Wednesday's press conference for the official announcement of Kevin Martin's five year contract extension and the rally that followed was a declaration of Martin's ascension as a man more so than it was an announcement that he will be a Kings player for years to come.

After he was introduced by a smiling Kings President of Basketball Operations, Geoff Petrie, Martin took the complete attention of the room, not because he was front and center, but rather how grateful he is to be a Kings guard, appreciative he is of those who raised him and thankful to the Maloofs for believing and supporting him. He referred to the Maloofs not only as great owners, but as "great friends too." He spoke from the heart and it was awesome.

As he reflected on growing up a Kings fan and now, living the dream as the team's leading scorer, it was clear that Kevin has matured since landing in Sacramento. He showed humility in poking fun at himself as a "skinny kid" from small town America. Now Martin is an integral part of the Kings future and has the frame of a chiseled man, ready to take on more responsibility. That starts, Martin said, by being more aggressive and showing his personality more on the court this upcoming season .

It was the first time the media was able to witness Martin truly embrace the role as a veteran, who was no longer just a jokester with a silly smooth J. He still maintains both, however, his attitude is poise; his mindset is to take care of business. He truly wants to bring Sacramento basketball to new heights. Martin LOVES basketball and knows how fortunate he is to play the game for a living. Now he wants to take the relationship to the next level and his desire is to only know one team - fortunately for us, that team is the Sacramento Kings.