Arenas uses absurd claim to explain why Kings shouldn’t make playoffs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Kings fans have remained loyal to their favorite NBA team for decades, and Sacramento has rewarded its fervent base with playoff-worthy hoops over the last two seasons.
But even as Kings enthusiasts have filled visiting arenas with “Light the beam!” chants, it appears not everyone has taken notice — among that group, former Golden State Warriors guard Gilbert Arenas.
“Golden State and the [Los Angeles] Lakers are about to be in the playoffs,” Arenas said on his podcast “Gil’s Arena.” “Them other two teams that got no fan base, get out out of here! We don’t want to see ya. …
“That’s TV. You’d rather have [Lakers and Warriors] than the [New Orleans] Pelicans. Pelicans and Sacramento in five or six games? Nobody’s watching those games.”
As Kings fans know, Arenas is just plain wrong — visiting arena beam chants aside.
When Sacramento broke its 16-season NBA playoff drought last year, Game 7 of their opening-round series against the Warriors in the 2023 playoffs averaged 9.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched first-round playoff game in 24 years. The game, which peaked with 11.9 million viewers, was ABC’s largest audience for a non-NBA Finals postseason game ever.
While that very well could have been the Steph Curry effect, the series between the two Northern California teams created plenty of hype on its own. Sacramento took the defending NBA champions down to the wire, and it certainly was must-see TV.
Perhaps this postseason, Arenas will tune in and see what he has been missing out on.
