Three new words have been echoing loudly and repeatedly throughout the streets of Sacramento this fall.
light. . beam.
The Kings’ Victory Beam, which sits above the grand entrance to the Golden 1 Center and is powered by four purple lasers that illuminate the skyline of downtown Sacramento each time the team wins, was unveiled earlier this season. I was. fan.
“I like the idea of this going into space,” Kings owner Vivek Ranadive said in an interview with NBC Sports California on Thursday. , shooting four lasers into space is kind of cool.
“I want aliens to see it,” Ranadive added jokingly. “I want to go as far away as everyone can see.”
The beam was first introduced on Sept. 16, celebrated as “916 Day” in Sacramento, and aired for the first time on Oct. 29 after the Kings recorded 119, their first win of the 2022-23 NBA season. illuminated the -113 Home win over Miami Heat. From this season onwards, after every Kings win, that laser is aimed at the stars. Home or away, the constellation is greeted with a hint of Kings purple.
The beam is the brainchild of John Reinhart, President of Business Operations for the Kings, and was inspired by the Los Angeles Angels’ “Big A” sign in the parking lot of Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Each time the Angels win, a halo at the top of the “Big A” lights up to let passers-by know that their favorite baseball team won that night.
Reinhart took this concept back to Northern California, 400 miles up Interstate 5.
Ranadive purchased the Kings franchise in May 2013. Seventeen months later, construction officially began in downtown Sacramento, and the Golden 1 Center opened its grand opening ahead of his 2016-17 NBA season.
When plans were being drawn up for a world-class arena, Ranadivé reached out to David Kelley, a mutual friend of Steve Jobs and CEO of design and consulting firm IDEO. Kelly planted a new anecdote in Ranadive’s mind, which turned into his new mission.
“When I went to see David Kelly, he said, ‘Look, I have to figure out what your purple light is.’ if you go [Airlines], when you sit on the plane, you can see these purple lights. You will soon find that this will be an experience unlike anything you’ve ever had on any other airline. It’s going to be unique and special, and you’re looking forward to it.”
Ranadivé turned around and figured out what the Kings’ “purple light” attraction was. It’s the unique design of the Golden 1 Center, a basketball cathedral that’s equally beautiful inside and out.
Ranadive and Co. found a new “purple light” when the Kings kicked off their seventh season at the Golden 1 Center on October 19. literally. The world’s brightest full-color laser device in the form of 1,000 watts of RGB laser output. And the only one in the NBA.
“‘Hey, I’m going to do better than the purple lights,'” Ranadivé recalled Rinehart saying. “‘I’m going to do this laser.’
“We toyed with different ideas. Light up the Capitol? Light up? [Tower Bridge]What do we do? But we really wanted it to emanate from our building. We are now shooting purple light into space in the form of beams. “
Not surprisingly, Kings fans immediately fell in love with Beam. So did the players.
They went 7-6 on the season Tuesday night when the Kings easily beat the Brooklyn Nets 153-121 after scoring the second-most points in a single game since the franchise moved out of Kansas City. It’s improved, and the NBA world has taken notice. And Beam became the main character.
NBA Twitter, which hasn’t been kind to the Kings (or anyone really) about the franchise’s recent struggles, has almost unanimously fallen in love with the purple lasers that light up Sacramento’s night sky.
“I think we may have emerged second for everyone [favorite] We had for so long that in a way a team [playoff] Drought,” Ranadive said. And that beam is really nice and epitomizes that.
“It’s always been my vision to create a spectacle. That’s what we did. Here’s that fireplace – we light a fire and everyone can gather around it.
“It’s like a giant fire spreading through space.”
Acquired in July in a trade to the Atlanta Hawks, Kevin Harter has already made a big impact on the franchise, mostly with his right-out 3-point shooting. However, Harter’s social his media savvy has sparked another trend among his Kings fans.
“Still OMW,” Huerter wrote in the caption of a recent Instagram post.
The basketball world has been cheering and watching documentaries about the ‘Dream Team’ and ‘Redeem Team’. But now there’s the “Beam Team”, a young, fast, explosive and exciting team of kings with the entire city of Sacramento behind them.
By the way, the nickname of “Beam Squad” is officially recognized by Ranadive.
“I think it’s great,” Ranadive told NBC Sports California. “Anything that brings people together. Kevin, he’s great for the team. I had to travel with the team. If you look at the chemistry they have, you can tell something is brewing there.Kevin is new, and he’s already loved by everyone.
“That’s why I think it’s cool to call them ‘Beam Squad’.”
Related: Brown’s mission to establish Kings culture is working
It’s been 16 seasons since the Kings last reached the NBA postseason bracket. And just because he won eight of his first 16 games this season doesn’t guarantee a playoff spot.
It’s a path, but it’s easy to see. A dynamic young core, a fun personality, a coach with championship experience and, of course, lit by a team with his four purple lasers firing from above the Golden 1 Center.
