Kings ink jersey patch deal with Dialpad

Dialpad and Sacramento are linked to a multi-year partnership.

The Sacramento Kings will no longer be without a jersey patch. This morning, the team announced that they’ll be displaying a new name on their jersey patches in a multi-year partnership with Dialpad, voice intelligence company geared toward business communications.

In a statement given by Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, the team is looking to expand upon their social justice initiatives and reach the Sacramento community at large. Dialpad and the Kings will use their partnership to launch an after-school tech program for aspiring young entrepreneurs in the Sacramento area called “The Huddle Lab”.

The Huddle Lab will be “a technology room for after-school programs and will include computers, software, and TVs with the goal of encouraging and empowering the next generation of young entrepreneurs,” per the Sacramento Kings’ release.

The Kings will also use Dialpad for their Capitalize program, where youth between the ages of 14-22 who are interested in careers in sports and technology will have the opportunity to engage with the Sacramento Kings and NBA executives via the voice intelligence platform.

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I’m excited that the Kings will continue to grow upon their support of small businesses that bloomed so evidently at the start of the pandemic. Per the release, Dialpad CEO Craig Walker is a Northern California native. It’s no suprise that Ranadive’s background aligns with such a tech-heavy emphasis this season. Heck, we pay our players in crypto if they want!

I’m getting a little less “Farm to Fork” and a little more “Silicon Valley Jr.” from this pairing. As the season progresses, we’ll be able to see this ‘new wave’ of the technology partnership come to fruition. Although I’m sad to see Blue Diamond Almonds will not return to Sacramento’s jerseys like I thought that they would, this partnership seems to be doing more for our youth and the community as a whole.