How did you become a Kings fan?

#31
Another young Kingsfan here, 18

One day probably about 9 years ago my dad came home with a DVD he had got for free somewhere. It was of top NBA highlights from the 60s and on. He and I had never been interested in really any sports, so it was amazing that A. he even picked it up and brought it home, and B. that I watched it. It was summer, I was bored, so I popped it in.

I remember watching them and being mildly entertained, until I saw the grainy footage of Jerry West hitting the 60-footer to tie that Finals game. From then on, I was hooked on basketball. Yes, a Laker was the one that drew me in.

That year, coincidentally, was the rise of the Kings to the team that we all knew so well. I have always lived in NorCal, so with their newfound talent, close proximity, and me new interest in basketball, they were the obvious choice.
 
#32
my suite mates in college were watching the first round of the playoffs in 2002 (Utah-Sac). having nothing better to do, i joined them and cheered for the jazz, since stockton and malone were the only players i knew (courtesy of NB Jam). after the jazz were knocked out, i kept watching because of the fluidity and entertainment that was the magical kings of 2002.

been a fan ever since.

and also, became a member of this board in 2005, after webber was traded and i had to ask someone which issue of the bee had his farewell note to the fans. the bee was nice enough to send me a free copy, and i framed that page.
 
#33
Grew up in the Bay Area and was a Warriors fan. Moved here in '93 and since I knew this was where I was going to live I bought a hat at my first Kings' game and decided to become a fan. Always bought 10-15 "Game packs" until I became a season ticket holder prior to the '01-'02 season. Have yet to renew my tickets for this year and my season ticket holder rep is bugging the crap out of me with his excessive phone calls/e-mails. Not sure why they think if they call me every day I'm suddenly going to renew my tickets. :mad:
 
#34
Kings moved to my home town. Instant fan.

Before, I was a semi-Warriors fan but hadn't been to a Warriors game in years.

I'm 100% a fan from geography. I root for all NorCal teams, some more than others. Kings over Warriors. Niners over Raiders. Giants over A's. Monarch's a little. No hockey. Hockey sucks.
 
#37
I was pretty young still and didn't know much about the NBA. The only thing I really did know was that it was fun to watch Jordan and Pippen play and all my friends annoyed me because they were laker fans(despite living in Northern California). Then in 1998 the Kings traded for Webber and I was still a relatively little kid, my aunt who lived in Sacramento and my cousin got me into the Kings and I have been a fan ever since. Bandwagon fan? Sorta but I've been a fan since I was 8 or 9 or whatever and I can't imagine not being a fan of the team.
 
#38
Heartbreak lead me to the Kings.

As a kid of the 80s, I lucked out being raised a fan of the Niners and A's. Not only did SF and Oakland dominate their sports during the decade, my two favorite players (Joe Montana and Jose Canseco) were on each team.

Then the 90s hit. The Reds swept the A's in the World Series, the Giants stunned the Niners in the NFC Championship, Canseco was traded to the Rangers in the middle of a game (that I was at) and Montana lost his starting job to Steve Young and was eventually traded to the Chiefs.

That's a lot for a little kid to handle. So after spending many a night crying myself to sleep, I renounced my fandom of the Niners and A's.

So when my family moved to Sacramento at the exact same time, I was ready for a new team to follow. I had never even seen an NBA game and was only vaguely aware of the sport. But after heading to Arco and seeing Spud Webb, Wayman Tisdale, the L-Train, the Wizard and of course the Rock push the Cavs to overtime on a buzzer beater (of course they lost in OT ... they always did back then) I was hooked.

Sidenote: 13 years later, I headed off to SF State ... and became a Niners and A's fan again.
 
#39
1983. Had to clear out before the Lakers fans arrived. :eek:
I meant Sac made the playoffs in 86. Short stay, but still.

I have an old game where at halftime they did a bit on the Kings moving to Sac. It was actually footage of their first steps in town as the Sacto Kings. Pretty funny, the mayor (iirc) was greeting the team as they walked thru the terminal and she was unwittingly asking each player if they were Reggie Theus. Larry Drew says, "Uh, no..." and keeps walking.
 
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#40
I have an old game where at halftime they did a bit on the Kings moving to Sac. It was actually footage of their first steps in town as the Sacto Kings. Pretty funny, the mayor (iirc) was greeting the team as they walked thru the terminal and she was unwittingly asking each player if they were Reggie Theus. Larry Drew says, "Uh, no..." and keeps walking.
Sad thing was, that's probably what the team's new owners did, too. We're lucky that we don't have any anti-idiocy rules named after any of our '80s management.
 
#42
I became a Kings fan during the 94/95 season, when they were struggling to make the playoffs. I remember watching the final game of the season, which would determine whether they or Denver would make the playoffs.
 
#43
I meant Sac made the playoffs in 86. Short stay, but still.

I have an old game where at halftime they did a bit on the Kings moving to Sac. It was actually footage of their first steps in town as the Sacto Kings. Pretty funny, the mayor (iirc) was greeting the team as they walked thru the terminal and she was unwittingly asking each player if they were Reggie Theus. Larry Drew says, "Uh, no..." and keeps walking.
yeah... I know, they kinda stumbled into the playoffs their first season here, before they had full washed the KC out of their system.... but I was ignoring that outlier. :)
 
#44
This is turning into Kingoholics anonymous. Pretty good.

As for me I guess - I had nothing better to do.


Ha! indeed....!


"My name is Sluggo, and..... <sob>...

......and..... <deep breath> ...

.... and , I am a Kings fan.

<croud claps and through their tear stained eyelashes gasps out: >
"you tell 'em son"
"shout it from the highest mountain!"
"you're free! welcome out of the closet!!"
.... <group hug>
 
#45
I was a kid in Columbus Ohio when Ohio State won the NCAA championship in 1960. When my favorite player, Jerry Lucas, moved down the road to Cincinnati to play with Oscar Robertson for the Royals in 1963, I became a Royals fan. Can't say that I followed them much while they were in Kansas City, but then I moved to Sacramento in 1984 and my Royals showed up a year later. So it's been 45 years.

The best time was was the glory years that peaked in 2002, because after all those years, they really had a chance. Yes they got screwed out of a championship, but there are still great memories. And there was the 8th-seeded Mitch Richmond team upsetting Seattle on the road -- the loudest I've ever heard Arco when they came out for warmups for game 3, and the great eastern finals series with the Celtics many years ago, and Tiny Archibald leading the league in scoring AND assists, and the night Robertson and Lucas got into a shootout with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, with West being the only one not scoring at least 50. I could go on.

What a long strange trip it's been ...
 
#47
I was walking between buildings at work, when my best friend said "Hey. The Kings are coming to town. Do you want to go in on season tickets?" My response was "Sure. Why not?" That 10 second conversation led to 23 years of obsession.
 
#48
I was eight years old in December of 1985 when all I wanted for Xmas was Kings tickets. Santa brought me tickets to see the Kings host the Nuggets and a powder blue, corduroy Kings hat.

After dinner at Red Lobster I watched the Kings get destroyed by some guy named Alex English. ;) I still don "powder blue" when I really want to get the Kings mojo going.
 
#50
The stepson of Greg Lukenbill was a schoolmate and friend of mine in 6th grade a year or so before the Kings came to town. Lukenbill was at a holiday party telling all the parents that he was going to buy a team and bring it to Sacramento. This was December of 1983, the Kings were here shorthly thereafter and we have had NBA basketball ever since thanks to Luke.

That first season at ARCO for me as a young teen was amazing. I remember listening to the games on radio as winter storms passed outside and going to games at the old ARCO, which seemed big at the time. Maybe this is a bit nostalgic for some, but it was just an amazing time. They always seemed to win on Tuesday nights at home.

All this was great, but nothing compared to the shortened season when
J-Will, Webb, Vlade and Peja "arrived" and put the Kings on the map with the most exciting and exhilarating basketball I have ever seen.
 
#51
I first took interest in basketball during the Bulls-Suns Finals. After that I was hooked on his Airness and the Bulls. I followed them thru their 2nd three-peat. After MJ, Scottie, Phil, Rodman, etc... left the team, I felt an emptiness inside because I knew it would not be the same... and no matter how much I would force myself to like that team, it just wasnt the Bulls anymore. Same uniform, different players.

Anyway, I accidentally caught one or two of the first few Kings games of the lock-out season, and I saw a white boy running the point and making ridiculous plays. I saw a crafty center making some sweet passes and funky lay-ups, and I saw a hell of a PF making the game look easy as pie. I watched most of the rest of the games that season, and I've been a fan ever since...

I was crushed when they traded off J-Will for Bibby.

In all honesty, it was J-Will that turned me into a Kings fan.