By signing DeMar DeRozan, the Sacramento Kings prove we’re no longer a ‘Cow Town’ | Opinion
When the Sacramento Kings signed six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan, it said a lot about the community I just joined and the team that is a heartbeat in the city. Aside from adding talent to the Kings, DeRozan dispels some myths about our city.
Sacramento is a “cow town” inhabited by “semi-civilized” people, at least that’s what Phil Jackson, the former Los Angeles Lakers coach and basketball genius, was quoted saying when the Lakers faced the Kings in the 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals.
Sacramento fans responded by showing up with cowbells to the first game of that series, thus starting a cherished tradition that carries on in Sacramento to this day.
“(DeRozan) is going down to Hicksville...a stank ugly city,’ said former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas on his podcast Monday.
“Sacramento is trash,” former NBA player Brandon Jennings said while agreeing with Arenas.
When I first considered accepting a job out here, people who’ve lived in California told me that Sacramento is just a farm town.
I realized this perception was false soon after I moved here. This city is a beautiful place. It is filled with nice people and tons of activities to do.
Opinion
Jackson, Arenas and Jennings have a warped view of Sacramento, skewed by our pride in our great farm-to-fork industry hub that some view as a negative. As players, Arenas and Jennings never quite fit anywhere they went in the NBA, both seemed more interested in themselves than in finding a community. Neither won a championship but they did find plenty of negative situations.
If these guys are calling Sacramento trash, consider the sources.
Despite the naysayers, we have grown a welcoming culture that attracted me and is attracting much bigger names.
Kings get an NBA superstar
That DeRozan chose to take his talents to Sacramento says a lot about the city’s attractiveness.
Being a smaller market team, the Kings’ chance to make a splash every free agency season had previously been unlikely. But the tide is turning.
A six-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA Second Team selection, DeRozan - and his three-year $74 million contract with the Kings - demonstrates that Sacramento is no longer an automatic after-thought for elite athletes. DeRozan saw a welcoming place to call home as many of us have. His move to Sacramento dispels the perception that Sacramento is a secondary place in California.
To put that in sweet perspective, it was reported both the Lakers and the rival Golden State Warriors pursued DeRozan. Instead of playing for the LA LeBrons, the dumpster fire Clippers, or the rebuilding Warriors, he chose to play for the Kings. How about that for a cow town?
Just hear what Kings’ forward Malik Monk said after deciding to sign a four-year, $78 million deal to stay in Sac Town.
“It felt like home here,” Monk told reporters at the team’s Golden 1 Center practice facility. “It just felt right. Everything felt right. I don’t go anywhere and feel uncomfortable. I go everywhere and feel comfortable, and that’s a home I feel like, so I’m back.”
The Kings have a bright future with Monk, a dynamic player with a high energy who makes everyone around him better.
Sacramento is the place to be
The Kings are currently having the best off-season of any California team. The glitz and glam of the Lakers or Clippers were secondary to Sacramento, a place you can call home.
More than just a city with great agriculture, it’s the third most diverse city in America. In an NBA that is majority Black, DeRozan’s signing signals to other NBA players looking to land in a welcoming place. Not to mention it’s less expensive to live here than both LA and San Francisco.
We can keep the cowbells out of remembrance, but let’s leave the cow town description in the past.
We’re more than a cow or farm town. We’re Sacramento. They hate us cause they aint us.
