After only one season with the Kings, and an abbreviated one at that, Richaun Holmes has seen enough to know that he wants to play out his career in Sacramento.

The bond between Holmes and the Kings fans goes back even before he made the decision to sign in Sacramento. As he told The Athletic, Holmes received appreciation from the Golden 1 Center crowd even when he made the trip as an opposing player with the Phoenix Suns.

Cheering for a player on the road team seems like an odd practice, but the Suns and Kings aren’t exactly blood rivals, and Sacramento won both of its home games against Phoenix, so it doesn’t feel entirely wrong. Holmes’ game is easy to love, as he always plays with incredibly high energy. He scored 10 points and added 9 rebounds in the first meeting in Sacramento, and added 14 points and 5 rebounds in the second, in addition to totaling 14 free-attempts over the two contests. He wasn’t putting up scrub numbers; he was earning the love, and he appreciated it.

It’s also possible the Kings fans in attendance were playing the long game with Holmes, wooing him before he became a free agent during the offseason.

The gambit paid off for the Kings, and it has paid off for Holmes. He quickly became a starter despite being recruited as a backup, and he has found an NBA home that he loves. In return, Sacramento fans have a player who reciprocates their devotion to the team and the community, and a proven test case of their ability to influence free agency.

It’s been a perfect match between Holmes and the Kings, despite its strange beginnings in the mentions of Holmes’ Twitter timeline.