Top rookies Darius Acuff Jr. and Mikel Brown Jr. will go head-to-head when the Sacramento Kings face the Brooklyn Nets on the first day of the California Classic on Saturday at Golden 1 Center.
Unfortunately for the Kings, their other recent first-round draft pick won’t be able to participate in the three-day event after going down with an ankle injury.
An MRI showed that rookie Alex Karaban suffered a right ankle sprain when he landed on another player’s foot after contesting a shot during a scrimmage at the end of Thursday’s practice. The team said Karaban will be reevaluated in one week.
Sacramento Kings 2026 NBA draft pick Alex Karaban listens to a question during an introductory news conference at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Monday, June 29, 2026. PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com
Karaban was selected with the 29th pick in last week’s NBA draft. The Kings made a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers to acquire Karaban’s draft rights in exchange for two second-round picks.
Karaban, 23, is a 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward who appeared in three NCAA championship games at UConn. He helped the Huskies win back-to-back NCAA championships in 2023 and 2024. The Huskies reached the championship game again this year before losing to Michigan.
Karaban earned first-team All-Big East Conference honors as a senior this season. He averaged 13.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 46.4% from the field and 37.4% from 3-point range.
Karaban will miss all three games in the California Classic, but he could return for the NBA Summer League, which will be held July 9-19 in Las Vegas.
This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 4:44 PM.
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Jason Anderson has been the Sacramento Kings beat writer for The Sacramento Bee since 2018. He is a Sacramento native who is proud to provide coverage that is as passionate and dedicated as the loyal Kings fan base.