The Sacramento Kings are a testament to organizational instability so strong that they’ve changed the way a family perceives the color spectrum. Mike Malone, currently head coach of the Denver Nuggets, hasn’t worn worn purple since the Kings fired him for head-scratching reasons, and neither has his family.
“I have not (worn purple since the firing),” Malone said recently on an ESPN podcast, as relayed by USA Today. “And what I really love about that is I haven’t, it’s my wife’s favorite color, she hasn’t, and my daughters haven’t. It’s almost become taboo, forbidden in our household… It’s really funny though. I had a bunch of purple ties and stuff, because you try to work in your home colors, but I think I donated them to the national suit drive last year.”
The Kings haven’t really recovered from the shock of the Malone firing nearly two years ago, as star center DeMarcus Cousins knows all too well. Malone was dropped at a moment when the Kings had more identity and momentum that at any other point in Cousins’ young but drama-rich NBA career, and since then they haven’t been able to revive the positive energy they rode through mid December of 2014. Here’s to hoping new coach Dave Joerger can help bring new pride to the color purple in 2016-17.
(via The Lowe Post, h/t USA Today)
