Fultz embracing fresh start with Kings after up-and-down NBA journey

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Fultz embracing fresh start with Kings after up-and-down NBA journey originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Markelle Fultz didn’t play an NBA game for 292 days.

But the bank never closed for the new Kings point guard, who continued to put in his “daily deposits” over an extensive time away – a catchphrase he repeatedly uses to help portray his path back to NBA action.

He braced for his Kings debut against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, his first game in a Sacramento uniform and first home game at Golden 1 Center. It was the team’s first game since the NBA All-Star break, but Fultz had stayed in Sacramento for a majority of the week-long hiatus to get acclimated to his new home.

Fultz repeatedly walked in and out of the locker room before the game, maybe by coincidence, maybe some pregame jitters. Most of all, though, he was thankful to see his name plaque in an NBA locker room. Thankful for the opportunity to sport “Kings” across his chest. Thankful for a chance to hoop. Thankful to play for a fanbase as receptive and passionate as the Kings’.

“Oh yeah. I know they’re super crazy,” Fultz told NBC Sports California of Sacramento fans. “Every time I played here, they’ve always been super loud. Always packed out. Even when they weren’t the best, they still came out and showed up. So I know one thing for sure is that they support their team and they love their team.

“I felt the love even without playing my first game. The atmosphere around, walking around, hearing people say they’re glad for me to be on the team to have opportunities. So I know they get to it.”

Fultz spent the last five seasons with the Orlando Magic. In the past two campaigns, his sixth and seventh in the league, he was part of a Magic squad that ranked fourth- and fifth-youngest in the league, respectively.

Less than one year later, he joins one of the oldest teams in the NBA by average player age with the Kings, led by 16-year veteran DeMar DeRozan, 35, eight-year pro Malik Monk, 27, 11-year guard Zach LaVine, soon-to-be 30, and nine-year pro Domantas Sabonis, 28.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/fultz-embracing-fresh-start-kings-132220144.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-02-26 13:22:00

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