In early February, Derrick Jones Jr. withdrew from this year's dunk contest due to injury. His replacement was a young player named Hamidou Diallo.
It seemed like a foregone conclusion—until Han Sen's memories started to return. He remembered that in "history," Diallo had actually won the dunk contest this year. So during the prep phase, Han loaded Mitchell up with as many creative ideas as possible.
Sure enough, the result was exactly as expected: with Han acting as assistant and creative director, plus Mitchell's high-flying explosiveness as a small guard, he edged out Diallo in the finals to claim the 2019 Dunk Contest title.
That sealed it—the Kings swept the Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest, and Dunk Contest. They were the biggest winners of All-Star Saturday.
This wave of wins shifted the spotlight toward the young core surrounding Han Sen. People started to realize: this group might actually be for real.
The final day of All-Star Weekend featured the main event—the All-Star Game, the most anticipated event of the weekend.
As the host, Michael Jordan made a rare appearance at the All-Star venue, and joining him was someone who hadn't been seen publicly in a long time: Kobe Bryant.
Two retired legendary shooting guards, finally in the same frame again.
Both looked visibly bulkier—a reminder that post-retirement weight gain was almost unavoidable, no matter what path a former player took.
During warmups, Kobe came over to chat with Han Sen.
He had something to share: not long ago, he accepted FIBA's invitation to become an ambassador for this year's FIBA World Cup in China.
This meant that come summer, he'd be courtside for the entire tournament.
After warmups, the official All-Star introductions began. Even though this was technically the East's home court, Han still took the spotlight as the final player introduced—igniting the entire Spectrum Center.
When the greatest player in history returns to the court where that man once ruled, it becomes something special on its own.
But once the game tipped off, the biggest spotlight didn't land on Han—it landed on… LeBron James.
We need to talk about Durant's starting lineup: Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis.
When Han was drafting his team, he didn't think much of it. But looking at the actual matchup now, something felt oddly familiar.
That's right—Kyrie, Harden, and Durant were the Nets' Big Three.
Clearly, the only reason these three could ever play together was due to their close relationships off the court.
Kyrie and KD, obviously. Harden and KD, even more obvious.
Durant was the glue guy—and at this moment, the three of them were totally aligned.
And the result? They completely froze LeBron out.
You had one guy who'd once gone on record saying, "No one wants to play with LeBron."
Another who was publicly clowned by LeBron with the "you just wanna drink Han Sen's bathwater" quote.
And a third who got roped into their clique by default.
This had to be LeBron's most humiliating All-Star appearance yet. Worse than last year—at least then, he was a captain and had some say in how the ball moved.
This year? He was just running back and forth, chasing the action.
On Han's side, they started by feeding the hometown hero Kemba Walker, but he couldn't quite find his rhythm.
This year's All-Star starting pool was probably the strongest in years. For a small guard like Kemba, there just wasn't much room to operate.
Coach Steve Kerr ended up subbing in Klay Thompson for Kemba.
Now it was the Splash Brothers + Han Sen + Giannis + Jokic. The Nets Trio might've brought the firepower, but they couldn't match this squad's sheer dominance.
The gap in talent was too big. What fans hoped would be a nail-biter in the fourth turned into a routine win—Han's team cruised to a 172–160 victory.
Han Sen put up 36 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists—earning his fourth career All-Star MVP and becoming the first player in NBA history to post a 30-point triple-double in an All-Star Game.
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After All-Star Weekend, Han returned to Sacramento to prep for the second half of the season.
Leading up to the break, the 2019 NBA trade deadline had featured a lot of action.
The Kings made one of the biggest moves: they sent away Willie Cauley-Stein, Iman Shumpert, Bogdan Bogdanović, and a future first-round pick to steal Marc Gasol from the Grizzlies.
Well—"steal" was the right word. The Grizzlies had originally agreed to a deal with Toronto, but former Memphis GM Chris Wallace used his personal connections to catch wind of it, then offered a better package. The Kings swooped in and closed the deal.
And Wallace? He was only with the Kings because Vlade Divac had been let go for making one too many "genius" trades.
So in a way, Divac—once a Kings legend—still ended up doing the team a favor.
Of course, Wallace had checked with Han Sen first before finalizing the deal.
Even though Han brought him in, nothing big happened in Sacramento without the King's approval.
Han had no objections.
Simple reason: this move made them more competitive.
In real life, these kinds of trades aren't always on the table forever. It's not like NBA 2K where you can just click "Trade Finder" whenever you want.
And Han didn't come to the Kings just to help the rookies grow.
Nope. He came here to prepare for eventual ownership, to earn that potential billion-dollar stake.
And that stake? It was built on championships. Or more precisely, as many championships as possible.
The more rings, the higher the franchise valuation. The higher the valuation, the more Han's shares would be worth.
The reason Han was so furious last summer wasn't because Divac tried to trade Tatum for Kawhi—but because he made that decision without consulting him, and then failed.
If Divac had asked first, Han would've shut it down—he already knew that in this world, Kawhi wasn't gettable for just Tatum.
To get Kawhi, the Kings would've had to give up both Mitchell and Tatum—and that just wasn't worth it.
By contrast, Wallace's deal was smart. He got a solid piece, got Han's blessing, and didn't blow up the core.
And truthfully, as the season went on and Tatum started playing more minutes at the 4, Coach Tyronn Lue was running out of room for Cauley-Stein anyway. Willie had already started grumbling. Going to Memphis would get him more touches. A win-win.
That said, not everyone was convinced.
The media wasn't impressed—they gave the Kings a C grade for the trade.
Marc Gasol had looked pretty washed in Memphis. Plus, his skillset overlapped heavily with Sabonis, raising big questions about defensive rotation.
And to make the salaries work, the Kings had to let go of Bogdan—arguably their most reliable bench scorer. That weakened their second unit a lot.
But whether the move would work or not… that would only be answered on the court.
At least for now, back in Sacramento, eating and drinking at his estate with old teammates Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol, Han felt great.
Maybe it was age. Maybe it was time spent in the league. But seeing his old teammates—guys he'd once built a dynasty with—brought out a lot of emotions.
For Han, spending the final stretch of his career charging toward one last title with them meant everything.
Of course, there was another hidden motive behind the Gasol trade: mentoring Sabonis.
People had called Sabonis a poor man's Jokic. But truthfully, they weren't even in the same tier.
Jokic could evolve quickly because Han had full control of the ball, and Jokic had insane learning ability.
Sabonis? He had way more to learn—and when it came to the nuances of post play, Han couldn't help much. He'd rotated through SG/PG/SF, but the interior game was a whole different beast.
So those "overlapping skills" with Gasol? That wasn't a negative—it was a plus.
Gasol wouldn't play forever. Han wasn't just aiming for one ring—he wanted multiple.
And Gasol? He was all in.
"If needed," Gasol said, "I'll come off the bench."
It wasn't about humility. It was about his contract.
He had a year and a half left on a massive deal with a player option that summer. If things clicked in Sacramento, picking up the option would keep him from being bought out or traded again. Best-case scenario for him.
At his age and stage of career, there wasn't a better gig than playing with Han Sen.
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With a roster spot left open after the trade deadline, the Kings didn't find any real steals on the trade market, so they turned their attention to the buyout market.
This year's buyout market was especially lively—and the Kings made some real moves.
When Han Sen first joined Sacramento, everyone assumed it'd take two or three years before the team could contend.
But in just his first season, Han led this young squad all the way to third place in the West.
The Kings weren't exactly seen as title favorites, but with Han on the roster, Sacramento suddenly became a destination for veteran players.
Through a series of non-guaranteed deals, the Kings brought in Michael Carter-Williams and Markieff Morris.
All of these moves had Han's sign-off. While none of these players were stars, they fit what the Kings needed.
MCW didn't have much of a jumper, but with Bogdan gone, the Kings needed someone to run the second unit—and he brought solid defense, making him a perfect backcourt pairing with Buddy Hield.
As for Morris—sure, he was a little short for a traditional big—but his rugged playstyle and natural fit at the four made him the ideal option to step into the starting power forward slot if Marc Gasol ever needed to come off the bench.
And sure enough, those additions proved to be spot-on. The Kings kept building momentum in the second half of the season. Their overall strength clearly improved.
By now, looking back at media skepticism was pointless. All that outside noise? Just like a fart. Loud, stinky, and quick to disappear.
Before anyone knew it, April rolled around—and the curtain finally fell on this wild 2018–2019 NBA season.
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Eastern Conference Overview:
1st: Boston Celtics (62 wins) – Best record in the league.
2nd: Milwaukee Bucks (60 wins) – Exceeded expectations.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: 27.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.5 BPG. A top MVP candidate.
3rd: Toronto Raptors (57 wins)
- Kawhi Leonard: Played 60 games, averaged 26.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.8 SPG.
4th: Cleveland Cavaliers (54 wins)
- Nikola Jokić: 26.4 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 8.3 APG. Outstanding numbers, but still learning how to lead.
5th: Philadelphia 76ers (51 wins) – Disappointing.
- Chemistry issues between Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons.
- Butler ended up not reaching an early extension with Philly.
6th: Indiana Pacers (48 wins)
The last two playoff spots were surprises: Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets snuck in.
Not because they got significantly better—more so because half the East was openly tanking.
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Western Conference Overview:
1st: Golden State Warriors (60 wins)
- Paul George: Career-high 25.8 PPG, plus 7 RPG and 3.9 APG.
- More than just scoring—he elevated their wing defense, which helped lighten the load on Steph Curry.
- With both Splash Brothers healthy, their firepower in the small-ball era remained deadly.
2nd: New Orleans Pelicans (58 wins)
3rd: Sacramento Kings (57 wins)
- Their best season record since the 2002–03 season.
Still, more than the team record, Han Sen's numbers stole the spotlight:
40.1 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.6 BPG
He became the first player in NBA history to average over 40 points per game in a regular season.
Whether it was because he was surrounded by young players and needed to carry the scoring load, or because of the new 14-second shot clock after offensive rebounds speeding up the pace—he did it.
Han didn't drop 86 points in a single game this year, like that earth-shattering performance last season, but he had a countless string of 40+ games, with multiple 50s and even 60-point nights.
At this point, if Han wanted to, he could probably say something that would even one-up Jordan's legendary arrogance:
"What, 40 points hard? Just hit 3 or 4 shots a quarter, toss in a couple free throws, knock down a three or two—and there you go."