NBA Kings Officially Receive Approval for Shift of Franchise to Sacramento

The Kansas City Kings, who began their National Basketball Assn. life in Rochester, N.Y., completed a 37-year transcontinental jaunt Tuesday when they were officially transferred to Sacramento, Calif.

The move of the Midwest Division’s last-place team, which finished the season with a 31-51 record, was accomplished by a unanimous vote of the NBA owners, who ratified a decision made two weeks ago by a five-owner special committee.

“We’re delighted at the prospect of an NBA team in Sacramento for the 1985-86 season,” said Commissioner David J. Stern, who announced the move.

The Kings will remain in the Midwest Division along with Denver, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Utah rather than join the Pacific Division.

Gregg Lukenbill, who heads the Sacramento-based group that purchased the Kings in June 1983, said the team had already sold 8,200 tickets for next season, when it will play in a temporary, 10,400-seat structure. It is building a 16,000-seat permanent structure to be ready by 1987-88, the season by which it must have additional seating or forfeit its franchise, Lukenbill said.

To Joe Axelson, the team’s president and general manager, it’s the perfect situation after a season at Kansas City in which the team drew an average of about 5,000 fans a game. Lukenbill estimated that the Kings have lost $2.8 million in the last two seasons.

“I like Kansas City, but I have no great feeling of guilt about what we did,” Axelson said. “I have a great feeling for the city, but Kansas City didn’t support us--for whatever reason.”