Southern California made.

East coast bred.

World traveled.

For the Sacramento Kings rookies, their odysseys into the basketball limelight took three distinct paths.

“I’m from South Central L.A. and there’s a lot of crime and gang activity,” Kings point guard Bobby Brown said of his hometown neighborhood. “I had to take a different route from the other kids I grew up with by staying level headed and focused on what I wanted to do.”

Brown didn’t have to make the journey alone.

“My family helped me out a lot,” Brown said, crediting them for his success. “They kept me away from all the bad kids in the neighborhood and forced me to do different things.”

He would make it a priority to stay focused in school. His parents, Bobby Sr. and Regina Jefferson, emphasized the importance of hitting the books before anything else.

“I always had good grades,” Brown said proudly of his academic record. “My mom said if I didn’t have good grades, I couldn’t play basketball. In order to do that, I had to get As and Bs.”

His performance in the classroom paid off when his parents allowed him to excel in extracurricular activities. He played football for two years until his coach, who also ran a basketball team, suggested he give the hardwood a try.

“You get hurt a lot playing football,” Brown said of the smash-mouth game. “So I just told myself to stop playing football and focus on basketball.”

After discovering he had a knack for hoops, the Kings rookie embarked on his basketball career – but not as a point guard.

“When I was younger, playing basketball, I played power forward because I was bigger than everybody,” Brown said with a smile. “But as time passed, at my height, I had to play point guard.”

It wasn’t until his senior year at Westchester High School that Brown finally assumed the role of floor general. His consistent years of hard work on and off the court were rewarded with a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton. And though he would go undrafted and play one season of international ball, Brown’s will led him to accomplish his lifelong dream.

“Since I started playing basketball, my goal from day one was to make the NBA,” Brown said. “I just took a different route to get here. But everything happens for a reason, and I’m here now taking advantage of it.”

Growing up, Jason Thompson was equally ambitious as his rookie counterpart. And he too would have to take a road less traveled.

Thompson’s NBA journey began in his birthplace of Mount Laurel, New Jersey, and he spent his entire pre-professional life in the Garden State.

“My hometown might remind people of Sacramento a little bit even though it’s not a city,” Thompson said. “It’s real mellow, quiet and keeps you out of trouble.”

Evading the external distractions his teammate faced, Thompson focused primarily on developing his game. Contrary to the player he is today, the new Kings big man didn’t start his basketball career patrolling the paint.

“I grew about eight inches in high school,” Thompson said describing his teenage growth spurt. “So I went from a guard to the starting center in a couple years.”

His physical attributes continued maturing beyond high school. After enrolling at Rider University, Thompson grew into his current 6-foot-11 frame. Changes in his body type didn’t stop the new Kings forward from piecing together all his abilities.

“I brought those guard skills that I had all throughout my life to college,” Thompson said. “Then I developed big man skills, and I’ve tried to put them all together.”

Thompson’s surge to mid-major superstardom garnered the attention of professional scouts. But his rising success also caught the eyes of those looking for a piece of the action.

“There are people that just come around when they need help,” Thompson said of dealing with insincerity. “I know the friends that have always been there since day one.”

Surrounding himself with trustworthy people has been a challenge. Fortunately, Thompson has family he can lean on.

“Some (family members) are going to come to my games on the road and some are going to see me when we play out here,” Thompson said. “I just have a lot of support. A lot of people respect what I do and love and care for me.”

The admiration of trusted companions and close relatives is what drives Thompson’s high hopes and goals in his first NBA season.

“I don’t think I should be here right now if I wasn’t motivated to be Rookie of the Year,” Thompson said confidently.

The new Kings power forward isn’t the only rookie looking to exceed expectations. After falling to 28th overall in last June’s Draft and being traded twice, Donté Greene is out to invalidate every team that passed on his services.

“I feel like I’ve been playing with a chip on my shoulder my whole career,” Greene said at his introductory press conference. “It just continues now to keep proving people wrong.”

Greene’s desire to confirm his capabilities didn’t begin on United States soil. The versatile forward was born in Germany and lived there on two separate occasions. He also lived in Japan and watched the cherry blossoms bloom before moving to Baltimore.

“I wouldn’t say (living overseas) is better than the United States,” Greene, who still maintains a German citizenship, said. “There’s just not a lot of drama or stress over there.”

Greene grew up around the world due to the well-traveled ways of his late mother, April. Although she always had her son on the move, her love and support guided him on his path to the NBA.

“My mom was my best friend,” Greene said while revisiting her memory. “I credit her for the young man I am, and everything I do is for her.”

Though an untimely passing, Greene wouldn’t be in his present position if not for her fateful departure. The rookie’s motivation to play the game is in her honor.

“She always wanted me to play but I shied away from it,” Greene said. “But when she passed, I started playing basketball to feel closer to her.”

A career in the NBA was far from his future when Greene was a youngster. Instead, he opted for the crack of a bat as opposed to the swish of a net.

“I was actually a baseball player,” Greene said of his early days as an athlete. “I didn’t start playing basketball until about the 7th or 8th grade.”

Despite a late introduction to the game, Greene picked up its nuances quickly. He would transform himself from an unknown middle school prospect to one of the nation’s top college recruits in 2007.

“The opportunity to play for Jim Boeheim, a Hall of Fame coach, was great,” Greene said of his one-year stay in college. “There were definitely a lot of advantages playing with Coach Boeheim. I learned a lot my one year, and I’ll never regret going to Syracuse."

Taking roads less-traveled to the NBA has given Greene, along with his rookie teammates, something very few first-year players can claim.

Perspective.

The NBA will present itself with many challenges for Greene, Thompson and Brown. But seeing how far they've traveled can only benefit them and the Kings future.