Sacramento police monitor a Black Lives Matter protest outside of the Golden 1 Center on March 27, 2018 in Sacramento. Black Lives Matter protesters took to the streets as hundreds packed a special city council at Sacramento City Hall to address concerns over the shooting death of Stephon Clark by Sacramento police. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Sports & Politics Intersect: Kings engage community as protests leave arena empty

By Phillip Barnett, Fidel Martinez, Jason Clinkscales | Last updated 3/30/18

"We're allowed to protest and they're allowed to do what they do out there, and as basketball players, majority of us African American in the league, we understand what's going on out there.” - Kings forward JaKarr Sampson on the Stephon Clark protests

The NBA continues to find itself at the intersection of sports and politics, and this week we pick up on the story that saw protesters gather outside of the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento to prevent fans from entering the arena.

The protesters are calling for justice for Stephon Clark, who was gunned down in the backyard of his grandmother’s house. Violent footage and reports saying that Clark only had a cellphone enraged the community.

Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé gave a speech to Kings fans showing solidarity with the community while Kings and Celtics players wore shirts that read “Accountability. We Are One.” across the front.

These efforts, however, did not stop protesters from preventing fans from entering another Kings home game on Tuesday night, which saw estimates of only 4,000 people in attendance.

Instead of fighting the protesters, the NBA community has turned to working with them. The Sacramento Kings announced a partnership with Build. Black. Coalition and the Sacramento chapter of Black Lives Matter "to support the education of young people and to provide the workforce preparation and economic development efforts."

Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg praised the move, saying, “It is clear to me and I know the Kings that there remains a huge gulf between the exciting Sacramento renaissance and the daily struggles experienced by so many in our communities, especially communities of color. The Kings’ actions are a real step towards addressing those underlying issues and connecting the excitement and vitality in downtown to our neighborhoods, which is exactly what motivated me to run for mayor.”

Support for the community has come from the players as well. DeMarcus Cousins and Matt Barnes offered to pay for Stephon Clark’s funeral while Barnes is set to host a rally for Clark and hopes to see players from both the Kings and Warriors this coming Saturday.

Back at Golden 1 Center, the scene in the arena returned to normal Thursday night as fans were able to fill the seats in part because of the abnormal scene outside; barricades and officers in riot gear around the outer perimeter of the venue prevented anyone without a ticket from getting near the gates.

Basketball has come a long way in its efforts to show support for unarmed black men and women who were gunned down by the police. From previously fining WNBA players for wearing “Black Lives Matter” T-shirts to LeBron James posting Instagram photos of himself and teammates posing with hoodies, the hoops community continues to show growth and maturity in dealings with off-the-court social issues. It’s clear the league has become more proactive in supporting players’ rights to voice their opinions, something not every league has felt comfortable doing presently.

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This week in sports and politics history: Soviet hockey makes its Cold War debut in NHL

Sovfoto/UIG via Getty Images

''Sergei is a pioneer. They're sending him here to test the waters, to see how things go.'' - Cliff Fletcher, Calgary Flames' former president and general manager

This week marks the 29th anniversary of the first legally sanctioned Soviet player joining the National Hockey League. On March 29, 1989, the Calgary Flames signed Sergei Pryakhin, formerly of the Soviet Wings, to a $125,000 a year contract. To be clear, he wasn't the first Soviet player to play in the NHL — that distinction belongs to Viktor Nechayev, who defected in 1982 and played three games for the Los Angeles Kings. But Pryakhin was the first player to be allowed to leave by the Soviet Ice Hockey Federation.

Pryakhin was sent to the NHL as an experiment by the Soviets to venture into a new frontier. He wasn't their best player, and his presence didn't make a huge impact for the Calgary Flames—though they did win the Stanley Cup that year, Pryakhin hadn't play enough games with the team to have his name etched on the trophy.

Pryakhin's venture into the NHL paved the way for bigger things to come. His coming over led to the arrival of the "Russian Five" in Detroit, who are largely responsible for the Red Wings winning the Stanley Cup in 1997. Beyond that, Pryakhin's signing with Calgary also meant the arrival of the possession-focused Soviet style of play to the NHL, which has since become the norm.

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