Kings

Jonathan Bradley

Playing through injury, the Kings star big man came through in a much-needed win over a Western Conference powerhouse.&nbsp;

Late in the third quarter of Wednesday’s matchup against Denver, Nuggets guard&nbsp;Davon Reed pulled up for a 14-foot jumper that hit all net and extended the away team’s lead to 19 points, 100-81, with just 3:26 left in the stanza.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The shot gave Denver their largest lead of the game and all but assured the Nuggets their second win over the Kings in as many nights.&nbsp;&nbsp;

But on the very next possession, Kings big man Domantas Sabonis nailed a 3-pointer that not only gave Sacramento life, but also hopes of making a comeback.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sabonis’ triple sparked a 13-5 run to end the quarter and gave the Kings the boost they needed entering the final frame.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sacramento continued to chip away at the lead, eventually cutting it to four, 112-108, with 6:02 to play thanks to a Sabonis layup, his 25th point of the game. His dunk with 55 seconds left gave the Kings their first lead of the game and one they would not relinquish.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sabonis, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds to log his 11th-straight double-double of the season. That output has become expected from the seven-year vet, despite playing under unexpected circumstances last night.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Just two games prior, Sabonis was sidelined late in the game with what was eventually diagnosed as a UCL avulsion fracture in his right thumb. According to Injury Analyst Jeff Stotts, that injury has relegated other players to street clothes for an average of 25 games.&nbsp;

He returned to the lineup last night to help the Kings take down the Nuggets and proved to be a difference maker in a matchup that saw Denver take the first game of the back-to-back by seven points.&nbsp;

Domas being a difference maker is nothing new to Kings fans. He’s anchored the squad on the offensive and defensive ends all season and continues to set a blazing pace in several statistical categories.&nbsp;

No. 10 has three games this season where he’s put up at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and five assists and needed just 45 games in a Kings jersey to break the record for most 20-20-5 games, previously held by Chris Webber, who set the record in 377 games.&nbsp;

He currently ranks in the top 10 in the NBA in nine different stats, all impactful in their own right:&nbsp;

These numbers put Sabonis on pace to earn his third-career All-Star appearance, and when compared to his stats the first two selections, the 6-foot-10 center should be a lock for Utah in February.&nbsp;&nbsp;

During his 2019-20 All-Star campaign, Sabonis averaged 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5 assists. The next season – his second straight All-Star nod – he put up 20.2 points, 12 rebounds and 6.7 assists.&nbsp;&nbsp;

He currently matching his scoring output from 2019 and is equaling his assist total from 2020, which happens to be a career high.&nbsp;&nbsp;

If he can keep this pace for the rest of the season and continue smashing Kings records along the way, it’ll be tough to deny Sabonis a spot not only on the 2023 All-Star team, but also on one of the three All-NBA lineups.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Help Sabonis make the All-Star Game by voting daily, here >> https://www.Kings.com/vote

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Sabonis Stamps All-Star Case in Kings Comeback Win Over Nuggets

Terrell Adams

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Kings vs. Trail Blazers Opening Night 10.19.22

Official Release

-- Involvement Builds on the Kings Commitment to Uplift and Support the LGBTQIA+ Community --

-- Team Honored Diversity through Festival, March, Social Media Channels and More --

Each June, Pride is celebrated to amplify love and acceptance for the LGBTQIA+ community. This year, the Sacramento Kings partnered with the Sacramento LGBT Community Center and actively participated and contributed to events with the LGBTQIA+ community. 

On June 11 and 12, the Kings and partner Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. participated in the Sacramento Pride Festival by hosting booths on Capitol Mall and marching with community. 

“After two years of not being able to celebrate Pride together, it felt great to be back with community, friends and allies,” said Sacramento Kings Director of Event Sales and Production and LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Group Chair Karl Crudup. “Passion and excitement were evident throughout the festival, and the Kings were proud to amplify the message of inclusion and the importance of supporting the Sacramento LGBT Center through volunteerism and donations.”

The celebration served as another opportunity for the Kings to support and uplift the LQBTQIA+ community and its allies and&nbsp;educate the region on the positive impact of an inclusive society.

Additionally, throughout the month, local LGBTQIA+ artists including Scott Azevedo, Sage Stanley and Mike Saechao were featured on the 5th and L Street billboards and DOCO Plaza digital boards. Moreover, the Kings highlighted local businesses Heart Vibes by Simone and Legado Whiskey on the team’s social media channels.

Ongoing Efforts to Uplift the LGBTQIA+ Community

The Sacramento Kings are one of the most inclusive and socially conscious teams in professional sports. In addition to the organization’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, the franchise has an LGBTQIA+ employee resource group (ERG), which serves to foster an inclusive, open community and advance equality for and visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and allied people. Moreover, Golden 1 Center was the first arena in the world to accommodate transgender guests by offering 23 all-gender restrooms.

During the 2021-22 NBA Season, the Kings highlighted the local LGBTQIA+ community during Equality Night, presented by SMUD and Republic Services. The game consisted of Equality Awards presented to the co-executive directors of Gender Health Center, performances by the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus, local drag queens Mercury Rising, Mae Heffiman, Tilly Creams and A La Mode, art by Doncho, businesses Atrium 916 and Mezcal Grill and nonprofits PFLAG Sacramento and Sacramento LGBT Community Center. Additionally, the 916 Crew performed a routine choreographed by professional dancer, public-facing trans woman and LGBTQIA+ advocate Lennon Torres. 

Earlier in the year, as part of the Kings Beyond the Paint series, the team debuted  A Closer Look at Topics Impacting the LGBTQIA+ Community. The episode features Lennon Torres, Sacramento LGBT Community Center Chief Program Officer Koby Rodríguez and 916 Crew Member Emil Aban discussing their personal experiences, the importance of advocacy and allyship and the role representation plays in creating a more equitable society, moderated by Kings Director of Event Sales and Production Karl Crudup.

When asked what representation means to her, Torres said,&nbsp;“When I think about representation, I think of being able to expose and introduce what it means to be queer and be a part of this community. In an industry that queer people have given so much to the sports and entertainment industry, it’s important that we as the industry, give back and make sure that their voices are being heard.”&nbsp;

During Pride Month and year-round, the Kings are committed to raising continuous awareness and support for the LGBTQIA+ community.&nbsp;

For more information on the Kings ongoing&nbsp;efforts to&nbsp;uplift, highlight and support the LGBTQIA+ community, please visit&nbsp;Kings.com/Community.

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Recap: The Sacramento Kings Celebrate Pride Month with LGBTQIA+ Community

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Sacramento Kings Highlights vs. Portland Trail Blazers

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Kings Fall Short in Mile-High City | Kings vs Nuggets

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Kings Stay Hot and Take Down Blazers | Kings vs Trail Blazers Highlights

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Hannah Taheri

As the Kings took off to Mumbai, India to make history by taking part in the first ever NBA India Games, Fox shared his thoughts and experiences exclusively with The Undefeated.

See what the Sactown speedster has been up to since the team touched down in India below:

Sept. 30 – ‘Through a long trip like this, it can only help us grow:”

The night before the team took off for Mumbai on Drake’s private plane, “Air Drake,” which he graciously lent the team, Fox shared his emotions going into one of his first International trips. “I am excited to see a different culture,” he said.

“I hope everyone can just enjoy being around each other on this trip. Learn new things together. We’re going out there to play basketball games and discover who we are as a team."

The team was in the air for almost the entirety of the first of the month. But, flying on Air Drake is much different than flying coach, as one can imagine.

“Flying on Drake’s plane, man, it was dope. It was 20 hours, but…even when we were staying up I didn’t feel like I was tired or like struggling to stay up because it felt like you was sitting in your living room.”

After arriving to the country, the Kings paid a visit to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal. De’Aaron mentioned that seeing the famous Marble Mausoleum was one of the things her was most looking forward to about the trip.

“I think being [at the Taj Mahal] in person, it’s simply amazing. I know it means the world to Vivek [Ranadive]. For him to bring his organization here, I know he’s definitely having a blast.”

After a busy few days, the guys took a much needed day of rest ahead of their first game on Friday morning. Aside from relaxing and playing foosball with one another at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai, they also enjoyed some additional sightseeing as a group.

“You know how we talk about Southern hospitality? It’s different over here. The hospitality that they show is simply amazing, and people from the streets to the hotel — I mean everybody — everybody’s going to say hello.”

Oct. 4 – “Making Basketball History”

On Friday morning, it was finally time for India’s first ever NBA match-up to take place. Though the squad fell one point short of a victory in an exhilarating game against the Pacers, Fox shared, “The atmosphere was great…I think both teams had a hell of a performance.”

Despite the loss, the guys are still eager to celebrate their historic game at a Bollywood-themed party thrown by Kings Chairman and Governor Vivek Ranadive. Above all else, No. 5. seems to be most excited to rock his new traditional Indian party attire.

“The pants fit crazy good, so I might buy more of them,” he said. Fox admitted that jet lag caused him to sleep through the NBA Welcome party on Thursday night, but he has no plans to miss this party. “I can’t miss the thing tonight, because I want to wear the suit.”

The following day, the team geared up to play their second and final NBA India game against the Pacers. Indiana went home with the win, but De’Aaron used the loss as a learning opportunity.

“We gave up way too many uncontested layups, way too many uncontested 3’s, so that’s what we pulled away from these first two games,” he reflected.

On the subject of takeaways, the National Sports Club of India’s crowd’s love for Swipa was made especially apparent during this particular game. Fox remarked, “I heard fans chanting, ‘MVP,’ MVP,’ when I was shooting free throws. I appreciate the chants, but I got a lot of work to do to get there.”

And the love was mutual, according to De’Aaron. Fox said goodbye to Mumbai with a special message to those same fans, reminding us all that experiences like these are bigger than basketball.

“Thank you,” he gushed. “I just hope that they enjoyed this and we left them with a great first impression. For those of you that probably never touched a basketball before, especially for the kids, I hope we were able to make it fun enough so that they’d want to play it themselves.”