Willie Cauley-Stein's Day in Sacramento 6.27.15

Just a couple of days after the Kings drafted Willie Cauley-Stein, Willie found himself in Sacramento. I was fortunately enough to get the call to photograph his first full day in Sac-town! We got up early and headed off to the Embassy Suites where Willie was staying. We'd be using Uber all day to transport us to various locations around town.

The first stop of the tour the Sacramento midtown farmer's market. Here, Willie got a taste of the fresh foods Sacramento has to offer. He got to try a variety of fruits and local goods. In the picture above, Willie is tasting some locally produced honey.

The next destination was the courts on Mack Road. I was here last year when the Kings opened up these courts in the community. It was great to be back here seeing the courts being used for basketball. Quite a few kids were on hand to see Willie!

Willie had some great interactions with the kids. He was shooting around with them, signing autographs, and helping a few lucky kids dunk a basketball! The kids had a great time meeting the Kings newest player.

It was down to business after Mack Road. We headed out to the Kings Experience Center in downtown for Willie's first NBA press conference. He had to change out of his t-shirt and into a suite for this event. As you can see there was quite a large media presence for this.

Willie sat in the middle of Vivek and Vlade as he was introduced to the media. Willie was poised as he sat and answered questions from the different outlets. He's a total natural and you can tell he's done this sort of thing before.

Though Vivek and Vlade were there, Willie did most of the talking and did a great job of representing himself at the NBA presser. It looks like he's already got a good handle on how things go in the NBA!

When the media session was done the Kings staff gave Willie a tour of the Experience Center. He got to put on the Oculus device and get a 3-D look at the new arena and also got a chance to watch a promotional video as well. The video definitely pumps you up to be in Sacramento.

After a quick lunch we drove off to the US Senior Open. This was a huge event with a lot of security around. We all had to have special passes and an escort to get us around the grounds. The USGA did a wonderful job of welcoming all of us to the premises though.

Willie stood head and shoulders above most the people at the Senior Open so he was definitely noticed. Many of the folks attending the event took the time to wish Willie well and welcomed him to Sacramento.

Our final stop was at Gunther's Ice-Cream. Gunther's is my personal favorite place for ice-cream in Sacramento. Willie went behind the counter and scooped some ice-cream for a lucky patron!

Gunther's was the perfect place to end our tour of Sacramento. It was definitely a whirlwind of a day, but I think overall it was a good one. I really wish Willie the best as he begins his time here in Sacramento - there is so much to offer here! I'm glad he got a chance to get a taste of what it's like in this great city.

Kings Draft Party at the Mix and Firestone 6.25.15

The NBA draft was held last night. Kings season ticket holders had the chance to celebrate with a draft party at the Mix in downtown. Firestone Public House (just next door) also had their own draft party going on concurrently. I went to check out the Mix first, but got hungry after a few picks in so I went down to Firestone to watch the rest of the draft and try to secure myself some food!

Grant Napear was doing his show at his usual location whenever he broadcasts out of Firestone. Carmichael Dave was also on site talking to fans and participating in the show. The draft is always a big day in Sacramento, and it gets full coverage by the news media here.

Both the Mix and Firestone were absolutely packed with Kings fans awaiting the news of who the Kings would draft this year with their number six pick. A lot of rumors have been swirling around the Kings regarding their players, coach, and front office personnel. Today would be a big day to put the those to rest.

At the number six spot the Kings picked Willie Cauley-Stein. Cauley-Stein is a very tall big man that is known for his defensive capabilities. A loud cheer went up as he was picked by the Kings. It'll be interesting now to see how he pans out for the team.

When it was all said and done I didn't end up getting food at Firestone - it was just too packed! As I walked back to my car I realized that the Squeeze Inn with their famous cheese skirt was right nearby. This is what I ended up getting. Yum.

SKD Dance Clinic 6.18.15

Last Thursday the Sacramento Kings Dancers held their first dance clinic of the summer. This event was an opportunity for anyone looking to be a dancer to get some expert help and advice from the current SKD. These clinics are well worth it for SKD hopefuls because they get personal time at Sleep Train Arena to help them prepare for SKD auditions coming up in July.

Jenn Santich was of course on hand to keep an eye on things and help answer any questions the dancers could have. Jenn is a wealth of knowledge and it would be a prudent thing for any SKD hopeful to ask her as many questions as possible.

Though Jenn was at the clinic, the main portion of the instruction was given by a few of the current Kings Dancers. The SKD led the girls through warm-ups, skills across the court, and even a routine. 

I'm sure it was a fun, but difficult time for the girls who came out. They got to see what the SKD have to go through on an everyday basis. 

I was impressed by those who came out. There was definitely a sense of wanting to learn and impress. Seeing the girls smile while dancing was really great. Just the act of smiling goes a long way in making a performance worth watching.

At the end of the clinic the girls all gathered around and got to talk with Jenn and the SKD. Some great advice was given out. Now it's up to the girls to prepare for the audition process coming next month. It should be exciting!

Playing to Win Movie Premier 4.29.15

Last night I had the opportunity to cover the world premier of the movie Playing to Win. It's a documentary about how the Sacramento Kings community fought to save the team from being relocated to a different city.

The film was made by Franklin Pictures. They are a group in Sacramento, and I've worked alongside some of the guys from Franklin during Kings games. In fact, I was invited to photograph this event because of a connection I have with cameraman Dave who's a big part of Franklin.

Here's Dave (middle) with his brother Rusty and the rest of their family as well as Kyle and his wife on the right side.We were able to take this shot on the purple carpet before everyone else got there. 

It was a who's who of Sacramento and the Kings in attendance tonight. Of course we had to have Mr. and Mrs. Sign Lady in the house for this event! They are two people who are deeply connected to the Kings - probably the biggest Kings fans alongside Carmichael Dave.

Standing from the crowd was Vlade Divac. He was chatting it up at the pre-party with quite a few guests. You couldn't miss him because he was so much taller than everybody else. 

Morgan from KHTK and Kayte from CSN were having fun times as they waited for the movie to begin. Both of these women play a huge part in radio and television in the Sacramento area. They are both so awesome!

Speaking of awesome... Carmichael Dave and Grant. These guys were instrumental in keeping the Kings in Sacramento. If you see Playing to Win, you'll understand just how much Carmichael Dave did for this city.

So sweet to see Scott Fresh again! He was hanging out with everyone spreading the positive energy that he always does. 

And of course... Mayor Kevin Johnson. It was an honor to have him at the premier tonight. He was also instrumental in keeping the Kings here in Sac. I'm so glad he's our mayor!

It was a great night in downtown. Covering the event was awesome... but the cherry on top was seeing myself on the big screen! Yes! I was able to see myself in the movie during a couple of scenes. I definitely got a kick out of that. If you are at all a Sacramento Kings fan... you must watch Playing to Win. Get your tickets NOW.

Season Finale Viewing Party in EDH 4.15.15

There have been many Kings viewing parties in El Dorado Hills this season. Tonight's viewing party was at Pete's restaurant. Just like the other parties, Slamson and a couple of SKD came out to support the Kings and have some fun.

I've been very impressed with all the restaurants that have hosted the Kings viewing parties this season. Each restaurant is a place that I would definitely return to for a meal. Who knew that being a Kings fan would open up dining experiences like this!?!?

I've gotta thank my friend Sasha for coming with me to this event. She's been a lot of fun to hang out with this season, and I'm extra excited that she won one of the raffle prizes the Kings were giving away tonight. After dinner we hit up the gelato place just down the street. What a sweet ending!

Kings v. Lakers 4.13.15 (Season Finale)

I've finally gotten to post about last week's home finale here. It's been extremely busy for me, but I'm glad to get to this post now. It seems like this game was so long ago! Home finales are definitely a bittersweet time. It's awesome to be at the arena, but knowing that there won't be another game for months is definitely sad. It's also sad to know that some of the people and players you're used to seeing won't be back next year. These finales are definitely emotional roller coasters!

I've met a lot of Kings personnel the past year, and I've got to say that everyone has been a class person - and I'm privileged to know them. This is a photo of Chris Gilbert, one of the scouts for the Kings. He travels a lot looking at different players for the team.

And of course this crew was always a joy to be around. Scott Moak, Jenn Santich, and Scott Fresh were all great to me. Each of them bring unique personalities to the game, and all three of them work marvelously together. Together they provide the best in-game experience in the entire NBA!

It was cool to see Darren Collison getting some work in before this game. He's been out for a long time now, and the Kings miss his play. He was taking shots and getting some coaching in. It'd be awesome to see him make a full recovery next year.

Rudy and DeMarcus both didn't suite up for this game either. Both players were resting injuries but were on the court to receive their rings from the summer's championship game. Coach Karl presented the rings to the two of them during team warm-ups.

The singer of the national anthem asked me to get a few shots of him as he sang the song. This has happened a few times this season, and I'm always happy to oblige.

The Kings took on the Lakers tonight. It's always a fun time when the Lakers come to town - despite the poor records of both teams. There were plenty of Laker fans on-hand at the arena, so I'm glad the Kings did well. Nothing's worse than when the Lakers win and their fans go home happy.

Omri played especially well in this game... in fact, he has been playing exceptionally as the season winds down. He has adapted well to Coach Karl's system and has taken advantage of the minutes he's been getting. His hard work has made him a favorite among Sacramento fans.

The Kings handled the Lakers in this game and gave the fans something to be happy going home with. This was not the last game of the season though, the Kings would play the Lakers again at Staples in a couple of days.

Ben McLemore was honored by the NBA for his work in the community this season. He was given a special trophy on the court during the game. I definitely think Ben was deserving of it this year. He did so much!

The Kings Dancers performed twice tonight in their season finale. It was awesome seeing them on the floor one last time before the long summer break. The routines were excellent, and it was a joy to see every member of the team on the court at the same time.

Though I loved seeing the SKD perform, I was sad knowing that for some of them this would be their last time out. Many of the current SKD will be leaving the team for various reasons after tonight. I will miss them dearly!

This season wasn't the best by any means. The Kings started off scorching hot, but then went into a tailspin. A lot of fans were upset by this, but I still have hope that the organization will turn things around.

It was an honor and a privilege to sit on the baseline this year for many of the games. I have to thank Andrew Nicholson as well as Katie and Jason for being awesome folks to work with. The King's social media team is one of the unsung heroes of the organization. I would happily work with them again!

So this is so-long for now. It was a long season, but now we settle in for a long summer. I'll be watching the finale at Pete's in El Dorado Hills. Let's get a win to end this season!