Dylan Cardwell shared a poignant message following an Easter Sunday game against the Los Angeles Clippers, expressing profound joy and gratitude for the opportunity he has received with the Sacramento Kings this season.<\/p>\n
Cardwell went undrafted out of Auburn in June, signed a two-way contract with the Kings in July and was rewarded with a four-year, $8.3 million standard NBA contract in February. Cardwell\u2019s joy and devotion shined through as he talked about his journey over the past 12 months.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy joy just comes from the Lord,\u201d Cardwell said. \u201cI try to be a light for Him each and every day because every day is not promised. He\u2019s taken me from \u2014 I was a nobody my whole entire life. I played JV in ninth grade. I averaged like three points a game in 10th grade. I rode the bench my junior year. My senior year, I didn\u2019t play. I played 15 minutes a game in college basketball until last year. I\u2019m unqualified for a lot of things, and yet here I am. I can\u2019t stake any amount of credit for all the Lord has done for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cardwell came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points while grabbing eight rebounds and blocking four shots in a 138-109 loss to the Clippers before a crowd of 15,014 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.<\/p>\n
![\"Sacramento](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1515_NSL_260405_KingsClippers.JPG\" "\\"1515_NSL_260405_KingsClippers.JPG\\"")
Sacramento Kings center Dylan Cardwell (32) disputes a foul call against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Golden 1 Center on Sunday. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
Kings coach Doug Christie knew Cardwell was somebody from the moment he saw him in summer league almost a year ago. Christie has spoken highly of Cardwell ever since.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019ve got a kid like that, he\u2019s so highly motivated and so easy to coach,\u201d Christie said. \u201cHe\u2019s all about his teammates and trying to win and how can he win and how can I get better and do you have any film and on and on. Those are things that make me smile about Dylan, so not only that, but you\u2019re just happy to see him when he\u2019s having success.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points to lead the Clippers (40-38), who have clinched a spot in the play-in tournament. John Collins came off the bench to score 25 points. Darius Garland and Kobe Sanders scored 17 points apiece.<\/p>\n
Devin Carter had 21 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Kings (21-58), who had won two in a row and seven of their last 14. Rookie first-round draft pick Nique Clifford had 18 points, five rebounds and five assists. DeMar DeRozan scored nine points in the first quarter to pass Oscar Robertson for 16th on the NBA\u2019s all-time scoring list.<\/p>\n
Cardwell went 7 of 8 from the field and knocked down the first 3-pointer of his career. He has appeared in 40 games this season, averaging 5.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 blocks.<\/p>\n
![\"Sacramento](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4120_NSL_260405_KingsClippers.JPG\" "\\"4120_NSL_260405_KingsClippers.JPG\\"")
Sacramento Kings center Dylan Cardwell (32) shoots the first 3-pointer of his career during the second half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center on Sunday. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
Cardwell said he is grateful for the support and encouragement Christie has given him this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really appreciative of Doug Christie,\u201d Cardwell said. \u201cHe\u2019s been a very honest man, a very hones coach. Since I touched down in Sacramento, I\u2019ll never forget my first practice with him and the team in L.A. He pulled me to the side and said, \u2018Hey, I just want you to go out there and beat up and people and foul people.\u2019 He was saying you have to find a way to separate yourself. We have so many skilled basketball players on the team. We have so many people who can do great things at a high level, and I have to find a way to get on the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd for me, that\u2019s being tough. That\u2019s being an enforcer. That\u2019s being a rim protector. He was very honest about, if I do these things, if I make sure I\u2019m on time and make sure I\u2019m being professional, when the opportunity presents itself, he gave me a lot of grace, and that\u2019s been one of the bigger reasons I\u2019ve been successful this year is because Doug Christie has given me a lot of grace to go out there and fail and mess up on rotations and miss layups or miss free throws or miss assignments. He let me play through that because the main thing he wants me to do is play hard, and I can\u2019t thank him enough for the amount of grace he\u2019s given me as a coach. I\u2019ve never had that much grace given to me by a coach in my entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Up next<\/p>\n
The Kings will visit the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at Chase Center in San Francisco. They will then play host to the Warriors on Friday in Sacramento before going north to play the Portland Trail Blazers in Sunday\u2019s season finale.<\/p>\n
The Warriors (36-41) had lost three in a row going into Sunday\u2019s game against the Houston Rockets. They are 10th in the Western Conference and have clinched a spot in the play-in tournament.<\/p>\n
Warriors star Stephen Curry had not played since Jan. 30, but he returned against the Rockets on Sunday after missing 27 games due to right patellofemoral pain syndrome.<\/p>\n
This story was originally published April 5, 2026 at 11:09 PM.<\/p>\n
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