Sacramento Kings to host rally before arena vote and NBA Draft lottery

Vivek Ranadivé, Chris Granger and Mark Mastrov sit courtside of the Raptors/Kings match-up on Feb. 5, 2014 (Photo: Tobin Halsey)

May 20 won’t just be another Tuesday in Sacramento.  Like May 15, 2013, that date has the potential be one of the greatest days in Kings franchise history.

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held that evening and the Kings’ hold the seventh-best odds of landing this year’s No. 1 pick.  Following the annual lottery drawing, the fate of Sacramento will finally be decided as city council will vote whether to enter into binding agreements with the Kings to build a new downtown arena.

Tuesday is a historic day for our team and for our region,” Kings president Chris Granger said in a prepared statement sent out by the organization on Friday. “We have worked tirelessly to create the best-in-class project that will serve as a regional hub for innovation, community gathering and economic development. We are beyond excited to present our vision of Sacramento to the Council, to the community, and our fans. It’s time to power forward.”

The Kings have a jam-packed day of events planned for fans, including a rally that will televise the draft lottery ahead of Tuesday’s council meeting.  Here’s an overview of events if you plan on going.

  • The rally starts at 2:30 PM at the City Hall Courtyard.  There will be multiple televisions showing a live broadcast of the draft lottery, which begins at 5 pm PT on ESPN.  There will be food trucks selling food and beverages and the Kings will also be giving away t-shirts to the first 1,000 fans who show up.
  • For those unable to fit into City Hall Chambers, there will be an additional viewing party at KBAR located on the K Street Mall beginning at 4 pm.  In addition to the draft lottery, the city council meeting will also be broadcasted at KBAR.  The city will also open up overflow areas for additional attendees, including Historic City Hall and the 2nd floor Mezzanine of New City Hall.  The meeting will also be broadcast on screens outside in the plaza.

Because of the draft lottery and the vote, City Hall is planning to accommodate a fairly large turnout for Tuesday night’s meeting.  They recommend anyone who plans to speak at the meeting arrive at least by 5 pm to receive a ticket into City Hall Chambers.  The City of Sacramento says that those opposing and supporting the proposed new arena “will have fair access to an equal number of tickets in accordance with required capacity limits.”

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