Anaheim : Chamber Pushes Effort to Obtain an NBA Team

In 1968, the Anaheim Amigos basketball team switched territorial hoops and became the Los Angeles Stars.

Many city officials have sought to fill the gap left by the Amigos ever since. Last week, the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce board of directors voted to urge the City of Anaheim to bring a National Basketball Assn. team to the city and look for an arena to house it, Chamber Vice President Floyd Farano said.

“The board of directors looks upon Anaheim as being a visitor-oriented city, and it’s another attraction that will lead someone to come in,” Farano said. “We have a baseball team and a football team. Why not a basketball team?”

Santa Ana’s recent tentative approval of a proposal to build a $35-million domed arena, which the developers hope will lure an NBA team, did not trigger the chamber’s recent resolution, according to Farano.

Anaheim officials have said that Anaheim’s two-year-old court battle with the California Angels baseball team has become an obstacle in procuring an NBA team.