NBA: Travelling like Kings...thanks to Air Drake

MUMBAI: As far as travel arrangements for its historic trip to India are concerned, the Sacramento Kings is certainly living up to its name.

Going all out in its quest to make this week's 19-hour journey from the American West Coast as smooth and comfortable as possible, the NBA^[2] franchise, owned by Mumbai-born businessman Vivek Ranadive, will be chartering an additional aircraft for its players and coaching staff members. And not just any additional aircraft, but a massive Boeing 767-200ER belonging to Grammy Award-winning Canadian rap artist - Drake!

"Out of consideration for the comfort of the players, given the travel time required to make this historic trip to India, the Kings finalised an additional aircraft for the players and several members of the coaching staff," the Kings said in a statement as quoted by sports website The Athletic.

'Air Drake' used to be a cargo jet which was completely refurbished to suit the needs of its famous owner. It is reportedly worth $185 million, an amount reflected in its plush interiors which include a bedroom, two living rooms and gold walls.

Due to take on Indiana Pacers^[3] in two official pre-season games at the NSCI here on October 4 and 5, travelling in such luxury will surely help the Kings adjust well to the 12 1/2-hour time difference.

"They wanted to get the best available option and they nailed it," said Luke Walton, Kings head coach. "I haven't been on the plane but I've seen it. I made sure we saved some of those seats for some of the coaching staff, not just the players."
Kings guard De'Aaron Fox also expressed his delight at the special arrangement while speaking to reporters at the team's media day event in Sacramento. "I've seen pictures, I've seen some videos," said Fox, adding: "It's definitely a cool plane from the outside-in. It's dope. If y'all haven't seen the inside of the plane, y'all gotta see it."
Kings forward Marvin Bagley III, said the long journey presented him with a good opportunity to work on his own well documented rapping skills. "I might have to write another album on that 18-hour flight. It's going to be a long one. I'm definitely going to have my pen and pad ready," he said.
Prior to landing in Mumbai on the 2nd, the Kings are scheduled to make a brief stopover in Agra to visit the Taj Mahal.
^[1][4]

References

1. ^{^} Sacramento Kings (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
2. ^{^} NBA (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
3. ^{^} Indiana Pacers (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
4. ^{^} Luke Walton (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

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