Kings snap playoff drought, Republic FC historic debut, and March Madness: Top 2023 sports moments in Sacramento

(FOX40.COM) — 2023 provided many highlights for Sacramento sports fans.

The Sacramento Kings made its long awaited return to the playoffs, uniting the city to rally behind the team during it’s playoff run.
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Sacramento Republic FC had a great year of its own, entering the USL playoffs as the Western Conference’s top seed and nearly making it to the USL Championship Final.

Here is a recap of some of the year’s best sports moments in Sacramento.

Kings return to the playoffs 

For the first time in 17 years, there was an NBA playoff game in Sacramento.

The Kings broke the longest playoff drought in NBA history and in North American major sports.

In Mike Brown’s first year as coach, De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis orchestrated one of the league’s best offenses and leading the team to the Western Conference’s third best record at 48-34.

The Kings earned their first playoff victory in 17 years with a thrilling 124-123 victory in Game 1 of a first round series against the Golden State Warriors. Fox (38 points) and Malik Monk (32) lead the way for the Kings, scoring a combined 70 points.

The season officially ended for the resurgent Kings following a Game 7 home loss to the Warriors.

Fox and Sabonis became the first pair of Kings teammates to make the NBA All-Star Game since 2004. The pair were also named to the All-NBA Third Team, the first All-NBA selection for both players.

Fox also won the league’s inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award. Brown was unanimously named coach of the year and Keegan Murray, the fourth overall selection in the 2023 draft, was named to the All-Rookie First Team.

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Republic FC celebrates 10th anniversary

Although Republic FC fell short of a USL title, it was a historic season for the club nonetheless.

The club celebrated its 10th anniversary with a home match in August at Hughes Stadium at Sacramento City College, the venue where Republic FC hosted matches in its first year.

Fans showed out all season long, especially for the anniversary match, which recorded an attendance of over 20,000 fans filling the venue. The Republic FC lost the match to Orange County SC, but the club finished the season strong with the top seed of the Western Conference at 18-6-10.

Republic FC finished with the most home victories in its history at 11, ending the regular season with a 11-2-4 record at Heart Health Park. The club also set a club-record for goals in a season at 51 while also allowing the fewest goals in a single-season in its history at 26.

Goalkeeper Danny Vitello was named the USL Championship Goalkeeper of the Year after recording 11 shutouts and 82 saves, both of which are career-best.

Vitello also finished the 2023 season as the club’s all-time leader in clean sheets, recording 23 in 65 appearances in his first two seasons in Sacramento.

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Historic debut

Republic FC’s 10th anniversary season included the historic debut of 13-year-old Da’Vian Kimbrough.

The Woodland native entered an Oct. 1 match against the Las Vegas Lights FC in the 87th minute.

Kimbrough’s debut made him the youngest professional soccer player to play in a match. The 13-year-old made history earlier in the year when he signed his contract with Republic FC, making him the youngest professional athlete in the history of American team sports.

Made it to the league

Marte Mapu became the highest NFL Draft selection from Sacramento State when was taken 76th overall in the third round by the New England Patriots.

After taking the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year Award, Mapu, a linebacker, was the 12th player in school history to get drafted in the NFL. In the 2023 draft, Mapu was the first Big Sky Conference player off the board and the second FCS player selected.

In his rookie season, Mapu recorded his first career interception off Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Dec. 17. On Christmas Eve, Mapu caused another turnover, forcing a fumble that led to a Patriots touchdown against the Denver Broncos.

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March Madness comes to Sacramento

Some of the nation’s top college basketball teams made their way to the capital city for March Madness.

The Golden 1 Center hosted first and second round games of the Men’s NCAA Tournament, bringing thousands of college basketball fans to Sacramento.

In the first and second round games, Princeton busted brackets across the country as the South Region’s No. 15.

The Tigers upset the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats 59-55 in the first round and followed that performance with a 78-63 victory over No. 7 Missouri, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1967.

As a Final Four favorite on many brackets, UCLA, No. 2 seed in the West Region, began their tournament run in Sacramento with a 86-53 victory over No. 15 UNC Asheville. The Bruins, led by future NBA first round draft pick Jaime Jaquez Jr., advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a 68-63 victory over No. 7 Northwestern.

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Global event comes to Sacramento

In July, Sacramento hosted the Homeless World Cup, the first time the international tournament was held in the United States.

The 18th edition of the street soccer tournament featured nearly 400 athletes representing 40 countries. Players who were involved in the tournament have either face homelessness or are refugees.

Mexico took home the first place trophy for the women’s tournament. The men’s tournament resulted in Chile taking first place.

Sacramento State goes dancing

For the first time in program history, the Sacramento State women’s basketball team made it the NCAA Division I Tournament.

The Hornets earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Big Sky Conference tournament in Boise, Idaho. Sac State drew the No. 13 seed in Greenville Region 1 and faced a tough Pac-12 opponent in the 4-seeded UCLA Bruins in the first round.

Sac State’s historic season ended with a 67-45 loss to UCLA in Los Angeles. Despite the disappointing end, the Hornets became the first squad in program history with 20 wins in a single season.

The Hornets finished the 2022-23 regular season at 22-7.

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Local high schools win state championships

High schools in the Sacramento area finished their football seasons as state champions.

Folsom won its fifth state title and first since 2018 with 20-14 victory over St. Bonaventure in the CIF Division 1-A game.

Woodland Christian finished its best season in program history with a win over Banning in Division 5-A game. The 15-0 Cardinals also won their first Sac-Joaquin Section title in program history in November.

Colusa completed an undefeated 14-0 season with a 33-17 victory over Sweetwater in the Division 6-A game.

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