Sacramento Kings Make Juneteenth An Annual Paid Holiday For Employees

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The Sacramento Kings will be observing Juneteenth as an annual company-paid holiday, the team announced on Wednesday.

Juneteenth, observed every year on June 19, commemorates the ending of slavery int he US.

In a statement, Sacramento Kings officials said the holiday will give their employees time to reflect on racial inequality.

"We are proud to celebrate Juneteenth, honoring Black history and further committing ourselves to creating positive meaningful change," said Sacramento Kings Chief Operating Officer Matina Kolokotronis in a press release.

Current and former Kings players - like Harrison Barnes, Bobby Jackson and Doug Christie - attended and spoke at Black Lives Matter protests in Sacramento recently. Even owner Vivek Ranadive joined one protest.

While not an observed federal holiday like Martin Luther King Jr. Day, unrest prompted by the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd has started a new push to recognize Juneteenth. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced he'll be signing an executive to give state employees the day off, and will also be pushing to make it an official state holiday.