SEATTLE -- The man who's trying to bring the NBA's Sacramento Kings to Seattle says fans have requested 44,000 season tickets in the event the team actually relocates.

Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen had urged Seattle fans to join a "priority ticket waitlist" to show the NBA how strong support is for bringing professional men's basketball back to the city and calls the result "nothing short of stunning."

Seattle has been without an NBA franchise since the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008.

Hansen and Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer have agreed to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the Maloof family for $341 million, but the deal needs league approval.

Owners are meeting Wednesday to discuss the sale and a counter-offer to keep the Kings in Sacramento. A decision expected this month.