Light the Beam
The phrase gained popularity among Kings fans, particularly due to the team's improved performance compared to prior years.
The Kings relocated from Kansas City to Sacramento in 1985; since the move, they have notoriously performed poorly, with their only successful stretch coming between 1999 and 2006.
[4] The team's president of business operations John Rinehart conceived of the idea to light a purple beam over the Kings' Golden 1 Center arena.
"[6] The Kings organization submitted an application in the summer of 2022 to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), seeking permission to light the beam.
[11] In February 2022, the Kings traded Tyrese Haliburton for center Domantas Sabonis, a widely panned move at the time.
[14] As the Seattle Mariners clinched a wild card spot in the 2022 MLB playoffs, the Kings' post-season drought also became the longest active among all teams in the four major North American sports leagues.
[18] Kings player Kevin Huerter further propelled the beam's popularity on social media with the hashtag "#BeamTeam".
[19] Sacramento's November 15 game against the Brooklyn Nets, which resulted in their then-fourth consecutive victory, was their first to be televised on NBA on TNT since 2018.
"[20] The phrase became a popular chant amongst Kings fans and the team would continue to light the beam over the Golden 1 Center throughout the season.
[24] The team secured their playoff berth against Portland and despite being on the road, Kings fans were noted to chant the phrase at the Blazers' Moda Center.
After scoring 38 points and leading the Kings to a 126–123 win, De'Aaron Fox lit the beam to a home playoff crowd.
[18][25] The Boston Globe wrote that initially, "most brushed [the beam] off as a fun but silly idea from a struggling franchise, one that threatened to become a stick to beat them with when the Kings lost their first four games of the season.
[30] Kurt Helin of NBC Sports commented "The long-struggling franchise [...] has come together this season around a couple of star players, a new coach, and a 'light the beam' idea that could feel gimmicky in some places but everyone has bought into in Sacramento, from the fans through the locker room.
"[12] Highlighting Fox and Sabonis specifically for their play, Slam magazine writer Max Resetar stated: "A singular purple light echoes up into the dark night sky.
[21][23] Maya Miller of The Sacramento Bee wrote that "What made the beam so successful boils down to three things – a highly visible ritual, a chantable phrase, and a winning team.
"[32] She added that, "sport marketing research shows that fans and spectators like to get physically involved with and be part of in-person experiences.
