First time seeing the Kings in person?

Lionheart

Lionheart

G-League
Just curious:

When was everyone's first time seeing the Kings in person? Doesn't neccessarily have to be a home game(Wasn't for me).

Mine was back in the 2007/08 season when the Kings came to play at Charlotte(I live in NC). As an aside here: I was born and raised in NC, but never got into the Hornets(Or Bobcats as they were known as when I went and watched this aforementioned game) and started watching the Kings due to a very simple reason: I had a friend at school whose family had moved from Sacramento and who always rocked a gold Stojakovic Kings jersey at least 3 times a week at school haha and then I just started watching the games with him and his family and haven't stopped since.

Anyway, on to the game. At this point I had been a fan for a couple years and so of course got tickets to the game at Charlotte as soon as I could. It was in February and as cold as a witches titties for the game, and of course on the way to Charlotte, our heat went out on our car, and then the burger joint we stopped at which was supposed to be top notch, was disgusting. Being in irritated spirits if you will, the game itself at least went smooth so that helped. And we won in overtime 116-115.

How about ya'll?

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200802220CHA.html
 
My only game was a road game against the Wolves the year Malone got fired. I splurged for court side tickets (350 for the pair including a dinner and parking. Lady who sold them to me gave me a sweet deal because she was going to miss the game to fly to Argentina to see a Justin Bieber concert)

We won and then things quickly went south after that
 
Mine was the very first season at the old Arco.....all 10,333 of us. I also attended the first ever regular season game at the new Arco in 1988 where we were blown out by the Sonics (Dale Ellis, Xavier McDaniel, Michael Cage). I remember it just being an awful game.
 
My first Kings game in person was in either 1992 or 1993 - they were playing a preseason game at the UC Davis Recreation Hall, which they had used for their preseason camp in those years (link), against either the Clippers or the Warriors. My memory is fuzzy, and Dr. Internet is of no help, so I'm not sure which team "we" played. Of course, the game was ugly, ugly, ugly and I wasn't a Kings fan at the time (I didn't start paying attention to the Kings again until the later part of the '97-'98 season - good timing!), so it was many years before I saw the Kings in person again - in fact, unless I've forgotten something, not until after the "glory years" were over. Of course, tickets were harder to get in those glory years and I wasn't in the "disposable income" part of my life, so I had to settle for TV.
 
I think it was ~86 vs. the Knicks.

I don't want to sound jaded, it just wasn't really a big deal for me at that moment I went to maybe 5 games the first three seasons while I was in junior high, so I don't recall who the exact opponent was each night. I know I saw the Knicks twice though.
 
Section 101 said:
Still have the ticket stub.

First game was sometime in 1986 cant remember when or who. Started season tickets the 1990/91 season.
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I have opening night swag from 1986 and probably somewhere from 85 because of my mom's tickets but definitely didn't go to those.
 
This was my first ever game.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198603110SAC.html

To this day, the halftime score of 79-63 always sticks in my head.

My mom was the office manager for a General Surgeon who was part of a larger party that bought season tickets. He was often on-call thus had to miss games last minute. This was the 1st set of tickets he gave to my mom, who took me. FWIW, I still have a set of 4 unused tickets to a game against the Rockets that same season that were handed over to us a bit too late to attend.

A few years later my dad bought into the season ticket pool and we went to "around" 10-12 games each season until the mid-90's. We largely sat in section 101, row Z right in front of the KRBK Channel 31 suite where Grant Napear did live reports from the game.

But our pool of tickets sometimes included games in section 203, row M (somewhere around mid-court) as well as seats 3 rows from the floor in the corner (I forget the section). I think we only sat there 2 or 3 times, the most notable being a game against the Chicago Bulls when MJ hit Pippen for a game-winning layup.

Circling back to my first game, I was 6 weeks away from being 15 years-old and completely in AWE of the players while they warmed up as we made our way lower and lower toward the floor. Reggie Theus looked like a movie star to me. Hollywood.

Not too long later I adopted Otis Thorpe as my favorite player until the day he was traded away. Which then became Ricky Berry, Kenny Smith then Danny Ainge until settling in on Lionel Simmons his rookie season. Corliss Williamson years after that.

The KINGS were my real introduction to the game of basketball, as the NFL and MLB had been my first loves since I was 6 years old. I had seen the NBA Finals on TV a few times in the early 80's, but didn't know much about it. I didn't even know what an "assist" was until the KINGS first season in SAC.
 
My mom shared her tickets 3 ways. For a number of years we had the four seats to the center of the Lukenbills. I never actually realized this until I dated their neighbor. At some point they added a few rows to the front but we kept the ones 3 rows back that were "center court". I will never forgive her for giving them up in 1998. 1998!!!!

It kind of makes it hard to sit in regular seats - a few years ago I bought tickets at the school auction that wound up being front row under the basket and that was pretty great. When you are that close to the players it is unreal.
 
Think it was 86(ish?) against the Spurs. Our neighbor who has had season tix since day 1 took me. I remember the crowd chanting something and I asked her what they were saying and she laughed and made up something. First time I ever hear the BULLSH*T chant at a sporting even lol.
 
KingsFanSince85 said:
This was my first ever game.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198603110SAC.html

To this day, the halftime score of 79-63 always sticks in my head.

My mom was the office manager for a General Surgeon who was part of a larger party that bought season tickets. He was often on-call thus had to miss games last minute. This was the 1st set of tickets he gave to my mom, who took me. FWIW, I still have a set of 4 unused tickets to a game against the Rockets that same season that were handed over to us a bit too late to attend.

A few years later my dad bought into the season ticket pool and we went to "around" 10-12 games each season until the mid-90's. We largely sat in section 101, row Z right in front of the KRBK Channel 31 suite where Grant Napear did live reports from the game.

But our pool of tickets sometimes included games in section 203, row M (somewhere around mid-court) as well as seats 3 rows from the floor in the corner (I forget the section). I think we only sat there 2 or 3 times, the most notable being a game against the Chicago Bulls when MJ hit Pippen for a game-winning layup.

Circling back to my first game, I was 6 weeks away from being 15 years-old and completely in AWE of the players while they warmed up as we made our way lower and lower toward the floor. Reggie Theus looked like a movie star to me. Hollywood.

Not too long later I adopted Otis Thorpe as my favorite player until the day he was traded away. Which then became Ricky Berry, Kenny Smith then Danny Ainge until settling in on Lionel Simmons his rookie season. Corliss Williamson years after that.

The KINGS were my real introduction to the game of basketball, as the NFL and MLB had been my first loves since I was 6 years old. I had seen the NBA Finals on TV a few times in the early 80's, but didn't know much about it. I didn't even know what an "assist" was until the KINGS first season in SAC.
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So was flying down to LA in the 1986/87 season for a high school debate match, Kings were on my flight. I got all their autographs except Harold Pressley, still have the piece of paper. Mark Oberding was in the seat next to me. Cool guy.
 
Section 101 said:
So was flying down to LA in the 1986/87 season for a high school debate match, Kings were on my flight. I got all their autographs except Harold Pressley, still have the piece of paper. Mark Oberding was in the seat next to me. Cool guy.
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I’ve seen Harold Pressley around SAC a few times over the years. I used to see him somewhat regularly about 15 years or so ago at a couple indoor hoops venues in Rancho and Rocklin. But more recently about 4 years ago or so my wife and I ran into him at Sam’s Club in Roseville and talked with him for a few minutes. He’s actually a really cool cat.

I shared with him that I was in attendance the night that he, Ainge, Berry, and Co. set the NBA record for most 3’s made in a game against the Warriors and that the game had recently re-aired on NBATV and I recorded it. His eyes lit up and he then asked if I could get a copy of it to him (figured those guys could get any game film they wanted but didn’t ask).

Sadly, I’ve never took the time to transfer from my DVR to a computer to then get back in touch with him. Perhaps someday…

WRT autographs, I‘ve got a nice collection from not only the KINGS players circa 1985-1988 but from many of the KINGS opponents during those days. Guys like Alex English, Fat Lever, Kiki VanDeWeghe, Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackmon, Walter Davis, Scottie Pippen, James Worthy, Clyde Drexler, etc, etc.

For those that attended games in those early days at ARCO 1, all of the players exited the arena after games in the same location and the visiting team bus was parked outside (it moved inside at ARCO2). So the players had to pass by all the fans standing there.

Sadly, MJ walked right by surrounded by a team of security guards but most every other player usually took time to sign before they boarded the bus. Even guys like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

My dad would almost always buy me a game program (Hoop magazine) which contained a paper insert detailing press notes and starting lineups. That’s usually what we had the players sign, unless that player was on the cover.

Funny side story, but a few years ago in response to something Fat Lever had said on social media, I shared a picture of the copy he and Alex English had signed decades earlier and he got a kick out of it. One of the few virtues of social media IMO.
 
back in the day I think Reggie Theus lived in Campus Commons next door to my grade school best friend. I saw him hanging out outside the garage once. I think Spud Webb was the only other one I saw around town back then, that was at Tower Records on Watt and we said hi... maybe bugged him for an autograph which is something I wouldn't have done if I was even a few years older.
 
pdxKingsFan said:
back in the day I think Reggie Theus lived in Campus Commons next door to my grade school best friend. I saw him hanging out outside the garage once. I think Spud Webb was the only other one I saw around town back then, that was at Tower Records on Watt and we said hi... maybe bugged him for an autograph which is something I wouldn't have done if I was even a few years older.
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Used to see players in Old Sac after games in the early 90's. Spud was a quiet one who didn't like to talk, but I got him to smile saying Go Cowboys. He's a big Cowboys fan. Talked with L Train a lot and Chris Mullin who hung out at the entrance and didn't go in the bar.
 
Section 101 said:
Used to see players in Old Sac after games in the early 90's. Spud was a quiet one who didn't like to talk, but I got him to smile saying Go Cowboys. He's a big Cowboys fan. Talked with L Train a lot and Chris Mullin who hung out at the entrance and didn't go in the bar.
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I imagine they'd come into my mom's restaurant. For some reason aside from the summer I turned 21 when I volunteered at the historical center I never really hung out in Old Sac once I became an adult. I was spending most of my time in midtown, Zebra, Press Club, and Old Town Tavern.
 
My first game was around Christmas of 1979, with the Kansas City Kings! I had lived in Kansas City for a few years, but had moved to Louisville, KY. Interestingly, I was just back with family over Christmas in KC and had a chance to go. I had not been an NBA fan particularly, but that got me started. Somehow I kept the allegiance even after the move to Sacramento, for awhile maybe being the only Sacramento King fan east of the Mississippi! :) There have been a lot of tough years!
 
Section 101 said:
Used to see players in Old Sac after games in the early 90's. Spud was a quiet one who didn't like to talk, but I got him to smile saying Go Cowboys. He's a big Cowboys fan. Talked with L Train a lot and Chris Mullin who hung out at the entrance and didn't go in the bar.
Click to expand...

In the early to mid-90’s, my friends and I used to see KINGS and visiting NBA players at Sacramento Live after games. More specifically, the club “Gators” I believe it was called. Used to see the likes of Spud Webb, Olden Polynice, Lionel Simmons, the “Rock” among others. One night Webb was hanging out with Fox40’s Donna Cordova and it sure didn’t look like it was for an interview.

Biggest celebrity we ever saw there was Charles Barkley dancing with a gaggle of women.
 
Not sure if this was my first game or not as it’s been so long ago but I do recall seeing Utah at the first Arco and I was sitting 4 rows from the baseline and Karl Malone made a layup and got fouled and went sprawling into the stairs of the stands, not to far away from me.

Also, I recall George Foreman being spotlighted and introduced to the crowd.
 
I have no recollection of my first kings game. Was probably early 90s Mitch era. I think Theus, Walt Williams.

My first trip to Arco was a globetrotters game and some Broncos & 49ers players opened for them.
 
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