History

Tracee Jay

They don’t call him Buddy Buckets for nothing.

In their clash with the Washington Wizards earlier this month, Sactown made some noise in the record books.

Buddy Hield, doing what he does best, knocked down a triple to set a new franchise record for threes made with the 739th made trey of the season.

It was fitting No. 24 connected on the record-breaking basket, as he is also closing in on Peja Stojakovic’s franchise mark for most threes in a single season (240).

Hield has 231 made triples through Monday’s action, and the former Sooners guard is on pace to surpass the previous record with 13 games remaining.

According to NBA Advanced Stats, Hield is making 3.3 long range shots per game. At that pace, he will end the season with 270 threes, a feat that will also put him in the Top-3 for most made treys through a player’s first three seasons in NBA history.

In addition to Buddy, his teammates are also getting in on the action.

Bogdan Bogdanovic is next on the squad with 104 threes, followed by Nemaja Bjelica with 94 of his own.

Buddy is looking to surpass the hottest deep threat in Sactown history, although Peja still may reign supreme according to Buddy’s teammate.

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Kings Make Franchise History from Long Range

sacjwise

The Kings used an early 15-2 run to jump out on the higher-seeded Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the team's Western Conference Semifinals matchup on May 6, 2003.

"We knew exactly what we needed to do," said Kings center Vlade Divac, who had 14 points in 15 minutes. "It was beautiful."

The win was a big one for Sacramento, who won on the road for the first time in a Game 1 scenario in the Sacramento-era. "Our guys were really ready," said head coach Rick Adelman. "We really had a flow going. It makes it hard to guard us when it goes that way."

The Kings finished shooting 55 percent from the field and connecting on nine of 21 three-point attempts in the easy victory.

Check out highlights from the team's Game 1 romp:

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This Date in Kings History: Peja, Webber Power Kings Over Mavs

Alex Kramers

Hundreds of intricate concepts and countless rounds of back-and-forth revisions would soon follow, but when Rodney Richardson – Founder and Principal of RARE Design – sketched a preliminary concept of Sacramento’s new logo, he didn’t realize he’d inadvertently found exactly what he and Kings decision-makers were seeking.

The powerful, all-encompassing symbol invoked a deep sense of nostalgia while reinvigorating a heritage that had long distinguished the historic franchise.

“Honestly, I didn’t even think about this when we first came across it – We had just created this image board, and one had a basketball with a crown on it,” he recalls with a chuckle. “It was kind of funny, and obviously, it didn’t take long for us to realize we were inherently doing something that is very much a part of this team’s past.”

At the outset, the Hattiesburg, Miss.-based branding agency – which recently executed the rebranding projects of the New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks – shied away from reinstating the former emblem, presenting initiatives ranging from Middle-Age regalia to animalistic representations.

“We went to the moon and back – we literally had thousands of sketches that we looked at, in terms of entirely new logos to those that were based on the current one to designs of every sort of crown,” recalls Kings Chief Marketing Officer Ben Gumpert. “Even though we considered everything, we ended up in a place that best represents who we are.”

“We looked at lions, swords, crests and crowns and variations of ‘SK’ abbreviations,” adds Kings Creative Director Ryan Brijs. “As the logo options evolved from round to round, the one thing that kept resonating with our team was this sort of modernization of the old logo.”

Ultimately, the intrinsic simplicity of the iconography combined with the robust underlying back-story swayed all parties to pursue revitalizing a cherished favorite.

“I think we all kept coming back because instinctively, it just felt right,” explains Richardson, formerly lead designer for Nike’s Global Basketball division. “This identity symbolizes the founding principles of this organization, of grassroots authenticity, of a passion for success. ... It represents, at the highest level and the cleanest level, who they are and the game they play. ‘The kings of basketball’ – you cannot say that any simpler than that mark does. So why force it? It’s like we were trying hard to push it aside (thinking), ‘We can’t just go there because it’s there,’ (when) it does everything that we determined this mark needs to do for this team, this city, and it brings with it, deep, deep roots. Who can ask for more?”

Years before vibrant photo illustrations would coat reams of printouts, however – as a new Kings ownership group led by Kings Principal Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé celebrated an unprecedented, monumental victory in the spring of 2013 – it became increasingly clear the near-two-decade-old branding no longer defined the organization’s direction.

“Our (former) logo became so much about the fight (to keep the Kings) – it has lances and it’s sort of in this medieval kingly state, which was very true to that feeling of fighting for the team,” says Gumpert. “But now we’re moving forward, there is positivity and there’s a sense of new hope for the region. We asked, ‘How can we better capture that emotion in a brand that stands for everything we now represent and everything we want to represent going forward?’”

Kings department heads internally debated whether the team name was still relevant as the organization ushered in a new era of basketball in Northern California, or if a different moniker could better suit the ideologies and characteristics of both the franchise and city.

“’Kings’ was a term we wrestled with a lot,” says Brijs. “We took a step back and asked, ‘Is this the right nickname for the franchise? Do we change it to something that feels more appropriate for the Sacramento area?’ The Kings name came from Kansas City and it originated from the Rochester Royals and evolved from that … so we evaluated what a ‘king’ really means.”

“Certainly, there was such a passion for it – it’s who we’ve been – but when you look at some of the definitions of ‘kings’ and ‘royalty,’ there are elements we don’t stand for and don’t mesh with who we are,” says Gumpert. “The world has been blessed and cursed with many kings in history, and we looked closely at the elements of kingliness that truly represented us.”

In spearheading the rebranding process, Richardson focused on the virtuosities of kingship, conveying that the mantle’s founding qualities of leadership and loyalty perfectly embodied Sacramento’s finest traits.

“When you look at the name, on one hand, you can look across history and see there are a lot of kings who can be seen as ruthless, pompous and haughty, and we want to distance ourselves as much as possible from that,” says Richardson. “But as we talked about it more, I said, ‘Every bit of that is true … but you can also see kings who were compassionate, who were very powerful but ruled from a very responsible place and knew what that power would do. You can see kings who were visionaries for their people and their realm and were very synergistic in how they rallied their people together. They were great strategists and wielded their power in ways that showed great composure and wisdom.

“I said, ‘What I hear from you, is that’s what you aspire to be, so the name rightly fits. You just have to determine the story of the king you’re going to be and not allow the stories that have been told in the past to dictate that for you.’”
Once the question of the team name was settled, RARE Design strived to identify the depths of its central story, exploring not only the squad’s on-court aspirations, but also unique personality of the region and its residents.

“We found the spirit of being continually progressive and the spirit of perseverance in Sacramento,” says Richardson. “You can look back at the history – everything from railroads to the Pony Express to the Gold Rush – and then look at what’s happening now with the tech industry and social progression. You see this can-do attitude when facing adversity and moving toward goals.

“We also looked at the organization, and again, we saw this great eye toward innovation – just look at  (the development of) the arena, impacting the game and impacting the League in very powerful ways. You take all those attributes and you start to find these threads of consistency that tie all this together, and that is the sweet spot of where the story of this brand and identity lives.”

An overwhelming sentiment shared by everyone from designers to Kings team members to engaged focus groups comprised of lifelong fans and new supporters alike, was an obligation to retain purple as the primary color.

“We did two weeks with 12-plus focus groups that were 90 minutes to two hours in length, and in one of the first exercises, the facilitator said, ‘I want you to write down the first thing you think of when I say, “Sacramento Kings,”’ says Kings VP of Brand Development Erica Rau. “We took all of those answers and mapped them on a word cloud, and the two biggest ones were ‘purple’ and ‘pride.’ There were many more exercises where we talked about fandom, and we saw the passion for purple is deep.”

“The Kings first became purple in Sacramento, so there’s some ownership of it, and it is sort of our identifier,” says Gumpert. “If you’re wearing purple around the city, around the region or for that matter, around the country during a Kings game, you have that shared love and shared pride for the team.”

The potent color is deliberately more prevalent in the new logo due to its deep-rooted psychological elements.

“Of course, purple is the color of royalty across all kinds of cultures, which makes it perfect for the name, but it’s also the color of imagination,” says Richardson. “It stimulates imagination and high ideals. At the same time, it’s a very introspective color. When you look at that, it really does fit this team. It’s a color that’s deep in that pursuit … it’s now less encumbered by as much of the black because we want this color that’s ambitious, self-assured and commands respect to lead the way for this identity.”

In replacing the flash and shininess of silver with a darker slate gray, the team unearthed another distinctive correlation with its surroundings.

“We wanted the gray to be modern, bold and strong, and as we explored it, we kept asking, ‘Can we strengthen it a bit and make it unbreakable?” says Rau. “That’s how we envision our fans and our city.

“So much of our arena is inspired by our physical surroundings in Sacramento, and a lot of the elements of the arena have that granite and stone from the nearby mountains, so it was a foundation for having that strong gray.”

While reintroducing a familiar scheme that traces back to the early 1970s, the overhaul presents an original, block typeface, as well as contemporized tweaks, including broader channeling on the lower-half basketball, a wider and shorter crown with more defined peaks, and “Sacramento” emblazoned prominently in the center.

“Our criterion for the design was modern refinement, (because) as you look all around this arena, the refinement there is amazing,” says Richardson. “We had to execute it by the standards of this organization today and needed something that represents these Kings today.

“(The typeface) had to be very intentional with its sharp, cunning, sleek precision, but yet also represent the bold power of these athletes in this game.”

Throughout RARE Design’s months-long discovery and research processes, the firm also uncovered new ways to graphically convey the team’s core values in secondary logos featuring its mascot, Slamson the Lion.

“The lion represents what’s truly unique to Sacramento – the pride and the roar of our fans,” says Gumpert. “You hear it from every player on our own team and opponents. Everyone sees how much love there is from the fans.”

“He is the king of the jungle, so there’s the kingship and royalty assumed there, and he already has that great history with the team,” says Richardson. “It’s not just something we’re sticking in with no context, and it gets to live in a way it actually hasn’t in the past.”

With Sacramento embracing a worldwide identity and holding global aspirations, a heraldic lion incorporating the trademark crown and basketball embodies an international flair.

“We were just traveling in China and traveled to India multiple times, and we looked at the impact of the NBA broadly and the impact Sacramento can have in these regions in terms of growing the game on a global scale,” says Gumpert. “We wanted a mark that brought it all together.”

The full family of logos resonated and gained instant approval from Kings legends, including Mike Bibby, Bobby Jackson and Doug Christie, as well as former All-Stars and current team executives Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic.

“When Vlade saw it, he made an audible gasp,” says Gumpert. “He even pounded his chest a little bit. In his signature voice, he said, ‘I love it. That’s very strong. It feels right.’ That kept on being the reaction as we unveiled it to Mike, Doug, Bobby as well as current players.”

The pride variation presenting ‘SAC’ across the middle gained an even more enthusiastic reaction and fervent support from the Kings VP of basketball operations and general manager.

“Vlade was slapping the table when he saw that logo,” says Brijs. “He said, ‘Finally! This is so great to have that as one of our logos. Our community is going to love it.’ Peja came into the meeting just a few minutes later, and Vlade couldn’t wait to tell him about it.”

In unifying the franchise's aesthetic legacy with an enhanced, contemporary look, the Kings rebranding aims to welcome the citywide renaissance with a design that’s both visually stimulating and unmistakably Sacramentan.

“We’ve drawn a lot of parallels between the transformation that happened here in 1985 and how it’s undergoing another transformation,” says Brijs. “This 2016-17 season will be a remarkable beginning to a new era in our downtown home.”

Drawing inspiration from the resurgence of the area while turning a page toward a boundless future, the new mark epitomizes the organization’s internal mantra – “Bigger than basketball.”

“Like anything, this has always been so much more than a logo,” says Gumpert. “It’s really about who and what we want to represent.

“As the arena opens, as downtown continues to revitalize, as this region continues to grow on a world-class scale, the logo will continue to stand for more and more. We love that this identity is such an important vessel for The New Era of Proud.”

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Making Of: Kings New Logos

Kyle Ramos

Game time is more than an hour away, but Nick Bryant’s eyes are transfixed on the Sleep Train Arena court, where various Sacramento Kings are performing their pregame shooting ritual in preparation for the March 30th game against the Washington Wizards.

Dressed in a vintage Kevin Martin, No. 23 Kings jersey and wearing a “Vote for Boogie” sweat-stained headband, Bryant and approximately 120 fans have converged behind the courtside seats to get a close-up look at their basketball heroes.

Like most of the fans, the 23-year-old Bryant will try to secure autographs and perhaps banter briefly with a player, then make the long trek to his seat located high in the second level of the aging arena.

“The Kings are my team and this will be the last game I will ever see them play in Sleep Train Arena,” says Bryant, who became a Kings fan when he moved to Antelope nine years ago. “I come to the games and support them because I’m a diehard fan. I love this building, but it’s been here since 1988. The arena is old; it’s time for a change.”

No one seemingly disagrees about the arena that made its NBA debut Nov. 8, 1988 and houses 17,317 fans when filled to capacity. Still, fans like Bryant, current players, ex-Kings, and even opposing coaches have cherished memories of Sleep Train, which was formerly known as ARCO Arena.

A smile comes to the face of Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle when he’s asked about his reflections of Sleep Train Arena.

“This is one of the few arenas left where I played – here, the Palace (Detroit) and the (Madison Square) Garden, that’s it,” Carlisle said. “This building has enjoyed a good run for a nice period of time when it was one of the loudest, raucous places to play. But we’ve driven downtown and gone by the new arena. It looks like something out of the Jetsons (a futuristic, animated 1960s TV sitcom).”

Kings Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Vlade Divac has his jersey proudly hanging in the rafters at Sleep Train Arena. He experienced many exhilarating games at the arena, first as a youthful rookie with the Lakers and later when he was a vital cog for six glorious seasons when the highly successful Kings were among the best teams in the NBA.

“Sleep Train will always hold a special place in my heart, and I’m sure fans feel the same about the building,” Divac said. “The memories created there will last forever. But as the door closes here a beautiful one opens at Golden 1 Center – one of the best arenas in the world.”

In his first season as a member of the Sacramento Kings, Kosta Koufos chose to live downtown and has taken a keen interest in the progress of Golden 1 Center.

“The players are excited about the arena. It will be the start of a new basketball era in Sacramento,” Koufos said. “The new building looks fabulous and will have all kinds of new technology. But we will miss Sleep Train. Not a lot of arenas have great history – this one does.”

Ex-Kings guard Reggie Theus will be one of the 40 or more former players who will return to the arena for the final game Saturday (April 9) against Oklahoma City. Theus was a member of the first Kings team in 1985-86 and had the Sacramento-era single-season assist record until it was broken this year by Rajon Rondo.

Theus, who later coached the Kings, can recall many proud moments in the powder-blue uniforms that have returned this season for Friday home games. He can also recollect some off-the-court pursuits as well, which included pheasant hunting in what was then rural North Natomas. Driving to practice in his red convertible, he would sometimes spot pheasant in the surrounding fields near the arena.

“When it was pheasant season, I would shoot a few on my way to practice, bring them to Jonesie (trainer Bill Jones) and he would clean them and they would be ready for me afterward,” Theus said. "That was incredible!”

When it comes to memories, no one has more than Jerry Reynolds, who arrived with the team in 1985 and has never left the organization. Reynolds started as an assistant coach, became head coach, director of player personnel, served in the scouting department, was General Manager of the Sacramento Monarchs, and has been a TV color analyst for more than a decade.

“At one time or another I’ve had about every office in this building,” jokes Reynolds.

Although Reynolds says there are numerous special moments at the arena, one really stands out. In 1996, the George Karl-coached Seattle SuperSonics came to the arena for a playoff game. The Sonics won 64 games that season and were the top-seed in the Western Conference. But the inspired Kings were in a 1-1 tie when the best-of-five series switched to ARCO Arena, which was hosting its first playoff game in 10 years.

“I think that was the most fun game we ever had here,” Reynolds said. “It was the loudest I ever heard it. The noise was off the charts. Fans were screaming a half hour before the game even started.”

Peja Stojakovic was a star-struck, 21-year-old from Yugoslavia when he made his NBA debut in a 1998 preseason game against the Warriors. Kings fans were anxious to get their first glimpse of the sharp-shooting rookie, who was unaware a packed arena was not the preseason norm.

“It was sold out – a preseason game! I didn’t know how unusual that was. But that’s how Kings fans are; they really support the team,” said Stojakovic, who played seven and a half years in Sacramento and has returned this year as director of player personnel. “Sacramento is one of the best NBA cities to play. No matter what the record the fans support the Kings every year. Vlade and I want to put a good team back on the court and hopefully we can do that in the new arena.”

Cynthia Skoglund of Citrus Heights wanted one final memory at Sleep Train Arena. A Kings fan since 1990, she’s attending the late March game with her daughter and grandchild.

Situated a foot from the court, Skoglund is happily wearing a Kings jersey, is holding a “Go Kings” sign, and is among a throng of people watching the Kings go through their pre-game shooting an hour before tip off. Like thousands of Kings fans, in good seasons and bad Skoglund says her support has never wavered.

“I come to about six or seven games a year and support the Kings as much as possible,” Skoglund said. “We’ve been coming to this arena since 1990. It will be very sad to see them leave. It’s such an intimate place to watch a game. We’ll miss it here. But we can’t wait to watch them in the new building.”

Jeffrey Weidel is a freelance writer who has covered the Kings for the Associated Press for nearly two decades.

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Farewell Sleep Train Arena

In honor of the team's final games at Sleep Train Arena, Kings.com catches up with team legends who will be in attendance for the last regular season game.

Grant Napear has been the man behind the microphone for as long as the Kings have been in Sacramento, providing exciting and iconic calls for the biggest moments in the team’s history.

As the Play-by-Play Announcer for Kings TV, Napear’s voice has become a mainstay for basketball in Sacramento. Kings fans everywhere have grown accustomed to hearing his signature calls like “oh boy!” and “If you don’t like that, you don’t like Kings basketball.”

We recently caught up with Grant to get his thoughts and memories regarding the past 28 seasons he’s spent at Sleep Train Arena.

On what was special about playing in the arena:

“The intimacy and the fact that the fans support this team whether they’re winning or losing [are special]. In Sacramento, we know what it’s like to be a Kings fan, but if you don’t live in Sacramento you probably don’t know how special it is to be a Kings fan. That’s the best way I can put it about these fans and this building. I’ve been blessed to live in other areas of the country and I’ve found that there’s nothing like Sacramento and nothing like Sacramento Kings fans.”

On an instance where the crowd changed the game:

“Over the years, there have been many many times where the fans have had a direct impact in winning the game. We’ve had some phenomenal comebacks here, but even the close games with five minutes left against really good teams, I’ve always felt that the fans have had a tremendous impact on how this team does.”

“When this team was winning 50-plus games every year, you could talk to every player and they would tell you how important the fans were during that run. I am convinced that the fans were responsible for a number of wins in those years.”

On his favorite memories in the building:

“Opening night in 1988 is definitely one of my favorite memories. It was my first ever telecast in this building and the second ever in my career.

I think though my favorite memory is the first playoff game ever in this building in 1996. It was Game 3 against [the] Seattle [SuperSonics] after the Kings had won Game 2 up there. I’ve never heard the building as loud as it was that night.”

Personally, one of the other great memories was when I played tennis in here with John McEnroe and Andre Agassi in a celebrity match in front of thousands of people. Outside of basketball, that would be my fondest memory.”

“I can’t wait for a variety of reasons. Number one is that we’ve been in this building for a glorious 28 years and I say glorious because even through the bad times, we’re still standing. It’s bittersweet because I’ve had my boys grow up in this building. I’ve laughed with these fans and I’ve cried with these fans, but there’s nothing like moving to a new building. I’ve been to every [NBA] arena in this country and I’ve seen what it can do and I know what [Golden 1 Center] is going to do for our community. So for that reason, I can’t wait.

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Kings Q&A: Grant Napear

In honor of the team's final games at Sleep Train Arena, Kings.com is catching up with team legends who will be in attendance at the last game to get their thoughts and favorite memories from playing in Sacramento.

Since he moved with the Kings from Kansas City to Sacramento, Jerry Reynolds has worn many hats within the Kings organization.

From Head Coach, to General Manager to his current role as Kings TV Color Analyst, Reynolds has been a staple in the history of professional basketball in Sacramento.

We recently caught up Jerry to get his thoughts on closing this chapter in team annals.

“For me it meant so much, because when we first came over from Kansas City, we were in the temporary building [ARCO Arena I] for three years. So we were looking forward to this building being built and knowing that we were going to have a legitimate NBA arena. It was really special; much like [Golden 1 Center] downtown creates a similar feeling.

“I could think of 20. This building really has been home court advantage. The crowd has really helped this team. I know from talking to players around this league, being a coach, and being involved in a lot of different ways, that the emotion and the energy of this building is second to none.”

“It goes back to the ’96 Playoff series that was held here. It was the first playoff game in about 10 years and the crowd was just fantastic. That series has always stuck out to me as a special memory.”

On being in attendance for the final regular season home game with fellow Kings legends on April 9:

“I’ve seen every Kings and Monarchs game in this building. So this building really means a lot to me. There’s been bad times in here, but certainly some good times and I’ve gotten to be a part of all of them.”

“It’s terrific, I think even more for the city [of Sacramento] even more so than the [Kings]. It’s going to revitalize our downtown and I sure think Golden 1 Center will do that.”

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Kings Q&A: Jerry Reynolds

For six seasons, Vlade Divac won the affections of fans in Sacramento with not just his high level of play, but also his leadership and warm personality.

No. 21 was a crucial component to the Kings success during his time suiting up in the purple and black, helping guide his team to the playoffs during every season he spent in Sactown.

Now that his playing days are over, Divac remains with the Kings organization, serving as the Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager.

We caught up with Vlade to get his thoughts and reflections on his playing days, as the Kings will soon bid farewell to their current home at Sleep Train Arena.

Divac: “It was really a home court advantage. The fans really know basketball in Sacramento. They knew when we really needed their support and they were a big part of our success here. It’s very emotional for me because it almost feels like I’m losing a home.”

On his favorite memories at Sleep Train Arena:

“I have a lot of memories. Walking through the tunnel before the game every night was always a special moment for me and before tip-off when we would dance together as a team. Also, the night the team retired my jersey was a very special and emotional time for me.”

“I’m very excited. For the future of this franchise and the future of Sacramento as a city, having a new arena is very important. Hopefully the spirit of ARCO [Arena] will be in [Golden 1 Center], too.”

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Kings Q&A: Vlade Divac

Much like how Kings fans gave the team a boost when needed, Bobby Jackson was a pivotal player in providing energy off of the bench during his time in Sacramento.
The former Kings guard electrified and entertained Sacramento basketball fans during his six seasons in the purple and black - playing a crucial role as an offensive spark plug for the team.

B-Jax would also be the first and only Kings player to receive the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award for his efforts in the 2002-03 season.

We caught up with No. 24 to get his thoughts on the team’s final season in Sleep Train Arena.

“The fans. Most arenas you go to, there’s excitement and there’s history. But it’s always been about the fans for me. They have always been the ones to propel us to wins and to support us if we’re losing and when we’re winning.”

“I can remember in the playoffs when we went to the Western Conference Finals [in 2002], it had to be the loudest arena by far. Fans were standing up throughout the whole game. That was not normal for fans to just stand up and watch a game standing on their feet. It was something that was one of the most exciting moments, but for me to be a part of it and to see the enthusiasm and excitement from the fans was riveting.”

“I have a lot of favorite memories about this building. Number one, I think, would be the first day I stepped in it. People who know me know how appreciative and how blessed I am to be where I came from and to play in the NBA. To sign a multi-year deal with a franchise that believed in me and gave me a shot and a chance, that’s the most important thing to me.”

“It will be good to see the fans and to also see old teammates. Also, getting to see the last game being played here is going to be emotional, because this arena has been a staple of our success and it carries a lot of stories and games with it. It will be a very emotional night, but also an exciting night to move into a new era. People won’t forget this arena – this arena is going to be remembered for years and years to come.”

“I’m excited, definitely. I can’t wait to see all the bells and whistles in it. I haven’t even taken a tour yet, because I’m one of those people who want to see the finished product when I take the tour. I can’t wait because it’s really going to revitalize downtown [Sacramento] and put some energy and enthusiasm in there. I know the fans and the players and the [Kings] organization can’t wait because they know it’s going to be the best arena in professional sports history.”