Get ready to experience an absolute slam dunk of an NBA game day! This week’s Gameday episode features former Sacramento King and current Melbourne United player, Matthew Dellavedova. “Delly” joins our host Duncan McKenzie-McHarg for a heart-pumping game day in Sacramento.
Sacramento is famous for its rich history, large-scale street murals, and award-winning culinary scene. As well as being the Golden State’s capital, Sacramento is also known as the nation’s farm-to-fork capital, offering a huge array of delicious fresh food eateries. A must-try is Grange, located in The Citizen Hotel. It’s one of the city’s top-rated restaurants. Known for their seasonal menus and locally sourced ingredients, this is where our Aussie hosts get their pre-game fuel for a big Sacramento Kings game day.
It’s now time to head to the Golden 1 Center, a cutting-edge, purpose-built arena right in the heart of Sacramento. Golden 1’s modern technology makes for an incredible basketball-watching experience. We’re talking a 26-metre-long viewing screen, the second largest in the NBA.
The fanfare at Golden 1 is palpable, with Kings fans coming from far and wide to cheer on the team and ring their famous cowbells. If you add a visit to the Golden 1 Center to your California bucket list you may even catch a glimpse of the team’s visionary owner, Vivek Ranadive.
After taking in the action of a Kings win,, it’s time to “light the beam”, the tradition of lighting a massive purple ray of light from the top of the arena after a win. It’s so bright you can almost see it from space! Every NBA fan should experience this at least once.