My father was over 6'3" tall and loved sports. Add the fact he was born and raised in Indiana, and it's easy to figure out the sport he loved the most was basketball.
Since we lived outside of Sacramento in the early 60s, with only three local TV stations, there weren't many occasions to actually see a game. It didn't matter. From as far back as I can remember, we were Boston Celtics fans. It wasn't until junior high school that I finally got a chance to see basketball up close. It helped me to forge a love for the game that continues to this day. When my "little" brother grew to be almost 6'8", he played high school and college ball and there were more opportunities to see live games.
In 1985, when word got out that the Kings were coming to Sacramento, it was more than a dream come true. It was almost beyond description. My dad passed away in October of 1984, so he never had the chance to walk into Arco Arena and be part of the excitement and energy. My dad may not have been able to be there, but my brother became a frequent attendee to those first games, often taking my 10-year old daughter with him.
Rooting for the Kings became a family tradition and a way of life. It wasn't a matter of cheering for them because they were so good, because ... well ... they weren't. They made it to the playoffs in 1986 but were summarily dismissed in three games by the Houston Rockets. After that, the team struggled for years but during those struggles, the loyal fans of Sacramento showed their solid support, maintaining a streak of sellout games that would last the better part of two decades.
When I moved from Sacramento in the mid-90s, following the team was more difficult but I made sure I watched all the games on TV. I made yearly treks to Arco to make sure I could see them play at least once or twice, even if I had to sit so far up in the rafters I couldn't tell the players without binoculars.
When my daughter and son-in-law got married in Reno, they wore Webber jerseys and arranged the date around the King schedule. In fact, a lot of family activities were scheduled based on whether or not the Kings would be playing that day.
When my first grandchild was born, it was - luckily - not on a game night. Had the Kings been playing, my granddaughter might have been born at home since her mother wouldn't miss a Kings game.
After the Kings got Vlade Divac, even my mother - who had never really understood the family fascination for the game - started to be drawn in. After all, what wasn't to like about the very tall young man with the interesting accent and incredible smile? Once Mom started to watch the games, she started to know the names of the players. And then came the phone calls. "What was that stupid call?" She would ask. "What's flopping?" I had loved the game for over 40 years by then, and it was a unique experience to watch my mother develop the love for the game the rest of the family had.
The glory years were just that - years of incredible excitement and hope and passion. Starting in 1998-99, it was clear that something special was happening. When the Kings met the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs, a group of Kings fans caravaned to Salt Lake City to root on the team. The fans who couldn't make the journey made sure to welcome the team home, turning up very late at night at Sacramento Metropolitan Airport to greet the plane and cheer the team for the effort they had shown. They might not have won, but they won our hearts and souls with their spirit, fight and determination. We all prayed for the magic to continue.
Continue it did, an E Ticket ride all the way. If you were a Kings fan back then, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you weren't, nothing I can say will fully describe the feeling. The Sacramento Kings and their fans had a symbiotic relationship that led to the years of ARCO THUNDER, when visiting teams knew they'd be facing more than just 5 players on the court. (Hence the sixthman jersey in the rafters.)
Living almost two hours away from Arco, I still found ways to get to games. As exciting as Arco was during the season, the atmosphere during the playoffs was beyond description. You could almost see the electricity in the air. If you had any voice left after the game, you were almost embarrassed. The fans and the team had formed a bond...the Kings were Sacramento and Sacramento was the Kings.
The Western Conference finals of 2002 went to overtime in game 7. You cannot get much more drama out of a sport than that. Although the final outcome didn't go our way, we finally knew for sure that our team was able to compete at the top level. We looked forward to the next year with hope and confidence. We were headed in the right direction, right up until that night in Dallas when Chris Webber crumbled to the floor and didn't get up. Although the team took the series to 7 games, the Mavericks won and continued on to face the Spurs in the Western Conference finals. Kings fans were faced with the second trauma to befall them in a post-season as the true extent of Webber's injury became known.
In 2004 the Kings still found a way into the playoffs, as they did in 2005 and 2006. But by then, it wasn't the same. There were controversies, poor personnel decisions and high ticket prices for a product that was far below what it had been just a couple of years before. I continued to love this team and had faith that they would get back on the right track.
A couple of bad coaches added into the mix didn't help sell tickets. In addition, the relationship between the team and the fans just wasn't the same. Part of this, I believed, was because the moral compass of the team had gone askew. But, through it all, I was still a fan.
For years the Maloofs had tried to get a new arena built, both for the Kings and Monarchs, and for the city of Sacramento. Unfortunately, what could have been a decent deal for everyone concerned was shot down by slanted press, politicians and a total lack of real community support.
Last year, things for the team started to turn around. Tyreke Evans earned rookie of the year honors. He and Omri Casspi both ended up playing in the rookie-sophomore contest at the All-Star Game, with Evans garnering MVP. This year, Demarcus Cousins also performed quite admirably at the rookie game, coming in second in MVP voting to John Wall. Fans were starting to return to the fold. The future of the team was looking good.
When Maloof Sports lowered ticket prices and made a more concerted effort to interact with the fans, you could sense the reconnection between the community and the Kings. Games weren't sellouts but there were more times when the electricity was back.
Through all of this, the arena issue was hanging over our heads like the sword of Damacles. And with the economy in dire straits, a new arena seemed less likely. The election of Kevin Johnson as Mayor of Sacramento helped, as he was very pro-active in trying to help get a deal to benefit the city of Sacramento and its citizens, while still providing a new venue for the Kings.
Now, it may all be for naught. The Kings may play their final game in Sacramento in a little over a month and move to Anaheim. It's all horribly unfair and it hurts like hell to even think about.
I stood in line for hours once upon a time to get player bobbleheads from Carl's Jr. My most cherished one, though, came as a gift from a member of Kingsfans.com - it's Vlade Divac, complete with autograph. It stands on a shelf next to my Evans Rookie of the Year bobblehead. I look at the jerseys of Kevin Martin, Doug Christie, Mike Bibby and Omri Casspi, and don't even want to think of packing them away. Framed photos of Vlade and Webber adorn my wall, along with a picture of the Fast Break Kids (Vlade, Mike, Peja, Chris, Doug and
Bobby) as little kids in Kings uniforms with images of their adult counterparts in front of them. A gift from a dear friend, it is so much more than just a picture. Just looking at it reminds me of the promise of that team, of those players, and it's tough to hold back a tear or two.
There are Kings banners, Kings beads, a Kings yield sign, a couple of signed pennants (with names like Wayman Tisdale, Lionel Simmons, Bobby Hurley, Corliss Williamson and Mitch Richmond) that share another wall with a new pennant of Omri Casspi. There are Kings gloves, a Kings watchcap, Kings scarf, and Kings baseball cap. There's a Bobby Jackson stuffed toy, next to a furry Slamson with a purple jersey, a Vlade Divac beanie baby bear, miscellaneous purple animals with various opening night pins adorning them, and a Peja nesting doll.
There's a plastic Kings clapper/megaphone, sitting right next to my purple cowbell. There are Kings glasses in the kitchen, along with miniature Kings jerseys that serve as bottle coolers for tall beer bottles. There's the Sports Illustrated cover, and there are autographed programs celebrating Kevin Martin's first game at Arco and his first playoff game. There are programs and ticket stubs from every game I attended in the past 10 years. There are, somewhere, the bobbleheads of players past, except for the Hedo one I sent to a Turkish fan going to college in New York (I wonder if he still has it) and the Bibby bobblehead who found its way to a young Kings fan living in Southern California. There's even a voodoo doll made from a empty toilet paper roll. This one has a Laker jersey on, but I also had them for the Mavericks, the Spurs, the Jazz and virtually any other team the Kings faced in the playoffs over the years. I got pretty good at making them, if I do say so myself.
I have a Kings throw blanket on my bed, along with a Kings pillow. I have Kings sweatshirts, Kings t-shirts and Kings socks. My return address labels feature the Kings primary logo on them. I drink my coffee from a beautiful Kings ceramic mug I received as a gift and I have a wonderful glass mug with Kingsfans.com and Vladefan21 on the side, a prize I won in the annual KF prediction game a few years back.
My two granddaughters attended their first Kings game last season, after watching on TV their whole lives. They too sport Kings merchandise, starting with Kings onesies and bibs and continuing up to the present with Kings cheerleading outfits. They attended opening night this season and it was clear they have purple in their blood.
It had already been decided that the family would attend opening night next year and games during the season whenever the weather, scheduling and finances permit. Now, all of this is coming to an end? It just doesn't seem fair.
I am Vladefan21; I am a Kings fan. The Sacramento Kings are truly a family tradition. Being a Kings fan has afforded me the opportunity to forge lasting friendships that would never have come to be without the presence of the Sacramento Kings.
You shouldn't have to say goodbye to something that's been so important in your life. Losing someone to death is different. As much as it may hurt, you know it's inevitable. Losing such an integral part of life shouldn't be reduced to dollars and cents. The Kings aren't just an NBA team. They are the SACRAMENTO KINGS. We, the fans who have supported them for 26 years, are as much their owners as are the people who actually own the franchise. At least, that's how I see it.
I do not want to lose my Kings. It will be like losing a part of myself in more ways than I can possibly express.
If the dye is not cast, I hope and pray there is still a way to keep the Kings in Sacramento. I will be going to another Kings game and I will savor the moments as much as I have all those in the past. I will pray that this won't be one of the last times I have the opportunity to do so. I will cherish the memories of the past 26 years and keep the faith until the bitter end that those memories will be joined by more.
Once, now and forever...GO KINGS! I love this team.
Since we lived outside of Sacramento in the early 60s, with only three local TV stations, there weren't many occasions to actually see a game. It didn't matter. From as far back as I can remember, we were Boston Celtics fans. It wasn't until junior high school that I finally got a chance to see basketball up close. It helped me to forge a love for the game that continues to this day. When my "little" brother grew to be almost 6'8", he played high school and college ball and there were more opportunities to see live games.
In 1985, when word got out that the Kings were coming to Sacramento, it was more than a dream come true. It was almost beyond description. My dad passed away in October of 1984, so he never had the chance to walk into Arco Arena and be part of the excitement and energy. My dad may not have been able to be there, but my brother became a frequent attendee to those first games, often taking my 10-year old daughter with him.
Rooting for the Kings became a family tradition and a way of life. It wasn't a matter of cheering for them because they were so good, because ... well ... they weren't. They made it to the playoffs in 1986 but were summarily dismissed in three games by the Houston Rockets. After that, the team struggled for years but during those struggles, the loyal fans of Sacramento showed their solid support, maintaining a streak of sellout games that would last the better part of two decades.
When I moved from Sacramento in the mid-90s, following the team was more difficult but I made sure I watched all the games on TV. I made yearly treks to Arco to make sure I could see them play at least once or twice, even if I had to sit so far up in the rafters I couldn't tell the players without binoculars.
When my daughter and son-in-law got married in Reno, they wore Webber jerseys and arranged the date around the King schedule. In fact, a lot of family activities were scheduled based on whether or not the Kings would be playing that day.
When my first grandchild was born, it was - luckily - not on a game night. Had the Kings been playing, my granddaughter might have been born at home since her mother wouldn't miss a Kings game.
After the Kings got Vlade Divac, even my mother - who had never really understood the family fascination for the game - started to be drawn in. After all, what wasn't to like about the very tall young man with the interesting accent and incredible smile? Once Mom started to watch the games, she started to know the names of the players. And then came the phone calls. "What was that stupid call?" She would ask. "What's flopping?" I had loved the game for over 40 years by then, and it was a unique experience to watch my mother develop the love for the game the rest of the family had.
The glory years were just that - years of incredible excitement and hope and passion. Starting in 1998-99, it was clear that something special was happening. When the Kings met the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs, a group of Kings fans caravaned to Salt Lake City to root on the team. The fans who couldn't make the journey made sure to welcome the team home, turning up very late at night at Sacramento Metropolitan Airport to greet the plane and cheer the team for the effort they had shown. They might not have won, but they won our hearts and souls with their spirit, fight and determination. We all prayed for the magic to continue.
Continue it did, an E Ticket ride all the way. If you were a Kings fan back then, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you weren't, nothing I can say will fully describe the feeling. The Sacramento Kings and their fans had a symbiotic relationship that led to the years of ARCO THUNDER, when visiting teams knew they'd be facing more than just 5 players on the court. (Hence the sixthman jersey in the rafters.)
Living almost two hours away from Arco, I still found ways to get to games. As exciting as Arco was during the season, the atmosphere during the playoffs was beyond description. You could almost see the electricity in the air. If you had any voice left after the game, you were almost embarrassed. The fans and the team had formed a bond...the Kings were Sacramento and Sacramento was the Kings.
The Western Conference finals of 2002 went to overtime in game 7. You cannot get much more drama out of a sport than that. Although the final outcome didn't go our way, we finally knew for sure that our team was able to compete at the top level. We looked forward to the next year with hope and confidence. We were headed in the right direction, right up until that night in Dallas when Chris Webber crumbled to the floor and didn't get up. Although the team took the series to 7 games, the Mavericks won and continued on to face the Spurs in the Western Conference finals. Kings fans were faced with the second trauma to befall them in a post-season as the true extent of Webber's injury became known.
In 2004 the Kings still found a way into the playoffs, as they did in 2005 and 2006. But by then, it wasn't the same. There were controversies, poor personnel decisions and high ticket prices for a product that was far below what it had been just a couple of years before. I continued to love this team and had faith that they would get back on the right track.
A couple of bad coaches added into the mix didn't help sell tickets. In addition, the relationship between the team and the fans just wasn't the same. Part of this, I believed, was because the moral compass of the team had gone askew. But, through it all, I was still a fan.
For years the Maloofs had tried to get a new arena built, both for the Kings and Monarchs, and for the city of Sacramento. Unfortunately, what could have been a decent deal for everyone concerned was shot down by slanted press, politicians and a total lack of real community support.
Last year, things for the team started to turn around. Tyreke Evans earned rookie of the year honors. He and Omri Casspi both ended up playing in the rookie-sophomore contest at the All-Star Game, with Evans garnering MVP. This year, Demarcus Cousins also performed quite admirably at the rookie game, coming in second in MVP voting to John Wall. Fans were starting to return to the fold. The future of the team was looking good.
When Maloof Sports lowered ticket prices and made a more concerted effort to interact with the fans, you could sense the reconnection between the community and the Kings. Games weren't sellouts but there were more times when the electricity was back.
Through all of this, the arena issue was hanging over our heads like the sword of Damacles. And with the economy in dire straits, a new arena seemed less likely. The election of Kevin Johnson as Mayor of Sacramento helped, as he was very pro-active in trying to help get a deal to benefit the city of Sacramento and its citizens, while still providing a new venue for the Kings.
Now, it may all be for naught. The Kings may play their final game in Sacramento in a little over a month and move to Anaheim. It's all horribly unfair and it hurts like hell to even think about.
I stood in line for hours once upon a time to get player bobbleheads from Carl's Jr. My most cherished one, though, came as a gift from a member of Kingsfans.com - it's Vlade Divac, complete with autograph. It stands on a shelf next to my Evans Rookie of the Year bobblehead. I look at the jerseys of Kevin Martin, Doug Christie, Mike Bibby and Omri Casspi, and don't even want to think of packing them away. Framed photos of Vlade and Webber adorn my wall, along with a picture of the Fast Break Kids (Vlade, Mike, Peja, Chris, Doug and
Bobby) as little kids in Kings uniforms with images of their adult counterparts in front of them. A gift from a dear friend, it is so much more than just a picture. Just looking at it reminds me of the promise of that team, of those players, and it's tough to hold back a tear or two.
There are Kings banners, Kings beads, a Kings yield sign, a couple of signed pennants (with names like Wayman Tisdale, Lionel Simmons, Bobby Hurley, Corliss Williamson and Mitch Richmond) that share another wall with a new pennant of Omri Casspi. There are Kings gloves, a Kings watchcap, Kings scarf, and Kings baseball cap. There's a Bobby Jackson stuffed toy, next to a furry Slamson with a purple jersey, a Vlade Divac beanie baby bear, miscellaneous purple animals with various opening night pins adorning them, and a Peja nesting doll.
There's a plastic Kings clapper/megaphone, sitting right next to my purple cowbell. There are Kings glasses in the kitchen, along with miniature Kings jerseys that serve as bottle coolers for tall beer bottles. There's the Sports Illustrated cover, and there are autographed programs celebrating Kevin Martin's first game at Arco and his first playoff game. There are programs and ticket stubs from every game I attended in the past 10 years. There are, somewhere, the bobbleheads of players past, except for the Hedo one I sent to a Turkish fan going to college in New York (I wonder if he still has it) and the Bibby bobblehead who found its way to a young Kings fan living in Southern California. There's even a voodoo doll made from a empty toilet paper roll. This one has a Laker jersey on, but I also had them for the Mavericks, the Spurs, the Jazz and virtually any other team the Kings faced in the playoffs over the years. I got pretty good at making them, if I do say so myself.
I have a Kings throw blanket on my bed, along with a Kings pillow. I have Kings sweatshirts, Kings t-shirts and Kings socks. My return address labels feature the Kings primary logo on them. I drink my coffee from a beautiful Kings ceramic mug I received as a gift and I have a wonderful glass mug with Kingsfans.com and Vladefan21 on the side, a prize I won in the annual KF prediction game a few years back.
My two granddaughters attended their first Kings game last season, after watching on TV their whole lives. They too sport Kings merchandise, starting with Kings onesies and bibs and continuing up to the present with Kings cheerleading outfits. They attended opening night this season and it was clear they have purple in their blood.
It had already been decided that the family would attend opening night next year and games during the season whenever the weather, scheduling and finances permit. Now, all of this is coming to an end? It just doesn't seem fair.
I am Vladefan21; I am a Kings fan. The Sacramento Kings are truly a family tradition. Being a Kings fan has afforded me the opportunity to forge lasting friendships that would never have come to be without the presence of the Sacramento Kings.
You shouldn't have to say goodbye to something that's been so important in your life. Losing someone to death is different. As much as it may hurt, you know it's inevitable. Losing such an integral part of life shouldn't be reduced to dollars and cents. The Kings aren't just an NBA team. They are the SACRAMENTO KINGS. We, the fans who have supported them for 26 years, are as much their owners as are the people who actually own the franchise. At least, that's how I see it.
I do not want to lose my Kings. It will be like losing a part of myself in more ways than I can possibly express.
If the dye is not cast, I hope and pray there is still a way to keep the Kings in Sacramento. I will be going to another Kings game and I will savor the moments as much as I have all those in the past. I will pray that this won't be one of the last times I have the opportunity to do so. I will cherish the memories of the past 26 years and keep the faith until the bitter end that those memories will be joined by more.
Once, now and forever...GO KINGS! I love this team.
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