'We made history': Stockton Kings celebrate NBA G League title with fans at Adventist Health Arena

A sea of black and purple filled the Adventist Health Arena as coaches, fans and players gathered to celebrate the Stockton Kings' historic NBA G League title on Saturday.Hundreds of fans welcomed head coach Quinton Crawford, NBA G League Finals MVP Mason Jones, and the entire team back to Stockton for an afternoon of fun.Fans had the opportunity to take photos with the NBA G League and Western Conference Championship trophies at no cost.

Children were treated to free balloon artistry, free face painting and activities in the Kids Zone, including coloring on the arena's coloring wall and games.The Kings, the NBA G League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings, earned the first NBA G League title in franchise history on April 14 at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Fla.

Stockton defeated the Osceola Magic 118-110 in Game 3 of the NBA G League Finals after trailing throughout most of the game.

The Kings had fallen behind by as much as 15 points in the second quarter, but they rallied in the fourth to finally take the lead with 9:07 left to play.Both teams were tied 95-all with just under five minutes left to play.

However, Skal Labissiere's drained three-pointer allowed the Kings to break away from the Magic for good.

They never looked back as the clock ticked down and history was made."This fanbase has been tremendous all year, and I'm glad we gave them something to cheer about," Crawford said during Saturday's celebration.

"I'm happy for the city, happy for the community, and happy for everybody who has come out to support us every night because they really fueled us throughout the course of the season.

This is as much our award as their award."Jones, who was named the NBA G League Finals MVP after averaging 30.4 points and 8.4 assists in the playoffs, said the team's victory felt surreal."It means a lot," Jones said.

"We made history.

We're the first team ever to win a championship in Stockton's history so that means a lot by itself right there, but just to see what we did for the community and what the community did for us, it means more can be done."Carrie Walker, who was representing the Kings with team apparel, took part in the festivities with her 7-year-old nephew Jax Lee.

Walker said she has been an avid supporter of the Kings since the team first started calling Stockton home in 2018."I am a proud Stocktonian through and through, and I've got to support the team," Walker said.

"I've been a die-hard Kings fan since the minute they moved here and I've supported them through everything."Walker said she also follows college basketball and a lot of the Kings players have gone straight from college to the G League."I'm pinching myself any time I get to see these guys," Walker said, adding that she was happy to see the community come together to celebrate the team's victory.It was a sentiment echoed by District 3 Councilmember Michael Blower, who donned a black Kings cap and brought out his cowbells as he cheered on the champions."It was just a magical season," Blower said.

"I was fortunate to go to quite a few games and watch the team and follow them very closely this season, and you couldn't have asked for a more exciting playoff run."Blower said the Kings showed a tremendous amount of heart when they rallied to get the win in Game 3, and it was wonderful to see the fans celebrate with the players."It was so nice to see people have something positive to get excited about," Blower said after Saturday's celebration.

"There's a lot of good things that go on in Stockton and it's nice when we can celebrate them."Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County.

She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @byhannahworkman.

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