This is Our Team!

I have been a Sacramento Kings fan since I could even remember the game of basketball. The Kings were my team and Sacramento was my home. The Sacramento Kings have long been the love of so many sports fans in Northern California, and now George and Gavin Maloof want to rip that away from us.

C-Webb was my childhood idol

Before I dive into the inevitable move, let me just talk about what this team has meant to me. I still remember the first ever Kings game I went to. it was April 10th, 2001 against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Kings went on to win that game in overtime 116-109 and I became even more attached to my local team. One year later it was the Western Conference Finals against the hated Los Angeles Lakers. A rivalry for the ages with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. Entering Game 6 I thought we had the series in hand, and as I sat anxiously in front of our television I counted down every second. Even at 8 years old just watching that game you knew something wasn't right. The foul calls always seemed to go against the Kings and it cost them in the end. I won't get into what we learned years later, but I will never forget that series for as long as I live. Even that series though doesn't come close to the day I learned the Kings traded Chris Webber. I was heartbroken the franchise I had loved for so long traded my favorite player and childhood idol. I couldn't understand how they could do that to me, and while I don't remember it I was told that I did cry about it. Now we fast forward to today, the Kings haven't made the playoffs in 6 years but I have supported them all the way.

I know I am not in the minority when it comes to my love for the Sacramento Kings. While I know there are Kings fans all across the globe, I want to focus here on the local fans. The fans who kept going to games despite the ineptitude of the front office to improve the team. Even when George and Gavin Maloof raised ticket prices as the team fell further into the standings, families continued to find ways to shell out the money and attend games. Attendance slowly declined as the future of the team grew more and more bleak. Rumors swirled that George and Gavin Maloof were ready to move the team in order to get a new stadium. Nobody was entirely sure how a stadium could be built in the financial crisis we were experiencing, especially when the owners themselves were on the brink of bankruptcy. Then the rumors turned into reality as the Maloofs began talks to move the franchise to Anaheim. The Maloofs threw salt in the wound when they had the team where classic "Royals" jerseys that many considered were going to be the new design when the team moved. When all looked lost for this team, it was the same fans who stepped up to the plate to keep their team in Sacramento.

In Sacramento we were given a choice; let the Maloofs walk out the door with our heart and soul or fight for this team until the end. Thanks to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, local businesses and hundreds of thousands of fans we achieved the impossible. The city was able to raise enough money to put the wheels in motion for a brand new arena. The light at the end of the tunnel was there, and that light grew even brighter on February 27th, 2012 when the Maloofs reached an agreement with the city to build a new stadium. Only a few days later they came out on the floor and started waving their hands to the crowd celebrating the great news with cheering fans. Unfortunately, just a month later the Maloofs backed out of the deal saying it was too expensive and that they were lied to during negotiations. Now we stand here today, he relationship between the city and the owners is beyond repair. It is no longer if the team moves but when. The same team this city has supported since 1985 is on the verge of being ripped out of our hands. All because 2 owners living off of their inheritance have let greed take over. It doesn't matter how many billionaires offer them money to buy the team and keep them in Sacramento. The Maloofs have tied themselves to the ship and are going to go sink it, just like they have with their casino and wine company. 

In the end there will no longer be the Sacramento Kings. Sleep Train Arena will fall apart, the rafters will hang empty, and we will be forgotten by the NBA. The greatest tragedy in all of this is what can never be replaced. That spot in the heart of every Kings fan young or old, who will never forget the memories. 

THIS IS OUR TEAM!