Offseason appearance of the Sacramento Kings beam? "We're testing some things out"
SACRAMENTO – Already nostalgic about the Sacramento Kings' beam?
The 2022-23 NBA season ended this week with the Denver Nuggets being crowned champions, but it was a memorable run for the Kings – who finally made it back to the playoffs after a nearly two-decade-long drought.
Fans and players rallied around the purple laser beam that was ignited after every Sacramento win, earning this edition of the Kings the moniker "The Beam Team."
It figures to be a long offseason for Kings fans, with the 2023-24 regular season schedule not set to be released until summer. Fans wanting to bathe in the glory of the beam would have to wait months.
However, the Kings announced that they were testing some things out at the Golden 1 Center Wednesday night.
"Don't be alarmed if you see something beaming," the Kings tweeted.
Reportedly, the Kings are looking into making the beam bigger and stronger.
The new version first appeared above the Golden 1 Center shortly after 9:30 p.m. Kings fan Mike Dresser was at DOCO checking it out.
"It looks brighter and I saw it moving back and forth, like maybe they had a couple different beams," Dresser said. "It looks like it's going more straight up instead of out!"
A side-by-side view of the new version and last year's shows the difference. Up until now, the purple beam had been made of six Nu-Salt Laser Space Cannons, two blue, two red, and two green that focus together making one bright purple laser beam.
The Kings are now working on a more powerful purple to pierce through the night sky.
The FAA approved last year's laser, alerting local law enforcement agency air operations every time it lit up.
"Always looking to improve," Dresser said.
Now a supersized Sacramento Kings beam could go above and beyond. This would actually be the second upgrade to the beam. The Kings made it brighter back in December after coach Mike Brown asked owner Vivek Ranadive to do it, and he did.
For fans craving more basketball, the California Classic Summer League series is set to take place July 3 and 5 at the Golden 1 Center. The Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat are all expected to take part.
No official date for the start of the 2023-24 NBA regular season has been announced, but Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that date will be Oct. 24.