HoopsVibe

On March 3rd, the United States Patent and Trademark Office received an application by a Nevada corporation seeking exclusive rights to use the name "Los Angeles Royals." Another application filed the same day reserves the name "Anaheim Royals." The city of Anaheim, which owns the Honda Center, has reportedly insisted that any team playing there carry the city's name.

The web domains losangelesroyals.com and anaheimroyals.com have also been registered within the past three weeks. A name change would help the team avoid confusion with the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: They are about to become the NBA team formerly known as the Sacramento Kings.

Recent evidence suggests Sacramento is on the verge of moving to the Anaheim/Los Angeles area, and owners Geoff and Gavin Maloof have officially trademarked the name Royals.

While Sacramento has obvious arena challenges, can Los Angeles really support three professional basketball franchises? Furthermore, is being the third fish in the Anaheim/Los Angeles pond behind the Clippers and Lakers better than being the only fish in the tiny Sacramento pond?

Clearly, the Kings think so. And it seems Sacramento’s NBA team is about to become no more.

--Oly Sandor.

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