Kings XC Visit 7.22.14

I had a chance to visit the Kings XC (Experience Center) tonight in downtown Sacramento. It's located right where the new downtown arena is to be built. The XC has a preview of what the new arena will be like. I was amazed to see how much new technology they are packing into the place.

The XC is not open to the public, only certain groups can come in at a time, so I felt privileged to be able to see it for myself. Those who were invited to come today got an XC pass which included valet parking and complimentary food and drinks. Pretty sweet.

The group I was with was given a tour of the center. We got to see the blue prints for the new arena as well as a large drawing of how it will fit in the downtown area. Seeing it relative to everything was definitely a thrill, and it really builds the anticipation for the new arena's arrival.

Here's my friend Richard getting a virtual tour of the new arena. When you put this device on you can get a three-dimensional view of what the new arena will look like from the outside, at court level, and in a suite. The Kings are definitely going to be technology leaders going forward.

I really had a great time out tonight at the Kings XC. My favorite thing from tonight happened as I left... I got a Kings hardhat! And it's a legit hard hat as well - not some cheap knock-off. It's definitely a great addition to my Kings swag.

Mini Basketball Camp at Sleep Train Arena 7.16.14

As a Cap City Kingdom member, I was given the opportunity to participate in a mini basketball camp at Sleep Train Arena. I was able to take one person with me so I asked my friend Ray to join in. It was great having the opportunity to play on an NBA court!

After checking in at the security entrance we proceeded down the large hall to center court. This is exactly how the NBA players get onto the court. I'm sure my fellow season ticket holders attending these camps had a similar sense of awe as they entered the arena from here.

On the court we ran through quite a few dribbling and shooting drills. Former King Henry Turner was our coach that led us through this afternoon's activities. He was really fun to work with... and pushed us hard! He was demanding, but fun. By the end of the session, many people had a nickname that he made up for them.

The highlight of the mini camp had to be the scrimmage we had on the court. We played five on five full court. How cool is it to be able to do this? I'm really grateful for an opportunity like this - it's definitely a unique experience and a great perk for being in the Cap City Kingdom.

The two-hour camp went by really fast, but I was definitely sweaty by the end - I totally needed to jump in the shower. Hopefully the Kings will do a similar thing next year for season ticket holders as well. I can't wait until the next event... and you'll see it right here on my blog!

Kings Summer League Viewing Party 7.11.14

Cap City Kingdom members were invited to the Kings Practice Facility tonight to watch the Kings play a Summer League game on the big screen. The event was so well received that we were notified that the even was moved to the arena in order to accommodate everyone. I was actually really surprised to see so many Kings faithful come to this event - it was definitely filled up!

It wouldn't be a Kings event without some food, and the Kings did it right with their choice of treat this evening. The season ticket holders had their choice of complimentary ice-cream and toppings as they enjoyed the game.

I went with mint chocolate chip with a healthy dose of both hot fudge and whipped cream. It was delicious! The kids in attendance were especially happy as I saw many of them going back for seconds... and sometimes thirds! 

Former King Henry Turner was in the house speaking with us today during half-time. He broke down the first half of basketball play and discussed some of his thoughts on Kings players and development. We were all impressed as we watched new Kings rookie Nik Stauskas perform well during the game.

Throughout the night the SKD in attendance helped give away prizes to the fans in attendance. All fans were given a raffle ticket as they came in with the option of purchasing more. Autographed memorabilia and other cool Kings swag went to some lucky season ticket holders today!

Kings Draft Party 6.26.14

Tonight the Sacramento Kings hosted a couple draft parties around the Sacramento region - one was at Bistro 33 in El Dorado Hills and the other was at Firestone in midtown. El Dorado Hills is quite a drive for me so I opted for the event at Firestone. The festivities started at 4, but I was a little late in arriving. By the time I got there Firestone was absolutely packed. Only season ticket holders who had RSVP'd were allowed to continue entering the restaurant.

The inside of Firestone was absolutely packed to the gills. It was really hard to get anywhere in the restaurant - Kings fans were covering just about every inch of the place. Just about all the screens at Firestone were set to cover the NBA draft. I arrived a few minutes before the first draft pick was selected by Cleveland. The Kings selected Nik Stauskas with the number 8 pick this year.

Between draft picks Scott Fresh and the dancers raffled off some pretty cool Sacramento Kings memorabilia. There were autographed photos and jerseys given out to some lucky fans in attendance.

My favorite time tonight was getting a chance to hang out with Scott, Isela, Chanel, Moira, and Charli for a bit as we waited to see which players got drafted by which team. It'll be an interesting off-season as there looks like there will be quite a it of moment in the NBA this year. We'll all just have to hang on to our hats and see!

Kings Ticket Events 5.29.14 & 6.2.14

These past couple of weeks I've had the chance to go to a few Kings ticket sales events. The people at Kings ticket sales are definitely trying to fill out the arena and get the people of Sacramento in some seats! I brought my co-worker Aman to an event last Thursday.

The event took place in downtown Sacramento at a very fancy place called Il Fornaio. We had an exclusive area sectioned off for the event. I've passed by Il Fornaio before and was curious to what it was like, so I was happy that this Kings event took place here.

The Kings know how to put events together and treat those who come right! We had a great spread of food waiting for us when we arrived - very fancy. It was great, and everything was delicious. The most surprising food item for me was the bacon wrapped cantaloupe. I've never had that before!

Guests were given a presentation on the future of the Kings and why it is so important to get a hold of season tickets as soon as possible. I had heard this information before, but it was done well and I realize that it was really for the sake of the potential season ticket holders. 

This past Monday churches were invited to the arena for a presentation about group tickets. Last year I brought a large group out to the arena on Faith & Family night so I was invited to check it out. This time I brought one of the pastors at the church I go to with me.

We were treated to a nice dinner and got to see the Kings new chaplain introduce himself and encourage churches to come out to the arena. Both events were interesting and had great food. I appreciate being able to sit in on these things!

Kings Power Forward Event 5.20.14

It was an early start time for this Kings event... 2:30pm on a Tuesday! Though it was early, and most people were still at work, a good sized group of Kings fans came out to support the team as the city council was set to vote on the new arena deal tonight. The Kings organization put forth a major effort with a whole schedule of events to fill the day.

The local media definitely got everything covered. There were local news trucks parked all around the block. This is definitely big news here in Sacramento - I saw plenty of television news reporters and cameramen out and about trying to get the scoop!

Kings social media had a presence right near the front stage. Today's hashtag for the event was #powerforward, so if you go to a social media site such as Instagram or Twitter and search for it, you'll see everybody's pictures and comments about today's event.

Of course Slamson had to be there! Here he is causing a bit of trouble for Kings PA Announcer Scott Moak. Slamson took Scott's shoe and gave it to a little girl near the front of the crowd. She was nice enough to return it to Scott in pretty fast manner.

Here's a bit of a closer look of Scott Moak sans his shoe. I've got to hand it to Scott though, he's got the purple thing going on all the way down to his socks... not that's Sacramento Kings pride right there! He also hung in there and spent a lot of time on stage without his shoe on.

It was awesome to see Isaiah Thomas visit on his own accord this afternoon. He flew in from his home state of Washington to come and support the Kings today. Besides the vote, the Kings' draft position would be decided.

Many Kings fans gathered at the nearby KBAR to watch the NBA draft order. Vivek was in attendance along with many other Kings staff and fans. Sadly, the Kings got the number eight pick. It was one position lower than they were expected to get. There was some rumors going around that the pick was already up for trade by the Kings, but we'll just have to wait and see on it.

The Kings Breakers came out to entertain the crowd. They definitely impressed with some awesome break dancing moves.

The Sacramento Kings dancers also came out to do a few performances for those in attendance. I always enjoy seeing the SKD in action and they didn't disappoint. I also had a great time catching up with some SKD members... it's great to hear what they've been up to since the season ended.

Again, I was humbled and honored to have some of my photos show up in a gallery on Kings.com. I appreciate that the Kings organization credited me on the site and I am always excited to have some photos on the main site. Go over them and check them out!

Kings Group Leaders Event 5.12.14

Last year I had a group of almost 90 people come out to the Kings Faith & Family night... and that made me a group leader. I got a notification that group leaders would be able to come to the arena for a special event, of course I had to go!

Tonight the group leaders had the chance to listen to a presentation from Kings president Chris Granger while eating a delicious meal. And it was delicious! I wasn't sure what we were going to get at this dinner event (King dogs, maybe?), but the Kings really went the extra mile for us. It was quite a delicious spread.

Of course one of the coolest parts of going to these things is seeing the various Kings personnel in attendance. It was great catching up with Scott Fresh and finding out what he's been up to so far during the off-season. Well... I did end up putting down a deposit for next year! Hopefully I'll be able to get a big group out to the arena again next season.