SACRAMENTO, Calif — Inside the grand entrance of the Golden 1 Center, overlooking the court that DeMar DeRozan has only known as a visitor, the six-time NBA all-star and Olympic gold medalist was officially introduced as a Sacramento King.
It was his press conference as a King and he was joined by Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair. Here are three takeaways from the event.
DeRozan Chose Sacramento to Win
Sacramento has historically struggled to attract free agents of DeRozan's caliber, due to the city's quiet nature (except for the fanbase) compared to major markets like Los Angeles and due to the the lack of success from the Kings' organization.
Just two seasons ago, the Kings snapped an NBA record 16-season streak of missing the playoffs. Since then, they've won 48 and 46 games in back-to-back seasons, which hasn't been done since 2003-2005.
The Kings' success has drawn the attention of DeRozan, who shared that he was won over by the organizations commitment to winning.
"That's the most appealing thing for me. You see it every single night when this team plays. It's all about winning," he said.
DeRozan & Fox's in Clutch Time
Two seasons ago, De'Aaron Fox was named the first ever NBA Clutch Player of the Year. The man he beat out for the award was DeMar DeRozan. A fact that DeRozan still hasn't quite let go.
DeRozan used it as motivation to lead the Chicago Bulls to a comeback victory in Sacramento over the Kings, where the 34-year-old guard scored 19 points in the fourth quarter back in March.
"Clutch time" is the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, with both teams within five points of one another. Over the last two seasons DeRozan (341 points) and Fox (316 points) are the two leaders in clutch scoring in the league.
ABC 10 asked DeRozan about how opposing teams can try to stop Sacramento's new star duo, and DeRozan let it be known that it won't be easy.
"I don't think you can (stop us). We both showed we can do out ourselves... now you got two people to pick from? It makes it a difficult task. That's the beauty of being able to be with guys that can go out there and win you games," DeRozan said.
DeRozan Loves the Beam
DeRozan brought up The Beam, Sacramento's phenomenon that has drawn the attention, and ire, of opposing teams and fans around the country, five different times during his press conference. In his opening statement, he expressed his desire to be the guy to hit the button and light The Beam inside the Golden 1 Center after a Kings win.
"I want to be one of those guys that hits The Beam that lights up at night...," he said.
DeRozan spoke further on The Beam to ABC 10, sharing why it draws his attention.
"I think it's a dope concept for fan interaction. Usually you play a game, you win, you go in the back... but to do something that the whole city, even if you didn't come to the game, be able to see, like 'yeah we won tonight.' That's cool," he said.
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