Sacramento Kings Make A Visit To India’s Great Taj Mahal!

After 19 long hours of flying, the Sacramento Kings have finally reached India. The Taj Mahal was the beginning of their festivities.

General Background about Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal was first built in 1632 by the Mughal Ruler of India Shah Jahan in memory and the love of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is considered a tomb where his wife was buried after she died in 1631 and it is one of the seven wonders of the world and attracts seven to eight million people a year.

The translation of the word Taj Mahal comes from Arabic meaning the Position of the Crown which translated into Hindi meaning Crown of the Palaces.

Team’s Reactions to India and Taj Mahal

Many members of the Sacramento Kings (both players and coaches) had reactions upon entering India and the Taj Mahal. Let us see what starting point guard De’Aaron Fox had to say about it.

"Driving through the streets of India, it’s extremely different, I’ll tell you that. You kinda see animals on the street. I mean, you see stray dogs before, but I’ve never seen a stray cow.I thought the Taj Mahal would be bigger, but we didn’t see most of it. But, man, it’s crazy, the detail, making us put these little footies on. Yeah, you know this building’s special. I mean, like we’ve all seen pictures; even if you didn’t know what it was, you’ve seen a picture of it. And I think being here in person, it’s simply amazing.I know it means the world to Vivek [Ranadive]. He probably comes back a lot for himself and his family, but for him to bring his organization here, I know he’s definitely having a blast."

Other members of the team such as radio legend Gary Gerould shared their setting of the hotel they are staying at which is named The Oberoi in Agra.

After the team got settled in their place of living, they were seen hanging out at the Taj Mahal! Here are more reactions from the members of the Kings sharing their experience.

Marvin Bagley III was also excited to be at the Taj Mahal and said he saw so many people, and the environment is nice:

Grant Naper, the Kings’ announcer since 1988, also showed off some parts of his journey and was breathless. But the same time saying thank you for what he has while seeing the poverty in Agra.

Final Thoughts

It is exciting to see the NBA opening up a new door in India. It is also interesting to see the Kings’ first impressions of India. India has a diverse culture, and from the looks of it, the Kings players have only seen about 1% of the diversity of India.

In the future, hopefully, the NBA and Kings will get to expand their travels in India and visit all the great places the country has to offer.