How Monk’s Kings re-signing shows NBA can be more than business

How Monk’s Kings re-signing shows NBA can be more than business originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Born and raised more than 2,000 miles away, Malik Monk has found a new home in Sacramento.

It was one of the main reasons the Arkansas native decided to take less money elsewhere in NBA free agency and re-sign with the Kings.

“It felt like home here,” Monk told reporters Saturday in Sacramento. “It just felt right. Everything felt right. I don’t go anywhere and feel uncomfortable. I go everywhere and feel comfortable — and that’s a home.

“So I’m back.”

Back with the widest of arms open from Kings fans and the entire city of Sacramento, whom most already had accepted his departure in the open market this summer.

But that exact warmth from the fan base is what drew him back to the 916. And it didn’t take two full seasons for Sacramento to quickly love and adore Monk.

Even as “the new guy” during the 2022-23 NBA season, the fan base needed just over a week to have Monk’s back and rock band-aids across their face in support of his trendy post-injury look.

After a rough start to his NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets, the Los Angeles Lakers rolled the dice on Monk and it paid off for both sides.

He entered free agency in 2022 and reunited with fellow Kentucky Wildcat and close friend De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento, reviving something special in his pro career while simultaneously doing the same to Kings basketball in Sacramento.

But after playing the best basketball of his NBA career in his two seasons with the Kings, it was time for Sacramento’s beloved sixth man to spread his wings and fly, and as difficult as it was to imagine him playing for another team, fans knew that after the journey he had been on, it’s what he deserved.

Even though he never actually hit the open market this month, he said it was a refreshing feeling to finally feel and be wanted.

“It felt good,” he said. “It felt good cause I was never in this situation before. It felt good to sit back and relax and let my agents do the work instead of me putting in overtime, trying to see if I’d have a job. It’s just a great feeling. I don’t…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/monks-kings-signing-shows-nba-175716984.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-07-09 17:57:16

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