Founded in '08, the Bighorns were Reno's first affiliated minor-league team in more than 15 yearsNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The Kings announced their NBA G League franchise, the Reno Bighorns, "will relocate" and play in Stockton, Calif., this fall, pending league approval, according to a front-page piece by Nicholas Filipas of the Stockton RECORD. Moving the affiliate to Stockton Arena "makes more sense logistically considering the team will be 45 minutes away" from Sacramento. The Bighorns have been "based in Reno since their inception" in '08. A new team name, logo, colors and identity "will be unveiled later this spring." The Kings also will join Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs for the State of the City event in May and will "hold the first Sacramento Kings Community Day in Stockton." The Stockton City Council will "review and vote" on April 17 to allow the team to share the arena with the AHL Stockton Heat (Stockton RECORD, 4/10). In Reno, Chris Murray in a front-page piece writes when the Bighorns were founded in '08, they were the city's "first affiliated minor-league team in more than 15 years." The team also had "four ownership groups in its 10-year run in Reno" (RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL, 4/10). In SBJ/SBD's ranking of the top minor league markets last summer, Stockton ranked No. 123, while Reno ranked No. 59 out of a possible 219 markets (THE DAILY).
