Kings Media Day

Kyle Ramos

Though Bogdan Bogdanovic will be considered a rookie with the Sacramento Kings this season, his basketball resumé tells a different story.

Since turning 18, the Serbian native has been playing the game he loves on a professional level. In those seven years, Bogdanovic has accumulated a laundry list of achievements, from a silver medal in the 2016 Olympic Games to his most recent EuroLeague Championship with Fenerbahce Istanbul.

Now, fresh off of another strong showing with the Serbian national team in EuroBasket 2017, No. 8 is set to show what he can do in the Association.

At Kings Media Day, Bogdanovic added some more insight as to what he wants to improve on and what he wants to accomplish to kick-start his NBA career.

“[Playing in the NBA] will be something new for me,” said Bogdanovic. “When it’s something new, you have more fun. It’s easier to find motivation and I’m happy to be here, really.”

Though Sacramento fans are excited about Bogdanovic’s arrival, it was a tough decision to leave a team that had just won the crown jewel of the EuroLeague. For Bogdanovic, however, he felt that this was the next logical step for him as a player.

“I felt it was time. I did everything I could with my team - either with Turkey or Serbia,” Bogdanovic said. “I won all the championships I could win and I felt it was the right time. I built a lot of experience there.

The Kings guard also provided some insight into what he hopes to see from himself in year one.

“My first goal is to adapt to the speed of the game,” said No. 8. “As a team goal, it’s to create great chemistry as a team and to try and make the playoffs as soon as possible.”

The full interview, which also includes Bogdan trying his hand at NBA 2K18 and some hilarious answers to “would you rather” questions, can be viewed below.

bogdan-ready-for-nba

Bogdan Ready For NBA

Arguably the greatest in-game dunk ever captured on camera went unnoticed by the dunker himself, Vince Carter.

In the 2000 Olympic Games, Carter, a member of Team USA’s basketball roster, was pitted against France in a heated competition when VC stole the ball and proceeded to throw down a jam that’s been replayed millions of times.

On the 17th anniversary of his famous play, the NBA veteran recounted what was going through his head during the jaw-dropping moment and his side of the story came with a surprise twist: Vince had no idea that he had just jumped over a seven footer.

“When it actually happened I actually did not know that I had jumped over Frederic [Weis],” said Carter. “I saw him there, I stole the ball, take the two dribbles and jump and I’m looking at the rim. I don’t even remember seeing him there. I remember the initial touch of the shoulder and that’s it.”

The video shows a strong reaction from Carter and teammate Kevin Garnett following the throwdown, but according to Air Canada, they were on two different pages.

“Funny thing about [the dunk], I was celebrating for a totally different reason than everybody thinks I was celebrating,” Carter said. “KG was obviously celebrating the actual dunk, what he witnessed. I’m celebrating the dunk because I had thought I had jumped to far, so I thought I was going to get hung up (on the rim). I leaned forward thinking I wasn’t going to reach. That’s what I was celebrating, not the dunk over him.”

After what had just transpired, you would assume that a bucket like that would be the talk of the huddles for Team USA, but that was also not the case according to VC.

“There was 12 or 15 guys [on the team] and nobody said anything,” Carter said. “From that point [of the dunk] through the rest of the game, during timeouts, nobody said anything. So the entire game I knew nothing.”

It was not until after the game that a friend of Team USA teammate Gary Payton approached Carter with footage of the dunk which was captured on a personal camcorder. Later on when Vince asked the others on why they gave him the silent treatment he was met with a surprising response.

“I asked how come they didn’t say anything to me and they told me they were still in shock. So they didn’t really know what to say.”

carter-recalls-most-infamous-dunk-with-surprise-twist

Carter Recalls Most Infamous Dunk With Surprise Twist

An exciting offseason is coming to a close.

As the Kings prepare for the 2017-18 campaign, the first stop is Media Day, which serves as the unofficial tip-off to the new season.

Right before each NBA team starts training camp, the entire roster and coaching staff make themselves available to the media for a gauntlet of interviews, photo shoots, and more.

This year, fans can tune in across all of the team and Golden 1 Center’s social platforms to get an up-close look at Media Day live from the Kings Practice Facility in Golden 1 Center.

Special guests lined up for Monday’s activities include Rachel DeMita from NBA 2KTV, who will be hosting live show on Facebook and Twitter for the entirety of Media Day – catching up with each of the players as they check out the latest installment of the NBA video game franchise. Additionally, Zack Evans, known for his work with BuzzFeed, will be holding a takeover story on the Kings Instagram account and former Kings Dancer and current Kings game night emcee, Katerina Kountouris will be taking fans behind-the-scenes on Snapchat.

Media Day will commence at 2 p.m. PT and will run through 5:30 p.m. PT. Fans can check in on all of the action through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Weibo.

Kings Media Day

Bogdan Ready For NBA

Carter Recalls Most Infamous Dunk With Surprise Twist

2017 Media Day Primer

2016 Kings Media Day Interviews