NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday said that the league "wants to work with the city of Milwaukee and the state to get a new, multipurpose arena built" downtown, according to Don Walker of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. In an interview during the Pistons-Bucks game, Silver said that the league was "not looking for a handout." He added that new arenas "are part of what makes a major-league city, and they generate new revenue beyond just the one building." Silver said that he came away from meetings on Tuesday "satisfied that there is a concerted effort from public and private sectors." He also "praised the work done so far" by co-Owners Wes Edens and Marc Lasry, as well as by team investor Jamie Dinan and the rest of the ownership group. Silver "expressed measured support for a so-called jock tax that potentially would be used for the public financing portion of an arena estimated to cost between" $400-500M. Silver said that the jock tax "was an option for Milwaukee to consider, but emphasized that it was a decision for the community, not the league" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 11/26). In Milwaukee, Rich Kirchen noted the league has "set a deadline of 2017 for the Bucks to start playing in a new arena -- or at least have work on an arena in progress, but Silver did not specifically address the deadline." Silver said of the Bucks, "I'm satisfied that they're moving along at a good pace. I feel very confident this is going to get done" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 11/25).
