SEATTLE — Remember all the talk about moving the NBA back to Seattle and how disappointed everyone was it didn’t happen?

Well, it turns out most people didn’t care about losing out to Sacramento all too much.

According to the Seattle Times, a recent poll conducted by Stuart Elway found 51 percent of King County residents shrugged the NBA’s decision not to move the Kings to Seattle, saying it wasn’t a “compelling drama for King County residents”

Thirty-three percent of those polled said they were disappointed in the decision. But 12 percent of participants said they were happy the NBA wasn’t moving back to Seattle.

The 33 percent was similar to a poll in 2012 showing 31 percent of residents “strongly favored” bringing the NBA back to Seattle.

Stuart Elway of the polling group said while there’s loud support for bringing the team back to Seattle, a majority of county residents would rather see public money and interests go elsewhere.

“But for most people, public money has always been the big issue,” Elway said.

Pollsters contacted 401 King County residents from May 28 to 30. According to the Times, the polls margin of error was plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Vivek Ranadive (Photo: FOX40/Sacramento)

The NBA Board of Governors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the sale of the Sacramento Kings from the Maloof family to a group headed by Silicon Valley technology entrepreneur Vivek Ranadive, it was reported.

The sale deal, which places the full team value at $535 million, a record price for an NBA team, is expected to close escrow in the next few days, the Sacramento Bee reported.

FOX 40 said Ranadive took to Twitter to confirm the news, tweeting, “Thanks to entire NBA for approving sale of Kings to our organization. It is an honor & a privilege to be part of such an amazing community.”

He also changed his Twitter bio to reflect his new status as the owner of the team.

The league voted 22-8 to block the relocation of the Kings to Seattle, effectively killing a bid to buy the team from an investor group there. With that bid dead, the Maloofs agreed to sell the team to Ranadive.

SEATTLE — Chris Hansen’s message today on sonicsarena.com will ease those in the city who may have felt hope for an NBA team was lost after Wednesday’s relocation vote.

Hansen mentioned he knew when efforts began in 2011 that bringing an NBA franchise back to Seattle would take some patience.

Regardless, he plans to continue the fight to bring a team to Seattle.

“We will continue to press forward with our Arena plans with the same commitment and effort we have over the last two years, and look forward to working with the City and County to see the project through the hurdles that remain,” he said.

Hansen added that he plans to continue working with the NBA regarding opportunities to return a franchise to the city and that the group is as dedicated as ever to return Sonics basketball to Seattle.

In his message, he thanks everyone who has helped get them to this point. He also recognized the fans in Sacramento who fought to keep the Kings.

“This was never about Seattle fans versus Sacramento fans, and it goes unsaid that there is a mutual respect given the circumstances we have both been through,” he said.

He concludes by asking Seattle to keep the Green and Gold alive because the fans have proven without a doubt, they deserve to have an NBA team back in Seattle.

SEATTLE — We put our spotlight one last time in 2013 on NBA Commissioner David Stern.

I could stand here and call him a pompous, egotistical and overpaid hypocrite, whose unnecessary cheap shot at Seattle said it all. But what burns me most? That outside Seattle, his legacy might be considered admirable – even heroic.

I worry that when Stern retires in February, the national media will praise him for his accomplishments more than his failures. After all, the NBA’s overall success over a 30-year period in terms of financial growth, globalization and league prosperity is tough to match. It’s fair to say that those triumphs will overshadow the black marks of a few lockouts, a referee betting scandal, and the relocation of the Sonics to Oklahoma City.

I worry that in the big picture of Stern’s career, the world turns its head on the sacrificial lamb.

That it forgets how he played our city like a fiddle – twice – for the greater good of his league.

If Stern had any remorse at all, this past week was his ultimate chance at redemption. A promise of expansion could’ve helped make things right. Forget his policies of protocol and process – enough owners would’ve followed Stern’s lead had he actively supported a special circumstance for expansion in Seattle – especially on the heels of another exceptional presentation by Chris Hansen.

Instead, Seattle got nothing.

And to be clear, when Kevin Johnson and Sacramento bent over backwards, Stern reciprocated.

But when Hansen and Steve Ballmer did, Stern didn’t lift a finger.

Worst of all, I worry that Stern’s reported lobbying efforts to sway the NBA Board of Governors’ vote might portray him as a hero or guardian angel in Sacramento. And I worry that he’ll be lauded in Charlotte for awarding them an expansion team in 2004 after the Hornets left town. And that he’ll be praised in New Orleans for using league money to keep a team there before it could find a local owner.

In the end, I worry that Stern will be remembered for making up for his past mistakes when the biggest – most drastic and hurtful one of all – was left unresolved.

David Stern was a manipulator who made his owners and himself a whole lot of money. His missteps may or may not register as a blip on the national portrayal of his ultimate legacy.

But to me, Stern will never be forgiven in Seattle.

He’ll always be the man who threw out the baby – and kept the bathwater.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Maloof family, owners of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, has reached a deal with a Sacramento investors group to sell the team for a NBA record valuation of $535 million,  The Sacramento Bee reported Thursday night .

The agreement is expected to be announced sometime Friday, The Bee said.

If the NBA approves the deal, escrow is expected to close at the end of May.

DALLAS — The NBA Board of Governors voted 22-8 Wednesday against the sale and relocation of the Sacramento Kings to Seattle.

“Let me say that the Seattle presentation was brisk, firm, excellent and reflects the efforts that were put into this,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said of the offer by Chris Hansen to buy the Kings from the current owners, the Maloof family, and move the team to Seattle.

But the NBA board, which consists of all team owners, voted that the “appropriate outcome was to keep the team in Sacramento and that’s what we did,” Stern said.

The commissioner added that the NBA hopes to “continue a dialogue of some type” with the investors trying to establish a reborn Sonics team in Seattle, but that there was no other team available at this time.

Asked if the board talked about the possibility of expansion, with an eye toward Seattle, Stern said that the board generally agreed to work on the next TV contract for the league before considering expansion, and so that would be at least a year off.

Stern opened the news conference by saying he wanted to make it quick because he had to get “to a game in Oklahoma City,” — the home of the former Seattle Sonics. Ugh.

Hansen issued the following statement:

“While we are obviously extremely disappointed with today’s relocation vote and truly believe we put forth both a significantly better offer and Arena plan, we do thank the league and the owners for their time and consideration and look forward to hearing back on our agreement to join the Maloofs as Limited Partners in the Kings.

“But most of all I would like to thank everyone in Seattle who has been a part of our effort and supported our cause. Words simply can’t express how much your support has meant to me personally and to our City. I truly believe we did everything possible to put our best foot forward in this process and you all should be proud and hold your heads high today.

“Our day will come…and when it does it will just be that much sweeter for the struggle.

“I love you Seattle!”