When the Sacramento Kings were one of the NBA’s best teams in the early-2000s, their home crowd at ARCO Arena was one of the noisiest in the NBA. More than 20 years later, a lot has changed. The excited crowd, though, has not.
ARCO Arena is gone. The Kings now play in the Golden 1 Center. And after making the playoffs every year from 1999-2000, Sacramento failed to qualify for the postseason in 16 straight seasons. That playoff drought ended on Saturday night, with Game 1 of the first-round series against the Golden State Warriors. And the Sacramento fans were more than up for the occasion.
More than 20 minutes before the opening tip, Golden 1 Center was packed. And when the Kings took the floor, the fans greeted them with a deafening ovation.
This Sacramento crowd is already full and lit up more than 20 minutes before tip. Here they are welcoming the Kings out of the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/VriCktRqpm
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 16, 2023
Basketball fans were impressed by the fans in Sacramento.
yeah is this is NOT common. https://t.co/XH85KYjRAO
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) April 16, 2023
— get better juju (@_prezidente) April 16, 2023
The reverse Miami Heat, interesting strategy https://t.co/xHrcC5wgfU
— yc (@yc) April 16, 2023
Incredible https://t.co/YwQPo4caHq
— Chris Vernon (@ChrisVernonShow) April 16, 2023
Nothing does this like sports. What an experience! https://t.co/UERZ56Q7Im
— Ahmed Fareed (@ahmedNBC) April 16, 2023
Good for you kings fans. I mean that sincerely. https://t.co/xJvr2koQaN
— Sam Esfandiari (@samesfandiari) April 16, 2023
Interestingly, if there’s one fanbase that knows exactly what this is like, it’s Golden State’s. In 2007, the Warriors made the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. The crowds at the games at Oracle Arena (the then-home of the Warriors) were incredibly rowdy, especially in the team’s first-round upset of the Dallas Mavericks.
It will be interesting to see if the Sacramento fans can carry their team to similar results.
[Photo Credit: Anthony Slater]
