Sacramento King Show Us Heartbreak And Loyalty, Perhaps For Last Time

Sacramento King

While the name still says Sacramento Kings, many of the team’s players have made their home in the gated, upscale communities dotting the foothills of Placer County.

And for the neighbors of a Chris Webber or a Jason Williams, that proximity has provided an across-the-fence glimpse into the world of pro basketball stars – some of it good and some of it not so good.

Kings players Duane Causwell, Ron Artest, Bobby Jackson, Kevin Martin, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and Peja Stojakovic, as well as coaches Eddie Jordan and Rick Adleman, have also owned homes in Southern Placer County.

Geoff Petrie, Kings president, and Jackson currently live in Granite Bay, which has been a favorite with players over the past two decades. But the time clock is now ticking down on the Kings’ stay in Cowtown, with the team playing what could be its final game in Sacramento Wednesday.

Mike Gilbert, a resident in the private Los Lagos community off Auburn Folsom Road, said Causwell, a King from 1990 to 1997, Webber and Williams all lived within the subdivision’s gates during their playing days.

Gire said it won’t break her heart if the Kings pull up stakes and move to Anaheim. She followed the team because of her Cincinnati roots. One of the Kings’ earlier incarnations before coming to Sacramento were as the Cincinnati Royals. In recent years, even that connection has been strained by under-achieving teams.

“People have taken to say ‘Are the Kings losing tonight?’” she said. “Meaning ‘Are they playing?’”

The Kings haven’t made it easy for Placer County residents to love their sports-star neighbors – never reaching an NBA finals while Artest ran afoul of Placer County law enforcement for animal cruelty at his Loomis home and Martin recently gave up his Rocklin house to foreclosure.

If NBA fans across the world wanted the full immersive experience of being a Sacramento Kings fan, they couldn’t have picked a better night. Perhaps most outsiders were initially concerned as to whether the Los Angeles Lakers would win in Sacramento, clinching the West’s No. 2 spot in the 2011 NBA Playoffs. But if Twitter was any indication, as the Kings stormed back from a 20-point third quarter deficit to take a late lead, the viewing experience for neutral fans across the nation and globe became all about giving Sacramento one sweet victory.

This sweet victory was particularly important to grab, given that on Thursday the Maloofs, who own the Kings, will make their case to the NBA Board of Governors that the team belongs in Anaheim, not Sacramento. NBA owners rarely object to the requests of their brethren, and since All-Star Weekend, relocation has looked inevitable. The death of the Sacramento Kings had become a foregone conclusion.

So this win would have meant something real, a final triumph for good. A karmic payback. A storybook ending to an era. But if you know the Sacramento Kings like we do ‘round here, you know that’s way, way too easy.

The Kings had a three-point lead with 10 seconds left. Kobe Bryant, of course, hit a three-pointer to knot it up with five seconds left. The Kings, of course, spazzed out on their own final possession and in overtime. Lakers win. It’s a familiar, crushing refrain. Lakers win.

The NBA fans who bought into the Sacramento Kings’ story for one almost glorious night got a taste of exactly what Sacramento Kings fans have dealt with for 26 years: a peek at glory blocked by those [expletives] in yellow and purple. Any ol’ team can lose, but lose in crushing fashion? That’s Sacramento. That’s the Kings. They find hope in improbable places, stretch it to its elastic limit and watch it snap. Over and over again.

You wanted the full Sacramento Kings fan experience for a special night? You’ve got it. Broken hearts, swollen hearts — all Of It

Sacramento King