The NBA broke ground yesterday on NBA City, its first-
ever restaurant, which will open next summer on Orlando's
Citywalk (NBA). In Orlando, Jerry Jackson writes that the
restaurant will cover 17,000 square feet and feature an
interactive game area, a lounge and merchandise shop. The
facility is a joint venture with FL-based Hard Rock Int'l.
Hard Rock President & CEO Jim Berk said that NBA City "is
expected" to total more than $10M in annual revenue upon
opening. Berk: "This won't be another Hard Rock. It will
feature contemporary American cuisine." Berk said that
major markets already home to Hard Rock Cafes are "the early
candidates for NBA City outlets," and added that he "expects
to build 10 to 12 of the casual-theme restaurants during the
next four years" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/26). In Ft.
Lauderdale, Mike Schneider writes that the next NBA City
"will likely" open in Japan (SUN-SENTINEL, 2/26).
STATE OF THE NBA: In Orlando, Tim Povtak interviews NBA
Commissioner David Stern, who said that the fans "generally,
have been good-natured and very forgiving" after the
lockout. Stern: "I expected, or was worried, about a much
larger decline than we're experiencing. We're probably flat
now, down a couple of percentage points overall." Stern
said that TV ratings "have been up, and that's where most of
our fans experience the games" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/26).
But in Detroit, Bob Wojnowski writes that the quality of
play is still an issue: "You see finer shooting performances
featuring beer bottles on fence posts behind backwoods bars
at 3 a.m." (DETROIT NEWS, 2/26). In Denver, Mike Littwin
writes that the NBA "can be a lot of things, but what I
never thought it could be was boring" (RMN, 2/26).
WNBA: In Orlando, Shannon Rose writes that the WNBA
"sits in a sticky situation these days," as its begins its
labor talks, as the "last thing women's basketball needs
right now [is] an image problem," though "no one believes
anything close to the NBA lockout will emerge" (ORLANDO
SENTINEL, 2/26). Stern: "It's not a winning financial
proposition yet, and I'm optimistic that collective
bargaining will reflect that" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/26).
