The summer league warm up leaves Sacramento after three years at Golden 1 Center
The California Classic is leaving the Golden 1 Center after more than three years in Sacramento as it heads west on I-80 to the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Along with the Kings, the hometown Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat will also participate in the fourth annual California Classic on July 2 and 3 at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The event is a tune-up for players ahead of Las Vegas Summer League, where the Kings were the champion last season. It can tend to be some ugly basketball at times, with guys lacking experience on the court together and many G-League guys fighting to make an impression.
The event’s inaugural event, in 2018, featured Marvin Bagley III, Harry Giles and several other former young Kings. Without a first-round pick to watch in 2019, the event was less exciting. And in 2020, the event was canceled altogether during the first summer of the pandemic. While last year, fans were introduced to Davion Mitchell and his stellar defense.
Each year of the event, it’s been a fun atmosphere, with many Kings fans and, of course, some Warriors and Lakers fans.
We will see who plays for the Kings during the event in July. Will Davion Mitchell play again? Or will it just be Neemias Queta and Sacramento’s two draft picks?
Regardless of what happens with the ping pong balls on Tuesday night, expect to see plenty of Kings fans in the crowd after making the couple-hour drive.