SACRAMENTO – Nique Clifford certainly was surprised to be taken by the Kings in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft for an obvious reason – the Beam Team didn’t even have a pick in the first round to begin with.
Then, as Clifford explained, a little divine intervention took place.
A long-time Kobe Bryant fan growing up in Colorado, Clifford chose to wear a purple jacket on draft night as an homage to his mother and grandmother. It is their favorite color.
Following a surprising trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder that netted the Kings the No. 24 overall pick – Bryant made the No. 24 jersey famous during his Hall of Fame career – first-year Kings general manager Scott Perry moved quickly and used the selection to nab Clifford, a two-way wing player who has all the makings of an immediate impact player at Golden 1 Center.
“It’s all God,” Clifford told reporters via Zoom after his selection. “Kobe, my favorite player of all time, then choosing to wear purple, my mama and my grandmama’s favorite color and ended up in a purple hat.
“It just worked out too perfect. I can’t be more thankful.”
That was a sentiment shared by many within the Kings’ organization that is caught between trying to remain a contender while also trying to rebuild.
Heading into the draft, the Kings' most glaring need was at point guard, but without a first-round pick, there was uncertainty about which direction the team would take.
Perry, hired this offseason after the Kings parted ways with Monte McNair, worked quietly behind the scenes to get something done.
There were rumors about a possible deal in the hours leading up to the draft, though nothing leaked out and it wasn’t until the deal was announced on television that anyone knew what was happening.
That included Clifford himself.
“I didn’t expect to be in SacTown at all,” he said. “That was probably one of the least-expected I thought just because they didn’t have a pick in the first round. Definitely surprised me, but I was super excited. I got to meet with them at the combine and build a relationship.
“I’m super-excited to get there and get to work and be a part of that culture.”
The culture with the Kings now is being shaped largely by coach Doug Christie, who took over on an interim basis after Mike Brown was fired early during the 2024-25 NBA season before getting the full-time gig in May.
Ironically, Christie – a defensive menace and a fan favorite during the Kings’ heyday in the early 2000s – is the one player whom NBA scouts have most often compared Clifford to.
“I’ve heard that comp before,” Clifford said. “I’m super-excited to go there and learn from him, get to pick his brain because he was such a great player. But I need to do homework honestly and watch film. I need to do my research. I’m somewhat familiar with his game. But I definitely want to watch more, start to learn from him now, especially because I’m going to be working with him every day.”
The fact that the Kings traded away a portion of their future – a protected first-round pick in 2027 – in order to draft Clifford made a definitive impression on the 6-foot-5 wing.
“It’s so much love. I got the ultimate respect and appreciation for them to even consider doing that,” Clifford said. “That just shows the belief they have in me, and it just makes me want to give everything I got to the organization.
“I’m going to spend so much time in that gym and just try to perfect my craft and out on the best performance every night being a consistent dude for the team. I have a great knowledge for the game and a great understanding of how to play the right way.”
If all goes according to plan, Clifford plans on doing plenty of celebrating at Golden 1.
“A great culture to be a part of,” he said. “I’ve heard the fan base is crazy. I want to light that beam a lot of times.”
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