We understood then but what about now
The Kings franchise in all likelihood will become the Seattle Sonics next season. It’s possible the NBA Board of Governors will veto the deal but that’s only occurred one in the NBA’s history. There is an issue for discussion; unlike other major sports NBA franchises have been unstable by comparison. In the early days we might understand the lack of stability. From the late ‘40’s up through the late ‘60’s the NBA was attempting to establish itself as a major league. Franchises moved from smaller less populated areas to more populated metro areas. There is no one point when stability existed but franchise movement appeared to slow then franchises began shifting once again.

The Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans, the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis. The Kings relocated to Sacramento and the Sonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder. In this discussion we should also consider the journey of the Nets. After several stops in New Jersey they have now settled in Brooklyn (NY), the Bullets/Wizards moved from Landover (MD) to Washington D.C. While accurate this should not be considered complete, a number of franchise moves are not detailed. In addition several NBA franchises have only moved once for example the Syracuse Nats becoming the Philadelphia 76ers. If you desire to substantiate the complete history of NBA franchise moves check out; www.basketball-reference.com/team/

The importance of a jersey number
Jersey numbers have impacted a former and current Laker player. The former player was Shaquille O’ Neal all 7-1 and 335 pounds of him. O’ Neal wore jersey number 33 at Cole High School in San Antonio (TX), later he chose to wear the same number at LSU and much later with the Orlando Magic. Once he signed with the Lakers he was forced to change numbers, he became number 34. The number of Shaq’s youth and early pro years belonged to Kareem Abdul Jabbar. In addition 33 was a retired number, very rarely is a jersey un-retired. The end story just as soon as he left the Lakers he reverted back to 33. Interesting the Lakers will retire Shaq’s number 34 near the end of this upcoming season. Steve Nash has worn jersey 13 throughout his NBA career first with the Mavs and later with the Suns. Once Nash signed with the Lakers he too was forced to choose another number, his choice 10. Former Laker Wilt Chamberlain wore 13 to a Hall of Fame career and this number was also retired by the Lakers.

The Boston Celtics have the most retired numbers among all the NBA franchises. They lead the way with 21 retired numbers. An interesting note, Jim Loscutoff’s name (1955-1964) (LOSCY) rather than his number 18 is retired. He requested his number 18 not be retired; it was later given to Dave Cowans (1970-1980) who wore it into the Hall of Fame. Interesting the Kings retired jerseys of players who never set foot in Sacramento. The Kings are not the only guilty parties, the Jazz have retired Pete Maravich’s number although he only played for the franchise while it was located in New Orleans. Same for the Wizards, both Gus Johnson and Earl Monroe’s numbers are retired. They played for the Baltimore Bullets who preceded the Wizards. Back to Chamberlain for a moment, he is the only athlete to have his jersey retired by 3 teams, the Warriors, 76ers and Lakers. He is the only player with this distention and might be the only one in any sport ever. (Statistics & dates; wikipedia)

Home court
I’m watching the screaming fanatic crowd at Ohio State versus Michigan. Playing at home is always beneficial, for a college basketball it might be the best of all sports. It’s my belief probably home probably is less a factor in baseball than any other sport. Playing at home doesn’t help you hit the baseball or toss a curve ball effectively. Does the crowd play a factor, of course they do but skill on the field contributes to the win. How about football, the NFL or college version? Loudly cheering stadiums have caused the visiting team quarterback communication problems. Have theses teams aided the home team, of course but not to the degree you might think. You ask about the NBA with similar size arena and crowds. Doesn’t seem to faze NBA players to the degree you might think, in fact Kobe Bryant has mentioned how he loves to play on the road.