Why Am I (Still) A Kings Fan?

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

It was the Summer of 1998. Michael Jordan had just retired (again) from basketball, and from playing for the Chicago Bulls. I had no choice. I had to become 100% committed to my home team. How perfect was the timing? Too perfect, some argued at that time. And some still argue even today.

ARCO Arena
ARCO Thunder
The 6th Man
The Cowbell
The Greatest Show on Court
The Bench Mob
Big Mike (Bonus points if anyone gets this reference)
The Princeton Offense

Run into any Sacramento Kings fan alive and well during those years, and the above words will be way too familiar (Well, at least most of them should).

That team was fun. That team was fast. That team was great. That team was SACRAMENTO. They were the city. No, I'm serious. THEY WERE SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA!!! Drive 5 miles from your residence, and you were pretty much guaranteed to see a Kings banner. Or a Kings sign. Or a Kings flag. They were everywhere, folks! The Kings weren't just a team. They weren't just another "event" to go out and watch in Sacramento. The Kings were THE culture. They were the heartbeat.

The Kings gave us hope. Hope that, one day, Sacramento will host a championship parade. And, boy were we close. What was ours to win became someone else's to take away from us. That hurt back then, still hurts today, and will forever hurt until the day I die. Yes, even if we figure things out and reach the promise land in that time.

The years since have been tough. What started off as a steady decline has now turned into a struggle to get back to relevancy. A lot of what has driven the direction of this team has been questionable at best. A lot of what currently drives this team has been questionable at best. A lot of what will continue to drive this team will be questionable at best.

I'll admit. I liked our previous owners. When we were good. When they were fully invested in this team. And then, it started to become clear. Something had to be changed. They weren't acting in the best interest of the team, or the city. They were only looking out for themselves.

They lied to us. They went behind our backs. They tried to stab us. We fought. We battled. We clawed. Because our only option was to win. Or, to put it more accurately, to not let them win. We wanted OUR team more than they wanted THEIR paycheck.

In came the new ownership. Like myself, Vivek is an Indian. So, the day he purchased the team was a day I reflect on and can admittedly say that I was happy. And proud. He has made a lot of questionable decisions as an owner. Some which have left me scratching my head. And wondering if we will ever see any basketball past game 82 of the regular season.

Decisions that have recently led me to ask myself...

Why am I (still) a Kings fan?

I'll tell you why...

Because the KINGS are MY TEAM. And no one's ever gonna come in and take that away from me. If anyone dares to try, they won't have a happy ending

 

[EIM86]

It’s Kangz!

 

[SLAB]

I’m still a fan because I was born into it and I’m too stubborn to go completely be a Mavs fan. We’re all in this together! Lmao

 

[midtowner]

Rooting for a good team is just too easy.

 

[gunks]

Got in back in 1998 and I'm a creature of habit

 

[TaxMan]

Some people just perpetually choose to root for the underdog. It makes the journey to success all that more sweet. Unfortunately, every year I'm dumb enough to to think this team will eventually get to success (and if it doesn't, we all deserve a free ticket to Heaven). I haven't lived in the Sacramento area since 1998 and have been out of California since 2011. Honestly, I've tried to get interested in other teams over the years, but it's just not the same.

 

[Geoff]

Dedication of the fans to the team and the city helped me to move from just a Laker hater to a Kings fan. This board helped a lot as well.

 

[midtowner]

The Kings teach you how to live without hope. It’s a tough lesson, but it makes us more resilient. We are the Indomitable City, after all.

 

[Gtronic]

The Kings teach you how to live without hope. It’s a tough lesson, but it makes us more resilient. We are the Indomitable City, after all.

100% agree with this. Being a die-hard Kings fan keeps me grounded It reminders me that not everything is going to work out no matter how bad you want it to.

I've been a die-hard fan since 94'. I am from the Bay Area but never followed basketball. I went to UCDavis in 93' and started following the team. I was instantly hooked. Living back in the Bay Area with all these GSW "fans" has made me more of a fan.

 

[The_Jamal]

Sunk-Cost Fallacy. Put too much time into being a fan to this team to jump ship now.

 

[iowamcnabb]

Became a fan because Mitch Richmond was on the cover of NBA Live ‘97 and I didn’t have a local team to root for haha. Got hooked by the style of play of the glory years. Still a fan because I still enjoy them even when they suck. I think I like projects more than finished products.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

Sunk-Cost Fallacy. Put too much time into being a fan to this team to jump ship now.

This pretty much accurately sums up my viewpoint when it comes to the Kings.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

Became a fan because Mitch Richmond was on the cover of NBA Live ‘97 and I didn’t have a local team to root for haha. Got hooked by the style of play of the glory years. Still a fan because I still enjoy them even when they suck. I think I like projects more than finished products.

You like mediocrity (projects) more than you do championships (finished products)?

 

[chief bromden]

Became a fan because Mitch Richmond was on the cover of NBA Live ‘97 and I didn’t have a local team to root for haha. Got hooked by the style of play of the glory years. Still a fan because I still enjoy them even when they suck. I think I like projects more than finished products.

I still own the SNES version of that NBA Live, still amazing a King was ever on the cover of any of them

 

[Larry89]

Do we merely exist to make Fans and other teams/organizations feel better about themselves? Are we the not the Kings but rather the Court Jester of the NBA?

Are we Jar-Jar Binks?

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

I enjoy the epic narrative aspect of following a team long term, we have had a few bad teams over the years, a few mediocre teams, and a few teams that were somewhat competitive but flawed.

But at least they've been different, and the team gradually and suddenly changes over time.

(For me, it has been all upside since the bleak Kenny Thomas Era)

 

[Tetsujin]

I enjoy the epic narrative aspect of following a team long term, we have had a few bad teams over the years, a few mediocre teams, and a few teams that were somewhat competitive but flawed.

But at least they've been different, and the team gradually and suddenly changes over time.

(For me, it has been all upside since the bleak Kenny Thomas Era)

There was no darker time to be a Kings fan than when people associated with the Kings org were trying to get the fans to see the Hawes/Thompson frontcourt as the next Webber/Vlade.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

There was no darker time to be a Kings fan than when people associated with the Kings org were trying to get the fans to see the Hawes/Thompson frontcourt as the next Webber/Vlade.

It became even darker when people associated with the Kings org were trying to get the fans to see Hawes/Thompson/Udrih as the next Webber/Vlade/Bibby.

 

[Larry89]

There was no darker time to be a Kings fan than when people associated with the Kings org were trying to get the fans to see the Hawes/Thompson frontcourt as the next Webber/Vlade.

Hawes dunked that one time in the last game of the season vs the Lakers though

 

[Tetsujin]

Hawes dunked that one time in the last game of the season vs the Lakers though

Or that time when he did a cool handshake with Paul Westphal during starting lineups.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

Hawes dunked that one time in the last game of the season vs the Lakers though

Wait...are you trying to tell us that Spencer Hawes could actually dunk back then?

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

 

[KingsFanSince85]

As my handle indicates, I've been an insufferable KINGS fan since 1985.

I was 14 and beginning my freshman year in HS when the KINGS came to town. I was 100% a football guy at the time and only knew the very basics of basketball until falling head over heels for the sport ever after.

My only previous NBA experience was watching the 1984 Finals as I rooted for LA over Boston. I hated Boston. I hated Kevin McHale. Little did I know then that would I grow to hate the Lakers.

My mother worked for a general surgeon that bought into a season ticket group the first 2 seasons. Being on call constantly, he gave us tickets to games he couldn't attend. My dad eventually bought into the season ticket group and my family remained season ticket holders until around 1994ish.

Needless to say, we saw some awful basketball first hand. The trade off was being able to see the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, the Bad Boy Pistons, and many more come through ARCO Arena. And with ARCO 1, it was easy to meet these players and get autographs as they had to walk past all the fans to get to their team bus which was located outside in those days.

Still, despite all the terrible basketball we endured those 1st ten years, it started to shift in the mid-90's. Then, of course, our fandom really paid off circa 1998 - 2006. Those years made it seem worth it, despite getting robbed of the title.

16 years later, I continually ask why I'm still a fan (as the topic of the thread poses).

IDK if it's me or just my generation. But I'm just not able to switch teams. Once I have a favorite they're always my favorite. Through thick and thin. I can't fathom anything different. Although sometimes I'd like to.

Admittedly, there are times when I don't follow as closely. Call it "extreme fan fatigue" from losing every season. But I still can't root for another team as my #1 favorite.

Unfortunate as it is now and has been for 16 years and even for the first decade in SAC -- I am forever a KINGS fan.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

As my handle indicates, I've been an insufferable KINGS fan since 1985.

I was 14 and beginning my freshman year in HS when the KINGS came to town. I was 100% a football guy at the time and only knew the very basics of basketball until falling head over heels for the sport ever after.

My only previous NBA experience was watching the 1984 Finals as I rooted for LA over Boston. I hated Boston. I hated Kevin McHale. Little did I know then that would I grow to hate the Lakers.

My mother worked for a general surgeon that bought into a season ticket group the first 2 seasons. Being on call constantly, he gave us tickets to games he couldn't attend. My dad eventually bought into the season ticket group and my family remained season ticket holders until around 1994ish.

Needless to say, we saw some awful basketball first hand. The trade off was being able to see the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, the Bad Boy Pistons, and many more come through ARCO Arena. And with ARCO 1, it was easy to meet these players and get autographs as they had to walk past all the fans to get to their team bus which was located outside in those days.

Still, despite all the terrible basketball we endured those 1st ten years, it started to shift in the mid-90's. Then, of course, our fandom really paid off circa 1998 - 2006. Those years made it seem worth it, despite getting robbed of the title.

16 years later, I continually ask why I'm still a fan (as the topic of the thread poses).

IDK if it's me or just my generation. But I'm just not able to switch teams. Once I have a favorite they're always my favorite. Through thick and thin. I can't fathom anything different. Although sometimes I'd like to.

Admittedly, there are times when I don't follow as closely. Call it "extreme fan fatigue" from losing every season. But I still can't root for another team as my #1 favorite.

Unfortunate as it is now and has been for 16 years and even for the first decade in SAC -- I am forever a KINGS fan.

The statement in bold resonates with me on many levels. At times during the current "drought", I've questioned my fandom. I've asked myself if it is even worth being a fan of the team anymore. But, just like you, I come to the conclusion that, no matter how bad the struggle is, or gets, I just can't fathom bleeding anything other than purple and black.

 

[iowamcnabb]

You like mediocrity (projects) more than you do championships (finished products)?

I like the process of building a team or city or business just as much if not more than the final product. The lead up to my eagles championship was just as fun as the super bowl win.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

I like the process of building a team or city or business just as much if not more than the final product. The lead up to my eagles championship was just as fun as the super bowl win.

Ah, makes more sense to me now that you've "restated" it. I tend to agree with you; I enjoy the process of building a team/roster. Maybe more than I do like to watch the final product (or team, in this instance).

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I've been a fan since they showed up in town. I can't think of a team I've followed as long. I got into the Red Sox and Bruins in middle school and then the Pats when I moved to Boston in 92. The reward for the Pats and Sox was pretty friggin mighty, I can only imagine what the Kings winning or even getting back to 02 levels in my lifetime would be like.

 

[sactowndog]

Got in back in 1998 and I'm a creature of habit

Because you can only go to so many high school football games.

 

[kb02]

Grew up in the valley, but not in Sac. Could’ve chosen the Kings or the Warriors, because both were on TV. Spent summers in Sac in high school, so that pushed me over. Moved to Sac after UCLA and spent 5 yrs playing hoops 24/7, 7 days a week with my Sac guys, who all love the Kings. One of the things that I miss about Sac is being able to play at night, in the summer, till midnight. That sealed it. And I’m not changing though I’ve been in Warrior territory for 15+ yrs.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

I've been a fan since they showed up in town. I can't think of a team I've followed as long. I got into the Red Sox and Bruins in middle school and then the Pats when I moved to Boston in 92. The reward for the Pats and Sox was pretty friggin mighty, I can only imagine what the Kings winning or even getting back to 02 levels in my lifetime would be like.

I became a Dolphins and Dodgers fan when I was 6 years old. While both were good when I was young, I’ve never seen a SB win and the Dodgers went on a long drought after 1988.

I became an Ohio State football fan when I was around 8 or 9 years old and finally saw them win some titles in the new millennium.

Those are the only sports teams I’ve rooted for longer than the KINGS.

IDK if a lot of KINGS fans know this, but they are the oldest existing franchise in the association. And, sadly, they also own one of the longest championship droughts among the major sports leagues.