The Sacramento Kings Have The NBA’s Weirdest Good Luck Charm Thanks To ‘The Beam’

Nobody really expected the Sacramento Kings to light the NBA on fire this year, as a franchise that hasn’t appeared in the playoffs since 2006 didn’t make any major offseason moves that suggested they’d be able to finish above .500 for the first time in over 15 years.

Oddsmakers predicted the Kings would end up winning around 34 games this season, and anyone who took the under had to feel pretty good after Sacramento dropped their first four games and headed into November sporting a 2-5 record.

However, it’s been a very solid month for a squad that’s managed to turn things around in a big way. As of Friday, the Kings are tied for the 8th spot in the Western Conference after going 6-2 over the course of a stretch where they’ve only lost a single one of their last seven games.

While there’s no way to know what sparked that impressive turnaround, it’s been very hard to ignore one pivotal change many fans are convinced is responsible: the mysterious good luck charm known as “The Beam.”

At the end of October, Sacramento news station KCRA revealed it had fielded a number of calls from residents who were caught off guard by a purple column of light they spotted shooting into the night sky above the city. The culprit was what’s officially been dubbed the “Kings Victory Beam,” which the team began lighting over Golden 1 Center following every single win.

To paraphrase the iconic intro on GZA’s Liquid Swords: that was the light everything changed.

It might seem silly, but it hasn’t taken long for the team and its fans to embrace The Beam that’s seemingly served as the NBA equivalent of your parents promising to reward you with ice cream if your Little League team wins.

Head coach Mike Brown admitted he thought it was “corny” when he first heard about the idea but described it as “really frickin’ cool” after the Kings earned the right to activate it once again following a victory over the Spurs on Thursday.

The players who are rewarded with the chance to hit the button that “triggers” The Beam also seemed to appreciate having a little extra incentive to walk away with a win.

The Beam is love. The Beam is life.