Sacramento Kings Victory Beam: Explained

You’ve probably heard of the Sacramento Kings victory beam, even if you're not an NBA fan. It’s a unique concept that has taken the National Basketball Association (NBA) community by storm. After every home win, one of the King’s players activates a powerful beam on top of the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, which you can see from any spot in the city.

To keep you in the loop as the Kings’ enter the playoffs, let's look at the origin and significance of the Sacramento Kings light beam and how it rejuvenated the franchise.

The Origin of Sacramento Kings Beam

The King’s owner, Vivek Ranadivé, got the idea for the beam by watching the LA Angels baseball team. After winning their home games, the team turns on the Big A sign in front of their stadium. The shining halo illuminates the parking lot, showing passersby their favorite baseball team has come out on top.

However, Vivek wanted to take things a step further.

He set up four lasers on top of the team’s home arena, Golden 1 Center, which would form a Sacramento Kings light beam. The eccentric owner joked that he wanted to send a large beam into outer space so that even aliens could see it. The management had to receive a green light from Federal Aviation Administration to use the beam in Sacramento. Despite the goofiness, the agency approved the request making sure the airplanes avoided the arena during the games.

The lasers quickly became popular among local artists and rappers, inspiring songs and murals. So much so that the Sacramento Kings victory beam became a trending topic even among competitors. It even helped increase attendance during home games.

What Does “Light the Beam” Mean?

As you can presume, the “Light the Beam” meaning has to do with the activation of the lasers.

The team introduced the beam on Oct. 29, 2022, following a home win against Miami Heat. Although many people initially disregarded Sac Kings' beam, the idea went viral following Kings shooting guard Kevin Huerter’s Twitter post. He used hashtag #BeamTeam, a clever play on words referring to the famed US Olympic Dream Team.

On Nov. 15, the Kings faced the Brooklyn Nets. After beating them in a nationally televised game, Kings shooting guard Terence Davis shouted, "Light the Beam!" From this point onward, the phrase became the franchise’s new trademark.

During both home and away games, fans use this chant to invoke victory. Nowadays, “Light the Beam,” and Sacramento Kings can’t go one without another. The Kings' purple beam has become a sign of hope for the basketball team in a slump for 20 years.

Are the Sacramento Kings Good This Year?

The gimmick is neat on its own. However, it would be meaningless if the team was bad.

Sacramento Kings are on their way to ending a 16-year playoff drought, the longest streak of this kind in NBA history. They finished at the top of the NBA’s Pacific Division, including strong teams like the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles teams. 

This year, the team had two All-Stars in point guard De'Aaron Fox and center Domantas Sabonis. These are the first All-Star appearances for the Kings since the 2016-2017 season. The team plays an exciting and dynamic brand of basketball, which is why they’ve quickly become media and fan darlings.

It's hard to say how the Sacramento Kings victory beam contributed to the team’s success is hard to say. They likely would have reached the playoffs this year, with or without the gimmick. However, the beam definitely made their run a historically memorable experience.