Thousands rally to support new arena in Seattle

SEATTLE – Chris Hansen walked on stage and was greeted with the kind of reception normally reserved for the musicians and athletes who were waiting backstage.

Hedge-fund managers don’t normally get rock star ovations.

“I was about to tear up actually. It was inspiring,” Hansen said.

While former SuperSonics stars Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp got the loudest ovations, it was Hansen left accepting the most praise at a rally in downtown Seattle on Thursday afternoon to support the push for a new arena that could eventually bring back the NBA.

The late-day rally crammed green-and-gold clad fans into Occidental Park just a few blocks north of Seattle’s stadium district where CenturyLink and Safeco fields currently sit. Hansen’s proposal before the King County and Seattle city councils calls for a $490 million facility just south of the Mariners’ Safeco Field with nearly $300 million in private investment.

Hansen said he was overwhelmed by the turnout, with estimates of about 4,000 in attendance at the peak of the event. The rally ended with chants of “Thank you Chris!”