SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings are launching another initiative to spark social change in the community they play in. The team announced it will host the "Team Up for Change" summit with the Milwaukee Bucks – a daylong event aimed at addressing social injustice.
The summit will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at Golden 1 Center at 9 a.m., before the Kings take the floor to face the Bucks later that evening at 7 p.m.
The day's events will culminate with a halftime performance from seven-time GRAMMY winner Big Boi, of the hip-hop duo Outkast, who will also serve as the keynote speaker for the "Team Up For Change" summit.
The partnership led by the Kings aims to unite local youth, community leaders, and law enforcement to engage in conversations geared toward the pursuit of social justice and equality.
With a focus on the intersection between sports and race, the Kings and the Bucks are using their platforms to address issues of injustice in their respective cities.
The "Team Up For Change" summit will include a variety engaging speakers, including Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, former Kings star and current broadcaster Doug Christie, and Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn.
Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé will be among the speakers during the program, which will be live live-streamed on the Kings Facebook page to allow the Milwaukee community and others across the country to experience the event.
"We believe it is our responsibility to use our platform to make the world a better place starting right here with our communities," said Sacramento Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé in a press release provided by the team.
"Basketball has the power to bring people together by bridging racial, gender and economic divides. Through the 'Team Up for Change' effort, we are committed to continuing to work with the community to support and encourage collective action for change."
Milwaukee Bucks Co-Owner Marc Lasry echoed the sentiment, saying that the team is, "Proud to work with the Kings to bring both our communities together to identify creative solutions to the challenging issues we face."
"Our two organizations are dedicated to sparking real action through candid and open discussions," Lasry said. "The 'Team Up for Change' initiative will make an important impact as we strive to make a difference."
In January 2018, Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown was tased and arrested by Milwaukee Police in relation to a parking violation. Bodycam footage showed an officer stepping on Brown's ankles after the guard was on the ground and the incident resulted in Brown filing a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee. One of the Milwaukee Police officers present during the arrest was later fired for multiple, derogatory social media posts mocking Brown and his encounter with the 23-year-old.
In March 2018, the Kings responded to the officer-involved shooting death of 22-year-old Stephon Clark by launching multiple community initiatives to provide safe spaces for local youth, particularly within underserved and minority communities.
The organization introduced the Build.Black. Coalition to help the community heal and proactively invest in the education and development of Black youth.
In the summer of 2018, the Kings announced its first-ever co-ed youth basketball league, Kings and Queens Rise, which will return in 2019. By hosting multiple forums and events led by Kings players and NBA legends such as Detroit Pistons great Isiah Thomas, Sacramento's NBA team is doing its part to make an impact on its community that can be felt beyond the court.
You can learn more about "Team Up For Change" and other social injustice initiatives throughout the NBA on the Sacramento Kings website.
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