Here we are freshly anointed into 2018, the holidays have sadly come and gone, and Kings fans alike head back to their day-to-day routines after getting over those seasonal flues. It also means the roller coaster first half of the Kings season is now in the rear view mirror and we can begin looking forward to a strong second half of the season on the hardwood.
Off the court though, as players have had some time to wind down the 2017 calendar year with their friends, family and community, we take a look back at what your Sacramento Kings were able to do for the community during the holidays.
Skal Labissiere and Garrett Temple donated Turkey dinners to families
With the help of Sacramento Kings coaches, players and the Sacramento Police department, families throughout the Sacramento area received warm meal kits for pickup at St. Andrew’s Church.
For families that were not able to make it to the church, they had deliveries to their doorstep with warm greetings from both Labissiere and Temple handing out Turkey dinners that they may not otherwise been able to have on Thanksgiving.
Garrett Temple adopts Sacramento Charter high school
On November 30, Temple attended a Sacramento Charter high school forum to create a dialogue about issues teens face today and that these students can be influential role models within their community and announced that he would be adopting Sac High as a mentor for the young adults currently attending the school
“Through this program I’m excited to connect with the students at Sac High to learn more about the issues they are facing and facilitate an open dialogue about leadership,” Temple said.
Temple, Frank Mason III and Harry Giles helped serve catered meals to the students and dialogued about role models helping them through the strains of being a teenager.
Temple kept his promise of adopting and mentoring Sac High students by recently attending the St. Hope Elite Hoop classic tournament here in Sacramento on Dec. 28, 2017.
George Hill adopts Encina Prep high school
On Dec. 11, George Hill announced that he would adopt Encina Prep high school as a mentor for the students while also visiting the school to speak and answer questions to a group of Encina students.
Bogdan Bogdanovic also attended Hill’s Q&A at Encina Prep high school to help mentor and speak to students trying to follow their passions and dreams.
Hill made sure to choose a school with students who came from a similar background as Hill growing up in a lower-income area of Indianapolis.
Hill relayed his overall mission of this mentorship by saying, “The future of our community is in the hands of our students…I look forward to supporting and spending time with the young people at Encina high school as we come together to have a conversation about the matters important to today’s youth.”
Hill hopes to make these meetings at Encina high school a monthly occurrence to help make sure these youngsters are on the right track to follow their goals and be leaders after they graduate.
Willie Cauley-Stein takes kids to an advanced screening of Jumanji
On Dec. 11, Willie Cauley-Stein hosted a movie night for a diverse set of youth groups to an advanced screening of Jumanji in 3D.
Cauley-Stein emphasized that it was important to him for kids to enjoy the smaller finer things in life and just enjoy everyone’s company during the holiday season.
As everyone looked to be enjoying themselves during the screening, Cauley-Stein emphasized, “It’s always cool to see the simplest things bring such joy to a child…being an NBA player and all of our responsibilities it’s cool just to give back and use your platform to be able to do this.”
De’Aaron Fox donates basketball shoes to alma mater
The 19-year-old product from Kentucky and hometown of Katy, Texas, De’Aaron Fox had Christmas come a little early as he donated brand new basketball shoes for both the girls and boys basketball teams at his alma mater of Cypress Lakes high school.
Considering that Fox had just recently signed his first NBA contract months prior to this kind gesture, there was very little equity to be able to do this for his high school but in the end, he did what he felt was right as athletes from Cypress Lakes showed their appreciation via Twitter.
Justin Jackson visits Kaiser Permanente Children’s Hospital
On Dec. 20, Justin Jackson visited Kaiser Permanente Children’s Hospital in Roseville to take pictures, talk to the children, and hand out gifts to help bring a little joy during the holiday season.
Jackson goes on to say, “This is a great experience and I can’t wait for more experiences to come.”
Jackson realizes that there are children out there that deserve to spend the holidays filled with joy and laughter over the pain and discomfort they go through each and every day with their time being spent in the hospital and hopes to continue his work with the youth as he leaves his staple here in Sacramento.
These aren’t the only things the players have done in 2017 as we have had a collective effort from Bogdanovic, Vince Carter, Cauley-Stein, Zach Randolph, Hill and Temple all purchasing and donating tickets totaling $130,000 to their games, to people that may not otherwise be able to afford and experience a game, everyday heroes, and children of all ages.
Many of the efforts by Sacramento Kings players that go unnoticed here in our Sacramento community are very prominent in other parts of the country and internationally as well.
All these gestures by these NBA players shows how much of a difference they can make in our community simply by using their platforms as role models.
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