Copyright CBS News
The defending G-League champion Stockton Kings are bringing more than basketball to Stockton. The team hung their 2024-25 championship banner into the rafters on Saturday's home opener and hopes to continue that mentality into the community. "They put us on the map," Tanya Anderson, Stockton Kings season ticket holder, said. A 45-minute drive down Interstate 5 from their NBA team Sacramento Kings, the Stockton Kings offer opportunities for families to get together on and off the court. "This arena's here, the heart of the city, downtown Stockton," Tony Gladney, Stockton Kings MC and in-arena host, said. "We have a bunch of different things around here that are historical to not only Stockton but to the state, this country, that you can learn right here." Gladney has been around since the team's inception in 2018 and does community work with a non-profit. "Oh, man, this team means so much to our city," Gladney said. "I think, in a place especially where Stockton, the way the community is, the way people can look at this community, this is something that really just kind of brings us together and central to our community, whether it be sports, fun, family time, anything like that, and it's good, affordable family fun right here. This means so much to have them coming in here off the championship, what more can we ask for?" Gladney said tickets are as low as $10 for families. Affordable family fun, especially for Anderson, who was born and raised in Stockton and brought her grandkids, first-grader Amaya and kindergartner Legend, to Sunday's game. "I like the fact that I can't afford to travel to go see the Sacramento Kings, so this makes it perfect for me and the family just to come locally," Anderson said. Anderson's been a season ticket holder ever since this team tipped off in 2018. "This means so much to our community," Anderson said. "Just even the championship last year, it really just brought us all together." Kason went to Sunday's game with his dad, Danny Ma. It was their second time attending a Stockton Kings game. "This team means a lot to the community," Ma said. "For the kids, for the adults, everybody out here." Angelique Vories, a Manteca resident, didn't like basketball before this, but she comes with her boyfriend, Isaiah Victor, a Lathrop resident. Voires said she puts her phone down during these games to watch. "Every time you hear Stockton, it's never anything good," Vories said. "So, it's like having this community is so much better because people actually want to come to Stockton instead of trying to run away from Stockton. There's so much stuff to Stockton from what you guys see online. There's a lot of food places out here, there's all this community that you guys are missing out on when you just see the bad stuff." "It's just giving it a good name. I think it's something that the state needs and the community needs something like that," Victor said. Laniyah Larue was born and raised in Stockton said these games get a lot of people out of the house. "We're champions. It gets a lot of kids out of the house, they have a lot of events for school and stuff like that, I think it's good, I think it's good for the community," Larue said. "They do giveaways, they give away tickets all the time, it's good stuff. They had a movie showing last season, it's good." Larue is a season ticket holder and was repping the "209", Stockton's area code, sporting a Stockton Kings 209 chain at the game. "Because that's where I'm from," Larue said. "You should never be ashamed of where you're from. That's what made you…I think it's a great place. They give us a bad name but not everybody's like that. I feel like every place has a bad area." And in a day and age where there's divisiveness, left and right, a team like the Stockton Kings, embedded in the community, can help bring people together. "Well, one, very base level, sports is a great conversation-starter, like you said, it brings communities together," Gladney said. "And not only different cultural backgrounds, different age levels. Sports also transcends, like you said, a lot of different cultures, a lot of different barriers and at a time, as you mentioned, where things can be a little bit tough, can be a little bit of friction, to be able to come here, it's almost like a release. It's kind of like, you can let your guard down because you know that we do have a common goal. We want our teams to win. But you can just bond over sports." Anderson also said she likes that the team partners with a lot of non-profits in Stockton and that "they really make a presence, especially for the little kids." Her grandkids' favorite part about the game is, of course, the basketball, along with so much more. For Amaya, it's the fireworks and for Legend, those burgers. The Stockton Kings ended up winning, 117-108, over the San Diego Clippers on Sunday, improving to 1-1 after splitting their home opening weekend series with the Clippers. Their next home game is on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. vs. the Valley Suns. "They brought us that championship and no one's taking it back," Anderson said. "We're going to get it again this year. We're going to hold on to it. Okay? And it's just amazing. I really love the Kings. [Stockton] does have a negative rep, but we're going to take care of that. We're going to squash that and bring us another championship."
