DALLAS – When Quincy Acy started for the Sacramento Kings last night against the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center, it marked the second time the Mesquite Horn and Baylor product had started against the team he grew up rooting for.
Acy, 25, is in his second stint with the Kings after previously playing for the Toronto Raptors, who made him a second-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and then the New York Knicks.
And even though the Kings lost a heartbreaker in double overtime – with the Mavs going on an 8-0 run the last minute-plus of the second extra frame – Acy was still honored to again start at the AAC and managed a season-high twelve points and six rebounds in 16:05 minutes of floor time.
“It meant a lot. Growing up, catching a couple games here, I never thought I’d be in position to be able to play in this arena. It’s just a dream come true and a blessing,” Acy said.
Acy estimated that he had about 20 people in his cheering section for the first of the Kings’ two visits to Victory Avenue this season. Sacramento will return 
to Dallas on March 3, a game which will be billed as Rajon Rondo’s first game in Big D since the 2015 playoffs, when he was suspended for one game and was basically sent packing.
Rondo didn’t play on Tuesday due to injury, but thus far Acy has been impressed by what the veteran point guard who won an NBA title in 2008 with the Boston Celtics has brought to a young Kings roster.
“Rondo gets us going. We’ve got some guys that have won championships, so that’s good…some leadership in the locker room like Caron (Butler). We got a lot of veteran guys and guys that are hungry, so the sky’s the limit for us,” Acy said.
Acy signed with the Kings last July and despite being with Sacramento for not all that long, he has already made quite an impression on head coach George Karl, one of the top head coaches in NBA history.
“[I love] his energy,” Karl said. “He gives you a blue-collar worker every game, an attitude that has a smile on his face and presents himself in a positive way.”
But before landing in Sac-town for a second stint (he previously played there after being traded by the Raptors in Dec. 2013), Acy spent one season in the Big Apple with the Knicks, which was an interesting experience for the young native Texan.
“[I learned] just never take where you come from for granted, it’s a whole different world out there. Not in a bad way, it was a good experience, but I just love where I come from,” Acy said.
But now he’s back in Sacramento, hopefully this time to stay.
“Yeah, I know what he (Karl) expects and I try to bring that every time I step on the court. I love it here. Hopefully this is home,” Acy said.
