Kings vet Harrison Barnes earned a ring last week
The Sacramento Kings haven’t won an NBA championship since 1951, when they were known as the Rochester Royals, but Harrison Barnes kind of earned a ring last week.
The Kings introduced a new bell at their practice facility to reward players for contributions that might not appear on the stat sheet.
Barnes earned the first ring after taking a charge in practice. Unfortunately, the bell broke shortly after, but it was quickly replaced.
“We want to reward players and bring recognition to the guys that do good things for the team,” said Kings assistant coach Jay Triano while being interviewed by head coach Mike Brown.
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“I know there’s a history with Sacramento and bells. [We’re] trying to bring the bell back to Sacramento,” Triano added.
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Sacramento’s bell culture began in 2002 after former Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson called Sacramento an “old cow town.” Fans responded by bringing cowbells to home games during the 2002 Western Conference finals series.
More recently, the Kings further embraced the term in 2016 when Golden 1 Center, their new arena, opened up. It features a 3-foot cowbell in a hall between the locker room and the court.