Fansided

Every NBA team’s biggest celebrity fan

By Brendon Kleen

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 22: Beyonce and Jay Z laugh during the game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on January 22, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 22: Beyonce and Jay Z laugh during the game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on January 22, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 23: The Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj attends the Comedy Central Press Day on May 23, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Comedy Central)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 23: The Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj attends the Comedy Central Press Day on May 23, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Comedy Central) /

Sacramento Kings: Hasan Mihnaj

I didn’t know Mihnaj was a Kings fan until The Ringer started doing a bunch of stuff highlighting his fandom. But it’s actually for real. The dude can go basket by basket through the 2002 Western Conference Finals, one of the most controversial NBA Playoffs series of all time. Considering that’s one of the only important Kings moments in their entire history as a basketball team, it makes sense, but it still proves he’s for real.

Mihnaj has exploded onto the cultural scene over the past year or so, first as a reporter for Trevor Noah’s Daily Show and then as a stand-up act. He is remarkably in tune with the way that people interact with their world and their culture. Even though he is mostly associated with politics, he has the great gift of being able to find humor in things we take for granted.

The comedian was born in Northern California, and identifies as a pick-and-stick fan. That means you ride or die with the team whose fandom you were born into, no matter what. Listen to Mihnaj speak, and you’ll start to understand how much he actually resembles a real-life Kings fan. It’s not a shtick.

This year, Mihnaj also had the opportunity to host the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C. It raised his profile even higher, and made it even more wild that he hasn’t yet dropped his Kings fandom. For someone in the limelight so much, it must be difficult to be identified with such a hopeless franchise. He might not agree on the hopelessness though:

According to Mihnaj, the jury is still out on the DeMarcus Cousins deal. He describes the Kings’ long-term relationship with Cousins like that between a boy and a girl, basically arguing that it had run stale. Not a lot of people will be monitoring the Kings’ youth movement, but we know that at least Mihnaj will be.

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