They wailed, they warned, they predicted doom. Twenty-one years ago, small-thinking naysayers castigated the city when our civic leaders agreed to loan the Kings $74 million to keep them in town.
The Sacramento Kings have remained the Sacramento Kings because of that loan, and the city is the dynamic place it is today because of that unpopular decision.
The loan is expected to be paid off by the Kings sometime next month, far earlier than scheduled. To be precise: The Kings are paying off their loan from the city 8 1/2 years before its maturity date with a final payment of $30 million likely in January.