Over 50,000 attended California Classic

SACRAMENTO — On Thursday, the Sacramento Kings wrapped up the inaugural California Classic — the three-day exhibition of summer games that included rookies and second year players from the Kings, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat — wrapped up at the Golden 1 Center.

The California Classic earned praise from various media outlets, including UPROXX who called it a “smashing success.” Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson, who congratulated the Kings organization for an exciting event.

“Kings and basketball fans alike made the inaugural California Classic a huge success and we look forward to making this an annual tradition,” said Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé in a statement. “The atmosphere at Golden 1 Center was incredible across all three days and I’d like to thank our partners at the NBA and our colleagues at the Heat, Lakers and Warriors for joining us in Sacramento.”

Over the course of the three-day showcase, more than 50,000 basketball fans visited the arena. In less than a month, basketball fans purchased over 7,000 three-day passes before selecting the remaining inventory in the Golden 1 Center lower bowl. To meet incredible demand after filling up seating in the lower bowl, the Kings opened upper bowl seating only a week before the teams took to the court — selling out the first two days and nearly selling out Thursday. — John Jacobs, Sacramento Kings public relations