MLS' Sporting KC (fiancée Brittany Matthews is co-owner of Kansas City's National Women's Soccer League franchise) and has a stake in MLB's Kansas City Royals.
Also Read: When was Mahomes picked in the draft?
Kansas City used to have an NBA team when the Cincinnati Royals were in business in 1972 and became the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. They left in 1985 and are now known as the Sacramento Kings.
Patrick Mahomes could have an ace in the hole to bring the NBA back to Kansas City.
#1 - Patrick Mahomes leads the committee
Patrick Mahomes will surely be the main face and advocate for KC to re-establish an NBA team. The main issue is the billionaire investor, but it could end up being a group that Mahomes himself assembles.
He signed a ludicrous deal with the Kansas City Chiefs worth $450 million over 10 years. Mahomes could also cash in on some of his other investments to invest in an NBA franchise. His name is one that will always draw attention and should be able to easily raise enough funds.
#2 - Go to an actual billionaire
Patrick Mahomes is a darling in Kansas City and could persuade a billionaire he's friendly with... the owner of the Chiefs, Norma Hunt and the Hunt family.
It's not unusual for an NFL owner to also own an NBA team: Gayle Benson owns the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans, and Paul Allen's estate owns the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers. The Hunt family has the backing of the community and covers all the ABCDs.
#3 - Mahomes uses his connections in the NFL and NBA
Patrick Mahomes isn't just a popular name in the NFL, but a popular one in all of sports.
As a top NFL star, he has rubbed elbows with some of the most iconic names in the NBA, including LeBron James, Donovan Mitchell, Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry. Curry and James are among the most popular in the league and could put in a good word for him with Adam Silver.
In the NFL, Patrick Mahomes has many connections with players, advertisers and businesses. He can basically cover every ABCD. He's essentially the reason why Kansas City has built such a huge fanbase of late.
He could put up a large chunk of the $3 billion by himself. The community fully supports him and Mayor Quinton Lucas was already advocating to host the Toronto Raptors last season. Mahomes has already stated that the T-Mobile Center would make a great venue. It has 19,000 seats and Kansas University tends to sell the venue out with their basketball games.
Kansas City seems to have settled on a name too, the KC Monarchs, in honor of the baseball team. Civil leaders have previously voted against KC hosting an NBA team because they "failed to demonstrate that Black Lives Matter." The team name is a step in the right direction.
Also Read: Who is Patrick Mahomes' brother, Jackson Mahomes?
