Plenty of action on the hardwood for a market that can’t seem to land a pro basketball franchise of its own. Big Canyon’s Raj Bhathal will be more than just one of many investors in the Sacramento Kings. He tells our Chris Casacchia in a page 1 story that he’s in for a “significant” stake—which takes on even more significance considering the $535 million price investors paid for 65% of the franchise, which comes to an NBA record on an actual sale—although a number of teams have higher valuations. The deal likely pushes hopes of getting a pro team in Anaheim—which almost had the Kings a year ago—down at least one notch. This time it was Seattle that got aced out with an 11th-hour bid to keep the Kings in Sacramento. Look for Seattle, which lost a franchise to Oklahoma City a few years back, to go the top of the NBA’s priority list the next time it adds a franshise or approves a move …
One-time Laguna Beach High School teacher Anthony Katz has a roster of NBA players backing his Anaheim-based Hyperice Inc., which makes a new sort of icing device for athletes. Some have put money in the company, others have taken a stake in exchange for an endorsement. Then there’s LeBron James, the undisputed big fish of the pro circuit, who’s enough of a fan of the product that he hooked Katz up with a lot top players and sported a Hyperice “cast” on his shoulder during a photo shoot for ESPN The Magazine (also page 1) …
Here’s a good spot to remind everyone that Ed Arnold first made his name as a sportscaster up in L.A., where he had a 25-year run as a reporter and anchor. He’s been co-host of Real Orange on PBS SoCal since 2000, and made himself an all-around community asset for OC over that time, doing extra duty such as emceeing the annual Sherriff’s Medal of Valor awards and other events for the agency. Sheriff Sandra Hutchens turned the tables on Arnold during a recent luncheon with her command staff, where she gave him the Sheriff’s Award, a rare honor …
Another fellow who’s been a staple of the OC scene is making a change. The Insider hears that John McMonigle will be leaving Teles, ending an affiliation that started two years ago, when he shut down his own shop with the luxury market still looking to find the bottom amid the recession. No word yet on where McMonigle will land, but the buzz in real circles indicates he’ll be offered a perch somewhere in a local luxury market that’s now on the upswing (see Luxury Homes column, page 20) …
Other lineup changes: The OC/Long Beach chapter of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants has named John Misuraca of Avalon Advisors Inc. as president for 2013-2014. He succeeds Thomas Bennett of Squar Milner …
Tech Coast Angels has appointed Don Kasle chairman of its board of governors, a one-year term. He’s been a member of the Irvine-based investment group since 2006. Kasle spent four decades in finance, and was CEO of Western Fincancial Bank in Irvine before it sold to Wachovia in 2005.
