Spencer Hawes reflects on the 2013 fight for the Sacramento Kings

But his tenure in Sacramento was short-lived.

“My time in Sacramento was, you know, it was a rough time for the franchise,” says Hawes. “I got traded after my third year, I didn’t feel a whole lot of allegiance…you know, after you get traded from a place.”

Hawes wasn’t shy about expressing his excitement about the possibilities of the Kings relocating to the Emerald City, either. KCRA 3 spoke with Hawes while producing our forthcoming documentary “Game On: Fight for the Kings.”

In 2013 he posted a series of tweets that read “Do you believe in Miracles” and “Pure. Joy.” when news came that Seattle was getting the Kings…his Supersonics were coming back.

“My reaction initially, if I could do it over again, I would have tempered it a little bit,” Hawes said with regret. “But, you know, that excitement of thinking you’re getting a sniff of getting the team back at that point only, what, six or seven years after they left now coming up on closer to 20? You know, that was the I think that was the little kid reacting as opposed to someone with obvious ties on both sides.”

While the Sonics did not return in 2013, Spencer remains cautiously optimistic for the day that they do.

“I’ve had to kind of temper myself now that’s like, Alright, until, until we see, you know, Adam Silver going out and making it official,” he says. “You know, let’s not put the cart ahead of the horse.”

KCRA 3’s documentary on the battle between Sacramento and Seattle for the NBA franchise, “Game On: Fight for the Kings,” premiered on Sunday, Oct. 8, after the 49ers/Cowboys game. You can now watch the full documentary here or on the free Very Local app.