Golden 1 Center; Photo by Paul Williams

P​rior to the 2022–23 NBA season, the Sacramento Kings were in the midst of a 16-year stretch of not making the playoffs (the longest current drought within the four major leagues in the Unites States and longest in NBA history). You would have to go all the way back to the 2005–06 season for the last time the Kings made it to the postseason, where they were beaten by the San Antonio Spurs in a first round best-of-seven series in six games. At the time, it would be another decade before the Kings moved into their current home of the Golden 1 Center as home games were then played at the now defunct Arco Arena.

B​ut fast forward to the present (17 years after their last playoff birth), and you will see long time faithful fans have been rewarded for their dedication and patience with the franchise as the Kings punched their ticket to the NBA postseason after defeating the Portland Trailblazers 138–114 on March 31st. And what is even sweeter for the people of Sacramento is that their Kings also clinched their first Pacific Division title since the 2002–03 season after going on the road and beating the New Orleans Pelicans 121–103 on April 4th. With the Kings postseason drought finally over, the NFL’s New York Jets now hold the longest postseason drought throughout the four major leagues at 12 years with their last postseason appearance in 2010.

O​ne of the reasons for the successful turnaround in Sacramento is the addition of veteran head coach Mike Brown. One of the most respected coaches around the league, Brown’s coaching history speaks for itself as previous stops have included head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2005–10, 2013–14), Los Angeles Lakers (2011–12) and more recently the Golden State Warriors (2016–22) as an assistant head coach.

D​uring the 2006–07 season, Brown guided a Cavaliers team lead by Lebron James to the NBA Finals where Cleveland would get swept by Hall of Famer Tim Duncan and the Spurs in four games. Brown does, however, have four NBA championships on his resume as an assistant for the Spurs (2003) and during his most recent time with the Warriors (2017, 2018, 2022).

B​rown is a favorite to win this season’s Coach of the Year award, which he previously won back in 2009 when he coached the Cavaliers to 66 wins. Another head coach making a case for Coach of the Year is Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics, but it’s hard to argue against the job Brown has done to right the ship in Sacramento.

A lot of credit can be given to Brown for the Kings heading in the right direction, but this group is a talented roster led by the likes of point guard De’Aaron Fox, small forward Keegan Murray and power forward Domantas Sabonis.

N​ow playing in his sixth season, Fox is averaging 25.2 point per game while at the same time providing the leadership on the court getting his teammates involved. It is one of the reasons this Kings team leads the league in scoring averaging 121.3 point per game.

D​rafted 4th overall in last year’s 2022 NBA Draft, Murray is steadily becoming a force on the Kings roster. Not only does Murray hold the NBA record for 3-pointers made by a rookie (203), he is now in class of his own as no other rookie in NBA history has ever made 200 3-pointers. And with two more games left in the NBA season, Murray will look to add to his record total.

B​eing the son of NBA Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis, it’s easy to see that basketball runs in the blood of the family as Domantas has been a great addition since the Kings made a six-player trade for him with the Indiana Pacers which involved Sacramento shipping out Tyrese Haliburton. The 26-year old Lithuanian-American is averaging 19.2 point per game along with 12.4 rebounds per game, while also contributing an astonishing 14 triple-doubles this season.

T​he future looks promising for this bunch that plays in the capital city of California; and Kings fans have reason once again to feel optimistic about good things coming their way. And this is a good thing because about a decade ago, it was almost taken away from the city of Sacramento.

I​t’s hard to imagine Sacramento not having the Kings in their city, but it almost happened. In 2013, the Maloof family (who owned the Kings from 1998 to 2013), had agreed to sell the team to a Seattle group led by investor Chris Hansen. The group was to buy 65% of the franchise for $525 million, move the team to Seattle and restore the SuperSonics name. The Emerald City’s franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 and became the Thunder.

T​he cities of Anaheim, California and Las Vegas, Nevada were also possible destinations for the Kings to move to. But through all the political mess of the situation and uncertainty of the franchise, the NBA Board of Governors Relocation Committee on April 29, 2013, unanimously voted 7–0 against relocating the Kings to Seattle. It was all over when on May 15, 2013, news broke that the NBA owners voted against the relocation of the Sacramento Kings by a final vote of 22–8. The Kings were here to stay!

H​ad the Kings ended up relocating, it would have been a huge loss for the city of Sacramento. Since the franchise last migrated from Kansas City back in 1985, the Kings have become the heart and soul of the city. Through all the times and the bad, the fans of Sacramento never left the team’s side.

A​cro Arena may be long gone, but the Golden1 Center (G1C) located in downtown Sacramento is a perfect location to catch a Kings game these days. Part of the revitalization of the downtown area, G1C is surrounded by plenty of restaurants and shops within the vicinity and Old Sacramento is only a few steps away. A couple places to note of nice spots to check out near the G1C are the tasty, BBQ-themed restaurant Sauced BBQ & Spirits — Sacramento and the Punch Bowl Social.

W​ith the Kings now playing in the Sacramento downtown area, it’s a win-win situation for any basketball fan wanting to have the best experience they possibly can. And if you’re looking for another incentive for the ultimate experience I have thee words for you: “Light the Beam!”

Light the Beam, Photo by Paul Williams

T​he idea for “Light the Beam” hit Kings owner, Vivek Ranadive, by watching the Los Angeles Angels baseball team. There is a “Big A” sign within the parking lot of Angels Stadium of Anaheim where after every Angels win, the halo at the top of the “A” lights up letting all passerbys know that their favorite baseball team won.

A​fter 16 straight seasons of disappointment, the “Light the Beam” theme has been a great rallying cry for a Kings fan base getting ready for the Kings postseason run. After every Kings victory this season, fans have been treated to the outside purple beam on top of GIC which lights up the night sky. The beam goes further than the human eye and can reach outer space. Kings owner Ranadive even joked once about wanting aliens to see the beam.

W​ith two more games left in the season, the Kings are now 48–32 and have locked up the 3rd-seed in the Western Conference. This could potentially set up a first round series match up with their Northern California rival Warriors who are currently the 6th-seed at 42–38.

T​he Kings have played in Sacramento since 1985, while the Warriors have been playing in the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area since 1962. As someone who resides in a town located in-between the two areas for as long as I have, it amazes me these two teams have never met in the playoffs (let alone neither ever making the postseason in the same season).

T​he two teams play each other in Sacramento Friday, April 7th and it could well be a preview of what’s to come in the first round should these two meet. But regardless who the Kings start off with to open the playoffs, you can bet the Purple Passion from the people of Sacramento will be out in full force.

T​his Kings team is a young group that is only going to get better as time goes on. And from ownership all the way down to the fan base, everyone is pulling their weight in making this team relevant again. And that is why it’s good to be the Kings…again!