Former NBA All-Star takes unwarranted shot at Sacramento Kings’ fanbase 

Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas has had some controversial takes go viral on social media lately, like claiming that Nikola Jokic must be the worst MVP winner in the last 40 years. That statement made a lot of NBA fans incredibly mad, no matter what team they root for. Jokic is, after all, one of the best players in the game right now. 

Now, Arenas has taken on the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans’ fan bases. 

Gilbert Arenas says the Kings have no fanbase

Discussing the Western Conference playoff race on his podcast Gil’s Arena, the three-time All-Star said that the Lakers and Warriors will make the playoffs. His reasoning: the Kings and the Pelicans have no fan bases, and no one would watch them in the playoffs. 

While this might not be quite as universally outrageous as his take on Jokic, Arenas has certainly made new enemies in Sacramento and New Orleans. This may seem obvious to Kings fans, but someone has to say it: The Kings have a great fanbase. 

Kings fans stuck with their team through years of losing. If that isn’t loyalty, then what is? To Arenas, it is apparently meaningless, or he just never took notice of the fanbase because of all the losses. 

Since last season, the Kings’ fans have burst onto the NBA scene alongside their team, however. Anyone who has missed the Beam, fans shouting “Light the beam!” at the top of their lungs in arenas outside of Sacramento, and the personalized chants for Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis must be living under a rock. 

Kings fans always show up, creating an electric atmosphere in Golden 1 Center. Last season, Game 7 of the Kings-Warriors first-round series averaged 9.8 million viewers. That made it the most-watched first-round game in the last 24 years, and those weren’t just Warriors fans watching. 

If the Kings make the playoffs, people will tune in, no matter who they will play. So, just because someone played in the NBA, they aren’t necessarily qualified to be in front of a microphone, talking about the league.