How Buddy joined NBA history in Kings’ season-opening win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 2020-21 NBA season couldn’t have started more exciting for the Kings. From De’Aaron Fox’s incredible block to Buddy Hield tipping in the game-winner to beat the Denver Nuggets 124-122 in overtime, Game 1 was incredible for Sacramento.
Not only did Hield give Kings fans everywhere a totally acceptable reason to scream for all the right reasons, he also joined some rare NBA history. Hield became just the eighth player ever to hit a game-winning buzzer-beater in their team’s season opener.
Hield’s game-winning buzzer-beater was the Kings’ first in franchise history in a season opener. It also was the first time the rare feat happened since Damien Wilkins did so for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009-10 season.
Hield’s offseason mostly was filled with friction when it came to his future with the Kings. He wasn’t happy after losing his starting role last season, and his name was featured in plenty of offseason trade rumors. And then, the Kings used their first-round pick on yet another guard.
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But all that was put aside in Sacramento’s season opener. Hield started, played 41 minutes and scored a team-high 22 points in the win while nailing five 3-pointers. If the Kings want to end their playoff drought, they’ll need a lot out of Hield, and the start to his season couldn’t have gone much better.
After one game, Hield’s name is in the record books with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Kings are in the win column. It doesn’t get much better than that.
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