34 Quotes by Mick Cornett

We've seen the kind of social impact a professional sports team has on a city. A team brings high-profile role models into your community who are healthy and they're great images for the city to gravitate toward, especially for kids.

We're growing, we've prospered and all we needed was just a chance. The old image of Oklahoma City being a minor-league city is outdated. We've always been a great place to live with low-cost housing, virtually no traffic congestion, fresh water and clear air. But we've never been perceived as a great place to vacation. All our positives started to mushroom up in the last 18 months.

If this team is going to return to Oklahoma City next season, it needs to be because the city of New Orleans is not yet ready. We have not been negotiating for next year, and it wouldn't be appropriate to do so until they determine that they cannot play in New Orleans. And I haven't heard that word yet.

There are a lot of things that government doesn't do well. One of things that government does do well is build stuff.

We've got to get people out of their cars, out of those drive-thru windows, get them walking, get them in parks and get them more active.

This urbanization that's taking place around the world is very real. But if it's people that are seeking an urbanized environment out of desperation, that's not going to be helpful long term.

I've said all along, no way we would be in any competition with Louisiana. If the games can be played there (New Orleans), that's where they should be played. But if they couldn't be played there, I was very interested in trying to be a temporary relocation center for the team. This team is absolutely going back to New Orleans.

People say the seats at sporting events are too small. My response is, 'That's why we're trying to work on the size of your rear end!'

They made it clear that they liked what they saw and that our arena was appropriate for NBA games.