Mayor likes La Crosse’s chances of landing Bucks’ D-League team

History of sports and recent renovations work in city’s favor

La Crosse’s proposal to the Milwaukee Bucks is in, and Mayor Tim Kabat likes the city’s chances.

La Crosse is hoping to land the Bucks’ new NBA-Developmental League team. 

The city is rich in history with basketball – and sports in general – something the mayor believes helps its chances.

As WIZM reported two weeks ago, one selling point to the Bucks could be that history with the Catbirds (titles in 1990, ’92 under Flip Saunders, the Minnesota Timberwolves coach and GM, who passed away last October at 60), is the idea that the La Crosse Center may name the court after its late former coach.

The Catbirds were a popular team back in the day at the La Crosse Center.

“When the Catbirds (of the Continental Basketball Association) were in the town, leading the league five times in attendance, (winning) championships with Flip Saunders and all that great tradition, I think we have a very strong case for having basketball here at the La Crosse Center,” Kabat said. “Time and again, here in the La Crosse area – whether you’re talking the Loggers (baseball team) or the Catbirds from before – if there’s a good product that’s put together, we have a lot of support.”

There are other things that will work in the city’s favor to land the team, which doesn’t have a name yet.

“The fact that we draw from such a large region and multi-states, I think is something to our advantage,” Kabat said. “And, even though we are a mid-size metropolitan area, we are a very large media market.”

A $45 million renovation of the La Crosse Center in the near future won’t hurt either, Kabat added.

D-League teams play a 50 game schedule – 24 at home. 

The Bucks are likely to make a decision on a city so that play could begin in the 2017 season.

There are currently 22 teams in the league, all affiliated with NBA franchises. League wide game attendance topped three million last year.