Alex Karaban landed in California's capital city on Sunday, ready for his first day on the job with the Sacramento Kings. He arrives as the No. 29 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, part of a class tasked with helping to turn around the franchise.

The former UConn captain was greeted at Sacramento International Airport by Kings personnel, and he still looked very much like a college kid. He had on a black sweatshirt embroidered at the neck with "Kings" in white. Karaban's backpack, however, was a throwback to Connecticut, with the UConn logo stitched on it.

As he and Kings staff rode down the escalator toward the baggage claim area, Karaban was met by a crowd of fans chanting "SAC-RA-MEN-TO." Some fans banged cowbells, a hallmark at the team's home arena since 2002 when then-Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson called Sacramento a "cow town."

Many wore purple Kings jerseys and T-shirts. Karaban signed autographs, took photos with fans, exchanged handshakes and high fives.

Karaban, 23, told KCRA, the NBC affiliate in Sacramento, that he was ready to get started, and he clearly was moved by the welcoming committee.

"It's awesome. Super welcoming," he told the TV station. "It's really like my first time in Sacramento, too, so I'm super excited to be here. Meet all the fans. Get the full experience. Extremely warm welcome, so I'm happy to be here.

UConn fans undoubtedly will keep their eyes on the box scores to see how Karaban is faring with Sacramento. He is so beloved in the state that it wouldn't be a surprise for a Connecticut chapter of a Kings fan club to spring up in Storrs.

Throughout the pre-draft process, UConn head coach Dan Hurley trumpeted Karaban as the ultimate winner, and that's something the Kings need. Desperately.

The Kings finished the 2025-26 season with a 22-60 record, riddled with injuries to key players.

All-Star center Damontas Sabonis played in just 19 games before a knee injury cost him the rest of the season. Guard Zach LaVine, also a two-time All-Star, saw his season end after 39 games because of a hand injury. Forward Keegan Murray averaged 14.0 poins per game but was limited to 23 games due to a season-ending ankle injury.

Guard DeMar DeRozan, who will turn 37 before the start of the 2026-27 season, averaged 18.4 points over 77 games last season. Still, as the Kings rebuild, DeRozan is expected to be traded or released before the start of the season. Other veterans also could be moved.

Karaban is accustomed to postseason runs with UConn, and playoffs are not guaranteed for the Kings. Once a playoff staple in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Kings have made one appearance in the NBA playoffs since 2005. That was a first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors in 2023.

The Kings have one NBA championship in their history, with that coming in 1951 when the franchise was known as the Rochester Royals.

Hurley credited Karaban as the driving force behind a Huskies program that won back-to-back national championships in the forward's sophomore and junior seasons. The Kings moved up five spots in the draft to select Karaban, likely to bring a player who knows how to win into the building.

"This guy changed my life, the staff's lives, the joy he's brought to the university, the fan base," Hurley said after UConn dropped the national championship game to Michigan in April.

"His decision to come to UConn has made us ... we're probably the premier program in college basketball right now, having been to three out of four national championship games, having won two of them. He's put UConn in that rarefied place in college basketball."

Karaban will be counted on to infuse his winning attitude into a franchise accustomer to losing. He is the winningest player in UConn history.

The Kings also selected guard Darius Acuff Jr. with the No. 7 pick in the draft. He played one season at Arkansas and was the player of the year and rookie of the year in the Southeastern Conference, averaging 23.5 points, 6.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds. • 

With the No. 45 pick, the Kings selected Houston guard Emanuel Sharp, who averaged 15.5 points, 1.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds, for the Cougars.

Sacramento has decisions to make about DeRozan and other veterans before the season starts. If the Kings' brass decides to go with a full youth movement, they already have on the roster promising center Maxime Raynaud, who averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds. 

All three rookies arrived in Sacramento on Sunday.

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