A 49ers star roots for his hometown Kings. ‘I’m from Sacramento. I like to brag about it.’
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Sacramento Kings in the Playoffs
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Make no mistake: 49ers star defensive end Arik Armstead may play in the Bay Area, but he’s rooting for the Kings to take down the Golden State Warriors in Game 7.
He joined Kyle Draper, Matt Barnes and Kenny Thomas for the Kings pregame show on NBC Sports California before tipoff Sunday afternoon at Golden 1 Center.
“There’s a new energy in the city,” said the Sacramento native, who played football at Pleasant Grove High in Elk Grove and college ball at Oregon before being drafted by the 49ers in the first round in 2015. “One of the best series I’ve seen, so it’s gonna be fun tonight.”
Armstead, 29, was 12 years old the last time the Kings made the playoffs before this season.
“Anybody who knows me knows where I’m from,” Armstead told Barnes. “They know I’m from Sacramento. I like to brag about it. I love being from here. I’m supporting the Kings, I hope they get it done and I think they’re gonna get it done.”
Armstead regularly shows his hometown love, founding the Arik Armstead Project, which has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars toward educating underserved youth in California’s capital city.
He said he believes the key for the Kings to winning Game 7 is for the team to feed off the energy of what is sure to be a raucous home crowd at Golden 1 Center, noting that the Kings earned that advantage as the higher seed.
“This atmosphere is crazy,” Armstead said. “I had to come do this show just to get in the building. I couldn’t even get a ticket. That shows how crazy it is.”
And as for Armstead’s own basketball experience, back in high school?
“I used to get like four charges a game,” Armstead said with a chuckle.
This story was originally published April 30, 2023 at 12:41 PM.
