A Thursday night contest between the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings was supposed to be a matchup featuring two teams battling for the top lottery odds in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft. It was supposed to be just another Thursday night game in the NBA. Just another game in Sacramento. But fans quickly learned it was not going to be a regular game night at the Golden 1 Center.
As fans arrived for the game, people started to notice a protest was beginning outside the arena. The name Stephon Clark started to make rounds among those waiting to get inside to watch their Kings and many quickly realized what was going on.
22-year-old Stephon Clark was killed by police after someone called 911 and claimed there was a person walking around their neighborhood breaking into cars. Police eventually deemed Clark was the suspect in question and began their pursuit. Clark was shot and killed by police because they believed he was holding a gun. That ended up just being his cell phone in his hand. Four days later, many gathered to protest another African-American killed by law enforcement.
The start of the Kings game against the Hawks was delayed as protesters blocked fans from entering the arena. Eventually the arena was locked down and no one was permitted to enter. Some fans got in early and were able to enjoy the game and even those on the higher bowl were invited to watch in the lower sections. The Kings are issuing refunds to fans who weren’t able to get into the arena.
Due to law enforcement being unable to ensure ticketed fans could safely enter the arena, the arena remained closed as tonight’s game proceeded with a delay. In the coming days, guests who purchased tickets for tonight’s game directly through the Sacramento Kings or Ticketmaster will receive detailed instructions to facilitate a full refund.
Following the Kings 105-90 win over the Atlanta Hawks, majority owner Vivek Ranadive took center court and shared a message for those remaining at the arena and everyone else watching at home. He wants to help the world come together and he’s starting that initiative right in his own backyard in Sacramento.
Kings owner and chairman @Vivek addresses the crowd following tonight’s game. pic.twitter.com/yVODGnPovs
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 23, 2018
Ranadive and Kings veterans Vince Carter and Garrett Temple offered their thoughts on the night in Sacramento, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
“I was pulled out of the dinner, and I was told what was happening (outside the arena),” Ranadive, who led the ownership group that bought the team in the summer of 2013 and opened the arena last season, told USA TODAY Sports. “And so, I went upstairs and I saw what was going on. I was obviously stunned.
“I saw the crowd outside. I saw the police standing there. And I had different, complex emotions, because I have boys. I have a boy right now, actually, in the military (his 30-year-old son, Andre, is in special forces training in North Carolina). And I have young boys, and the thought that your boy could be out in the yard and somebody shoots him, how horrific is that?”
“There’s obviously never a right decision in this type of situation, and on the one hand there’s been a life lost and you can’t just go about life in terms of it being business as usual, because it really isn’t,” Ranadive explained. “A young man has been killed under these circumstances. But then on the other hand, you think that maybe this is an opportunity to bring people together.”
“It was a combination of our veteran players and people in our front office,” Ranadive said. “It was just the sentiment that this was a big deal. It wasn’t even clear that the game was going to happen tonight, but we went ahead and played, and so I just said, ‘Yeah, absolutely, I will happily share some thoughts.’ I just kind of spoke from the heart, and shared what I thought.”
“I 100 percent agree with the protest outside,” Temple, who did not play because of an ankle injury, said afterward. “If I didn’t have a job to do I’d probably be out there with them peacefully protesting because what’s going on has to stop. It has to stop.”
“We had conversations throughout the game about it,” the 41-year-old Carter said. “And when I say we, I mean both teams, with each other. We have a game to play. We have a job to do, but (the protest) didn’t go unnoticed.
“That’s what it’s all about, is raising awareness, because we know it was going to be talked about and we know the game’s played but the conversation for both teams, it wasn’t just before the game. It was throughout the game. It was pretty neat.”
Ranadive, like so many others, won’t soon forget the message that was sent.
“We have just an amazing set of players, and we have an amazing community here, and in many ways I’ve always said that we created kind of the communal fireplace over here,” Ranadive said. “This is kind of the gathering place, and this is where people want to express their feelings, so I thought it’d be appropriate to show unity and show sympathy and love for the family, and show that we recognize that it’s a privilege to have this platform but it’s also a responsibility.”
