kings-owner.jpg
USATSI

The Kings beat the Hawks 105-90 on Thursday, but what happened before the game was the bigger story. Protesters crowded in front of the Golden 1 Center before tip-off, delaying tip-off and eventually forcing the arena to close its doors, limiting the crowd size. The protests were due to the shooting of Stephon Clark by a police officer.

After the game, Kings' owner Vivek Ranadive did something unconventional. He addressed the depleted crowd, acknowledging the people's right to protest and the 22-year-old's death.

"We first of all wanted to express our deepest sympathies to [Clark's] family," he said. "What happened was absolutely horrific, and we are so very sorry -- so very sorry -- for your loss.

"We at the Kings recognize your people's ability to protest peacefully, and we respect that," he continued. "We here at the Kings recognize that we have a big platform. It's a privilege, and it's also a responsibility. It's a responsibility that we take very seriously. We stand here before you, old, young, black, white, brown, and we are all united in our commitment. 

"We recognize that it's not just business as usual, and we are going to work really hard to bring everybody together to make the world a better place, starting with our own community, and we're going to work really hard to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again."

Ranadive's statement came flanked by Kings players and was met by applause from the small crowd.

Ranadive, who purchased the Kings in 2013, was an immigrant from Mumbai that was accepted to MIT. The Kings are 24-49 this year and out of playoff contention. The protests stem from Clark being shot in his grandparents' backyard on Sunday.