The Sacramento Kings are better.
And not just for the Sacramento Kings. The team has a 16-13 record and would make the NBA playoffs if the season ended today, something the franchise hasn't done since 2006, the longest active drought in the NBA.
And this season, there’s a new addition to the Golden1 Center as a mark of the Kings’ new-found success: A collection of giant purple LED lights atop the arena, which are lit every time the team wins, whether in Sacramento or at an away game.
“The beam,” as it’s lovingly been named, has captivated Kings fans and Sacramentans alike. Commenters on a recent CapRadio Instagram post shared their excitement for the team’s new addition.
@jacobr2018: “Light the Beam!!!”
@wholelottajaaz: “that’s what I like to see ☝🏼🦁”
@thespicyrose: “I love this!”
@nicolegrantkriege: “💜💜💜”
Over the weekend, the beam got a big upgrade. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive announced on social media that team leadership “made The Beam a lot brighter, just in time for our 6-game holiday home stand!”
Before its expansion, the beam was actually composed of four separate LED lasers, put together to create one massive purple light. With the upgrade, an unspecified amount of lasers have been added, according to a spokesperson for the team.
Fan response has sparked a number of endearing memes and social media posts. The beam was briefly listed as a “place of worship” on Google Maps, though the listing was taken down after several hours.
The team filed for a trademark on the term “BEAMTEAM” on Nov. 21, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The beam was unveiled after the Kings’ first win of the season on Sept. 16 — 916 Day, a city-wide holiday celebrating Sacramento — without any warning, which left many River City residents perplexed, wondering if drones or aliens were descending upon the city.
That was part of Ranadive’s plan.
“I just like the notion that this just goes into outer space,” Ranadive told NBC Sports California in a November interview. “It goes farther than the human eye can see. As a tech guy, having four lasers beaming into outer space is kind of cool.”
This upgrade also comes after pleas from Kings Coach Mike Brown, who said at a postgame press conference on Dec. 3 that he wanted a brighter beam.
“So, we gotta get a stronger beam,” he told reporters. “Matina [Kolokotronis, Kings chief operating officer], [Vivek], it starts with you two … and figure out how the beam can be seen with a one o’clock game today and any other future games we may win during the day.”
The Kings suffered what point guard De’Aaron Fox called “a bad loss” on Monday night against the Charlotte Hornets. The team will play the Los Angeles Lakers at the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night.
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