Sacramento Kings give fans first virtual arena, NBA Draft party amid COVID-19 lockdowns
Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé came to the organization as a successful business executive and engineer who excelled in the world of innovation, ideas and software.
The Kings have introduced a number of new technologies since Golden 1 Center opened in 2016, emerging as a league innovator. Now, amid the coronavirus pandemic, the organization will unveil a digital arena experience complete with a virtual NBA Draft party featuring a live Q&A with Kings general manager Monte McNair.
In an effort to connect fans to an “arena-like” experience despite COVID-19 closures, the Kings announced Tuesday the first-ever official professional sports team Discord server. The team said the platform will enable the Kings community to gather online, interact and expand access to exclusive experiences that have traditionally taken place in person at Golden 1 Center, among other new ways to engage with the team.
“We are excited to launch this digital arena as an innovative solution to bring the best fans in the world closer to the team and connect virtually during these unprecedented times,” Ranadivé said in a news release. “At the Kings we are always working to take advantage of new ways to engage and interact with our fans and we are pleased to partner with Discord, the industry leader in blending offline and online worlds on a frictionless and cohesive platform.”
In a memo obtained by The Sacramento Bee, the NBA presented protocols that will be implemented in arenas this season when fans are allowed to attend games. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday the league expects 5-10 teams to entertain a limited number of fans when the season begins Dec. 22, but it does not appear the Kings will be one of them, given current local health orders.
Now, Kings fans will have an alternative. The Kings said Discord gives people an easy, free and ad-free place to gather and talk online. Discord has over 100 million monthly users after gaining a broad audience among gamers, sports fans, sneakerheads and more.
“Everything we do as Discord is grounded in creating community, connection, and belonging,” Discord CMO Tesa Aragones said. “When it comes to those things, nothing levels the playing field like sport. We are excited to welcome the first official NBA team to Discord in the Sacramento Kings as they bring their passionate fans to a place to connect with the players — and one another — beyond the physical arena.”
The Kings said as part of the launch they will host a series of live Q&As with fans on the server, promising special access to front office executives, players and broadcast personalities. McNair will host the first Q&A during the Kings 2020 NBA Virtual Draft Party. The server will also offer new merchandise updates, real-time game and topic discussions and more. The Kings are encouraging fans to visit the official Kings Discord server by downloading the Discord desktop or mobile app in the App Store or Google Play, or by visiting Discord.gg/sacramentokings.
The Kings have been recognized as the “Most Innovative Company in Sports” by Fast Company and the “Most Tech Savvy Team of 2016” by Sport Techie. Last season, they became the first team in professional sports to open a checkout-free, contactless convenience store that allows fans to get in and out in less than 30 seconds. Earlier this year, the Kings and NINA announced Golden 1 Center would be the first arena in the world to let suite and loft guests pour their own drinks through an Internet of Things-powered device and mobile app.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
