Sacramento Kings
Encyclopedia
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball
team based in Sacramento, California
, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference
of the National Basketball Association
(NBA). The only team in the "big four" sports leagues located in Sacramento, they play their home games in Power Balance Pavilion.
The Kings trace their origins to a local semi-professional
team based in Rochester, New York
in the early 1920s, making them one of the oldest basketball clubs still in existence. The team joined the National Basketball League
(NBL) in 1945 as the Rochester Royals. The Royals defected to the NBL's rival, the Basketball Association of America
, in 1948. In 1949, as a result of that year's merger between the NBL and BAA, the Royals became members of the newly formed NBA. Though the Royals were often successful on the court, they had trouble turning a profit in the comparatively small market of Rochester, and relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio
in 1957, becoming the Cincinnati Royals. In 1972, the team relocated to Kansas City, Missouri
, initially splitting its games between Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska
, and taking up the name Kansas City Kings. The team again failed to find success in its market, and moved to Sacramento in 1985.
The team won the NBL championship in 1946 and the NBA championship in 1951. Since 1945 they have won one conference championship and five division championships.
The franchise that would become the Sacramento Kings initially started in the city of Rochester, New York
, as the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League
.
In the early 1920s, the team was a semi-pro group sponsored by a local Seagram's distillery. The team was known as the Rochester Seagrams for over two decades. Pro basketball 1920–1940 folded many a strictly pro operation, but the sponsored Seagrams stayed afloat as others fell by the wayside during the Great Depression. Under the watch of Hall Of Famer Les Harrison, the team grew in talent, hosted increasingly better competition, and became a greater local treasure as years went by.
At the conclusion of World War II, the National Basketball League was returning to success after waiting out the War Years. It was looking to add successful operations to its circuit, and Rochester was a natural candidate. The team had changed its name to the Rochester Pros, and moved to the 4500-seat Edgerton Sports Arena in 1942. Invited to join the NBL for the 1945–46 season, Les Harrison and brother Jack parted ways with sponsor Seagram's, who doubted the team would profit from the jump. The team then held a rename-the-team contest in Rochester's largest newspaper. The winner was 15-year-old Richard Paeth for his entry, the "Royals."
Success for the Royals was almost immediate. Founded in 1945 by owner/coach/general manager Les Harrison
(Hall of Famer) and his brother and co-owner/business manager Jack Harrison, the team won the NBL championship in 1945–46, its very first year in the circuit. The team was led by Bob Davies, Al Cervi
, George Glamack
, and Otto Graham
, a future NFL Hall of Famer, who, in his only season in professional basketball, won a league championship before moving on to football and leading the Cleveland Browns
to ten straight championship games, winning seven. Additionally, the Royals had doubled the original investment of the Harrisons in just one season. Playing numerous exhibitions in addition to the NBL schedule, the team was arguably at its Rochester peak in 1946.
The following season, NBL Governors voted that the regular season "Pennant Winner" would be declared as the official NBL Champion, and the post-season would consist of a separate, non-championship tournament. The Royals finished 31–13 (.705), capturing their second NBL Championship in as many years, but lost in the post-season tournament finals to George Mikan
and the Chicago American Gears
.
The following season the NBL scrapped their one-year "pennant" experiment, and from that point forward the post-season playoffs would determine the NBL Champion. The Royals again finished with the league's best overall record at 44–16, but lost to George Mikan
's new team, the Minneapolis Lakers, 3 games to 1 in the NBL Finals.
The countless exhibitions, plus the season schedules, had worn the team down by 1948, with injuries figuring in the 1947 and 1948 NBL Finals. The team added Bobby Wanzer
, a Seton Hall University
recruit made by Davies, to replace Cervi, among other roster moves. The team's strong reputation also soon made it part of the NBL – BAA merger.
In 1948, the Royals moved to the Basketball Association of America
along with the Fort Wayne Pistons, Minneapolis Lakers, and Indianapolis (Kautskys) Jets
. A year later, the BAA merged with the remaining NBL teams to become the National Basketball Association
.
The move to the BAA took away Rochester's profitable exhibition schedule, and placed it in the same Western Division that Minneapolis was in. Of the two best teams in pro basketball, only one of them could play in the league finals, 1949–1954. Minneapolis, with Mikan, was almost always a little better at playoff time than the Royals. With their smallish arena and now-limited schedule, the Royals became less profitable even as Harrison maintained a remarkably high standard for the team, which finished no lower than second in its division, 1945–1954. He would spend much of the 1950s looking for a buyer for his team as debts mounted.
The Royals won the NBA title in 1951 by defeating the New York Knicks
4 games to 3. It is the only NBA championship in the franchise's history. However, the title did not translate into profit for the Royals. The roster turned over in 1955, except for Wanzer; the team moved to the larger
Rochester Memorial
. Now a losing team filled with rookies, the Royals still did not turn a profit. Meanwhile the NBA was putting pressure on Harrison to sell or relocate his team to a larger city. With this in mind, the 1956–57 season was the Royals' last in Rochester.
The Royals' twelve-year stay in Rochester featured the services of nine future members of the Basketball Hall of Fame, one member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a Hollywood Walk of Famer: Al Cervi
, Bob Davies, Alex Hannum
, Les Harrison, Red Holzman
, Arnie Risen
, Maurice Stokes
, Jack Twyman
, Bobby Wanzer
, Otto Graham
, and Chuck Connors
.
In April 1957, the Royals were moved to Cincinnati, Ohio
, by the Harrison brothers. This move followed a well-received regular season game played at Cincinnati Gardens
on February 1, 1957. The change of venue had been said to have been suggested by Jack Twyman and Dave Piontek, who were two of several roster players on the new Royals from that region. Cincinnati, which had a strong college basketball fan base and no NFL franchise to compete with, was deemed the best choice for the Harrisons. The Royals name continued to fit in Cincinnati, often known as the "Queen City".
During the team's first NBA draft in Cincinnati, the team acquired Clyde Lovellette and guard George King
. They teamed with the 1–2 punch of Maurice Stokes and Twyman to produce a budding contender in the team's very first season in the Queen City. Injury to Marshall and the loss of star guard Si Green to military service dropped the team into a tie for second place in the NBA Western Division during the 1957–58 season's second half.
In the season's finale, All-Pro star Maurice Stokes
struck his head when he fell after pursuing a rebound. He shook off the effects of the fall, even as he had briefly been unconscious. After Game One in the playoffs three days later, Stokes' head injury was greatly aggravated by airplane cabin pressure during the flight back to Cincinnati for Game Two. He suffered a seizure and was permanently hospitalized, a tragedy that greatly shook the team. Stokes, a tremendous talent who could play center, forward and guard, was 2nd in the NBA in rebounds and 3rd in assists, a double-feat only Wilt Chamberlain
has matched for a full season. Without Stokes, the team nearly folded.
Fellow All-Star Twyman rose to All-Pro level the next two seasons for Cincinnati, even as the team posted two 19-win seasons. The 1958–59 Cincinnati team featured five rookies, with Lovellette, King and other key players having left the team in the wake of Stokes' tragic injury. The Harrisons, under pressure to sell to a local group, sold to a local ownership headed by Thomas Woods. The fact that Stokes was simply dumped by the team and the new ownership infuriated many.
Jack Twyman came to aid of his teammate and even legally adopted Stokes. Raising funds for Stokes' medical treatment, Twyman helped him until his death in April 1970. The 1973 feature film Maurie
, which co-starred actors Bernie Casey
and Bo Svenson
, dramatized their story.
Shooting often for the beleaguered team, Twyman was the second NBA player to average 30 points per game for an NBA season. Twyman and Stokes were later named Hall of Famers.
In 1960, the team was able to land local superstar Oscar Robertson
. Robertson led a team that included Twyman, Wayne Embry
, Bob Boozer
, Bucky Bockhorn
, Tom Hawkins
and Adrian Smith
over the next three seasons. The Royals reversed their fortunes with Robertson and rose to title contender. An ownership dispute in early 1963 scuttled the team's playoff chances when new owner Louis Jacobs booked a circus for Cincinnati Gardens for the week of the playoff series versus the champion Boston Celtics
(The Royals had to use Xavier University's home Schmidt Field House
). Jacobs, an aloof owner, would prove no ally to the team's title hopes.
In late 1963, another local superstar, Jerry Lucas
, joined the team. The Royals rose to second-best record in the NBA. From 1963 to 1966, the Royals contended strongly against Boston and the Philadelphia 76ers
, but fell short of their title hopes.
The team's star players throughout the 1960s were Oscar Robertson
and Jerry Lucas. Robertson met with individual success, averaging a triple-double in 1961–62 and winning the Most Valuable Player award in 1964. Robertson was a league-leading scorer and passer each season. Lucas was Rookie Of the Year in 1964, led the league in shooting, and later averaged 20 rebounds per game over three seasons. Both were All-NBA First Team selections multiple times.
The Royals were an also-ran throughout the era anyway. The team failed to keep promising players and played in the tough NBA East division, dominated by the Boston Celtics, even as a Baltimore team played in the West Division for three years, denying the team likely visits to the NBA Finals.
In 1966, the team was sold to a pair of brothers named Max and Jeremy Jacobs
. That same season, the Royals began playing some of their home games in neutral sites such as Cleveland (until the Cavaliers
began play in 1970), Dayton & Columbus, which was the norm for the rest of the Royals tenure in the Queen City.
New coach Bob Cousy
, a loyal Boston Celtic, traded Lucas in 1969. Robertson was traded to Milwaukee
in 1970, where he would immediately win an NBA title. The declining franchise left Cincinnati shortly thereafter, moving to Kansas City
in 1972.
baseball team. The basketball team agreed to change its nickname, even though it had used the name for 25 years before the baseball team was established. The team initially divided its home games between Kansas City
and Omaha
until 1975, when it abandoned the Omaha market. During that time the team was officially called the "Kansas City-Omaha Kings". The team netted a new superstar in Nate Archibald
, who led the league in scoring and assists. Both "Kings" and "Royals" would have fit in Kansas City, due to that city being host to the American Royal
livestock show.
While still in Cincinnati, the Kings introduced a most unusual uniform design, which placed the player's surname below his number. The design remained intact through the first several seasons of the team's run in Sacramento, even when the shade of blue on the road uniforms was changed from royal blue to powder blue, and the script "Kansas City" which adorned the road jerseys was scrubbed after the move in favor of a repeat of the "Kings" script on the home shirts. The Kings' back jersey template was later adopted by the WNBA
and the NBA Development League
, as well the NBA during the All-Star Game since 2006.
The Kings had some decent players throughout. Tom Van Arsdale
, the shooting forward, "Jumpin" Johnny Green, and Matt Guokas
helped Archibald in the first year in Kansas City. Toby Kimball was a fan favorite. Jimmy Walker teamed with Archibald as the Kings made the playoffs the second year. Sam Lacey, an effective passing center, became one of the most dependable players in the league. Archibald became the first player to lead the league in scoring and assists in the first season in Kansas City. However, the management traded Archibald, and wasted high draft picks. Bob Cousy gave way to Phil Johnson
, who was fired midyear in 1977 and replaced by Larry Staverman
, a player on the team on two separate occasions when it was in Cincinnati and who later became the Cleveland Indians groundskeeper.
The Kings finally achieved some success in their new home when they hired Cotton Fitzsimmons
as coach. Coach Fitzsimmons won the Midwest Division in 1978–79 with rookie point guard Phil Ford who was NBA Rookie of the Year in 1979. Kansas City was led by shooting guard Otis Birdsong
, strong on both offense and defense, all around shooting forward Scott Wedman, and passing center Sam Lacey, who had a trademark 25 feet (7.6 m) bank shot. They also drew an average of 10,789 fans to Kemper Arena
that season, the only time during their tenure in KC that average attendance was in five figures. The Kings made the playoffs in 1979–80 and again in 1980–81, despite finishing the regular season at 40–42. The Kings made a surprise run in the NBA Playoffs
, reaching the Western Conference Finals. Big Ernie Grunfeld
played the point in this run, as KC used a slow half court game to win the first two rounds. Power forward Reggie King had a remarkable series, dominating the opposition.
However, a series of bad luck incidents prevented the team from building on its success. Ted Stepien, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers
lured Wedman and Birdsong away with big contract offers, the roof literally fell in at Kemper Arena
because of a severe storm, forcing the team to play most of the 1979–80 season at Municipal Auditorium, and the ownership group sold the team to Sacramento interests for just eleven million dollars. The general manager was fired in a bizarre scandal in which he was found to be reusing marked postage stamps. When the Kings rehired Joe Axelson
as general manager, they brought back the man who had previously traded superstars Oscar Robertson, Norm Van Lier, Nate Archibald and Jerry Lucas, and used the third pick in the ABA
dispersal draft on Ron Boone
. Axelson would stay on after the Kings left Kansas City where, in their last game ever, fans wore Joe Axelson masks. Axelson later would say he hoped his plane would never touch down in Kansas City.
Axelson later would be the first general manager in the history of sports to fail with the same franchise in four different cities: Cincinnati, Kansas City, Omaha and Sacramento. He would not be fired for good until he rehired as coach Phil Johnson, whom he had fired in midseason in Kansas City ten years before. The Kings also had the misfortune of entering this period competing with the Kansas City Comets
for the winter sports dollar, when the Comets were led by marketers—the Leiweke brothers. Their final season, 1984–85, resulted in a dismal 31–51 record as fans stayed away from Kemper Arena in droves, with average attendance of just 6,410. The most notable moment of this season lives in infamy, when New York Knicks
standout Bernard King
suffered a devastating knee injury on March 23. The writing was on the wall for Kansas City.
in the 1985–86 NBA season, with their first Sacramento season ending in the first round of the Western Conference 1986 NBA Playoffs
. However, they saw little success in subsequent years, and the team did not make the playoffs again until the 1996 NBA Playoffs
in the 1995–96 NBA season. Some of their failure was attributable to misfortunes such as the career-altering car crash suffered by promising point guard Bobby Hurley
and the suicide of Ricky Berry
; some was attributed to poor management such as the long tenure of head coach Garry St. Jean
and the selection of "Never Nervous" Pervis Ellison
with the first overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft
. Current Kings television broadcaster Jerry Reynolds
and NBA legend Bill Russell
were among the early coaching staff.
The early 1990s were difficult for the Kings. Sacramento was known for having strong fan support, and while they won over 60% of their home games, the team struggled on the road, going 1–40 on the road in a single season. The Kings made the playoffs in 1996 largely due to the efforts of star player Mitch Richmond
but they did not see postseason success. The team was eventually sold to the Maloof Family
, who finally changed the direction of the team.
In 1994, the Kings radically changed their look, adopting a new color scheme of purple, silver, black and white. This color scheme was later adopted by another team in California called the "Kings", the NHL's Los Angeles Kings
, a few years later. The Kings' previous look had dated back to their last season in Cincinnati.
, and the trade of Mitch Richmond
for Chris Webber
prior to the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season. These acquisitions coincided with the arrival of Peja Stojakovic
, who had been drafted in 1996
. Each of these moves was attributed to general manager Geoff Petrie
, who has won NBA Executive of the Year twice.
Following these acquisitions, the Kings improved and became perennial playoff contenders. Led by new head coach Rick Adelman
, and aided by former Princeton
head coach and Kings assistant Pete Carril
, the so-called "Princeton offense
" impressed others for its quick style and strong ball movement. Some criticized the Kings for their poor team defense, Williams's "flash over substance" style of play with its many turnovers, and Webber's failure to step up in important match-ups. Still, they quickly garnered many fans outside of California, and even around the world, many of which were drawn to Williams' and Webber's talent. Despite their successes, they were still a young team and were ultimately defeated by more experienced teams in the playoffs, losing to the Utah Jazz
in 1999 and the Los Angeles Lakers
in 2000.
for defensive shooting guard Doug Christie
. Peja Stojakovic and Chris Webber proved to complement each other well, and as the Kings continued to improve, their popularity steadily rose, culminating in a February 2001 Sports Illustrated
cover story entitled "The Greatest Show On Court" with Williams, Christie, Stojakovic, Webber, and Divac gracing the cover. In 2001, they won their first playoff series in twenty years, defeating the Phoenix Suns three games to one, before being swept in four games by the Los Angeles Lakers
, who eventually won the NBA championship.
In July 2001, starting point guard Jason Williams was traded to the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies
for point guard Mike Bibby
. The trade solved the Grizzlies' need for an exciting, popular player to sell tickets after transplanting to a new city, while the Kings sought more stability and control at the point guard position. This move was complemented by the re-signing of Webber to a maximum-salary contract, securing the star power forward over the long term.
With the addition of Bibby, the Kings had their best season to date in 2001–02. The team finished with a league-best record of 61–21, winning 36 of 41 games at home. The Kings would go on to play the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, and in a controversial series, lose in seven games, one game away from the NBA Finals
. The 2002 Sacramento Kings are widely considered one of best teams to never win an NBA Championship.
After winning another division championship by going 59–23 in 2002–03, the Kings lost Webber to a knee injury in the playoffs, and they ultimately lost to the Dallas Mavericks
in a seven game series. Webber's knee required major surgery. Although he returned mid-season in 2003–04, he had lost some of his quickness and athleticism; the Kings ended the season with a playoff defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves
in seven games.
The 2004–05 season marked more change for the Kings, who lost three of their starting players from the 2002 team. In the off-season of 2004, Divac signed with the rival Lakers, giving Brad Miller
the starting spot at the center position. Early in the season, Christie was traded to the Orlando Magic
for shooting guard Cuttino Mobley, and in February, Chris Webber was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers
for three forwards (Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas, and Brian Skinner
). The Kings ultimately lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Seattle SuperSonics
. The 2005 off-season continued with more changes, with the Kings trading fan-favorite Bobby Jackson for Bonzi Wells
and acquiring free agent forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim
.
The 2005–06 season started off poorly, as the Kings had a hard time establishing team chemistry. Newcomers Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur-Rahim made major contributions early in the season, but both were injured and missed a significant number of games. As the Kings' dismal season continued, the Maloofs decided to make a major move.
Popular sharpshooting small forward Peja Stojakovic
was traded for Ron Artest
, long known for his volatile temper. With Artest in the lineup, the Kings had a 20–9 record after the 2006 NBA All-Star Weekend, which was the second best post-All-Star break record that season. The Kings finished the regular season with a 44–38 record, which placed them 4th in the Pacific Division
. The Kings were seeded 8th in the Western Conference playoffs, and were matched up in the first round against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs eliminated the Kings 4 games to 2.
The 2006 off-season began with the announcement that head coach Rick Adelman
's contract would not be renewed. The Kings named Eric Musselman
as Adelman's replacement.
In 2006–2007, the disappointing play of the Kings was coupled with the distraction of legal troubles. Coach Eric Musselman
pleaded no contest to DUI
charges early in the season, while star Ron Artest
got in trouble for neglect of his dogs, and was later accused of domestic assault. The Kings relieved Artest of basketball duties, pending investigation, then later reinstated him. The Kings finished the 2006–07 NBA season with an overall record of 33–49 (their worst in 9 years) landing them in fifth place in the Pacific Division. They posted a losing record (20–21) at home for the first time since 1993–94. Their season included a seven game losing-streak that lasted from January 4 to January 19. Consequently, the Sacramento Kings missed the 2007 NBA Playoffs
, the first time in eight seasons. Musselman was fired on April 20, 2007. The Kings' future appeared to rest on the shoulders of breakout star Kevin Martin
, who was a leading candidate for 2007 NBA Most-Improved Player of the Year.
The 2007 off season was a time of change for the Kings. Head coach Eric Musselman was replaced by former Kings player, Reggie Theus. The Kings selected center Spencer Hawes
as the 10th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft
. In addition to these changes, the acquired center-forward Mikki Moore
from the New Jersey Nets. Kevin Martin
signed a contract worth $55 million, extending his period with the team for five more years. However, the Kings also lost some key players over the off-season, with backup point guard Ronnie Price leaving for the Utah Jazz, and Corliss Williamson retiring.
The team claimed fourth-year point guard Beno Udrih
off waivers from Minnesota. Udrih quickly assumed the starting point guard job, as Bibby was injured. It was announced on February 16, 2008 that the Kings had traded longtime point guard Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks
for Tyronn Lue
, Anthony Johnson
, Shelden Williams
, Lorenzen Wright
and a 2nd round draft pick. The move was presumably made mostly to clear space under the salary cap. Bibby was the last remaining player from the Kings team that had reached the Western Conference Finals back in 2002.
The Kings improved by 5 games and finished the 2007–08 season with a 38–44 record, missing the playoffs by a bigger margin (12 games) than the previous season (8 games). They went 26–15 at home and 12–29 on the road. After selling out every home game since 1999, the Kings during the 2007–08 season sold out only three games at ARCO Arena (against the Celtics and Lakers) with attendance averaging 13,500 fans per home game, almost 4,000 below capacity.
Following a quiet 2008 off-season, it was confirmed on July 29, 2008 that the Kings would trade forward Ron Artest
and the rights to Patrick Ewing, Jr.
and Sean Singletary
to the Houston Rockets
in exchange for former King Bobby Jackson, Donté Greene
, a future first round draft pick, and cash considerations for Rashad McCants
and center Calvin Booth
.
Reggie Theus was fired in the middle of the 2008–09 season, giving way to Kenny Natt
as the interim head coach. The Kings continued to struggle under Natt, ending up with the NBA's worst record for the 2008–09 season at 17–65. On April 23, 2009, Kings' Vice President Geoff Petrie announced the firing of Natt and his four assistants, Rex Kalamian, Jason Hamm, Randy Brown
and Bubba Burrage.
With the worst record of the 2008–09 season, the Sacramento Kings had a 25% chance of obtaining the first overall pick in the NBA draft. Overall, the Kings had a 64.3% chance of obtaining one of the top three picks in the NBA draft and could not draft any lower than number four overall. Unfortunately, the Kings failed to make it into the top three picks and ended up with the fourth selection in the 2009 NBA Draft. Along with new head coach Paul Westphal
, the Kings selected Memphis combo guard Tyreke Evans
with the 4th overall pick. With the 23rd pick, the Kings selected Omri Casspi
from Israel.
On April 27, 2010 Tyreke Evans
was the first Sacramento era player to receive the NBA Rookie of the Year Award
. Tyreke Evans
also became the 4th player in NBA history, joining Oscar Robertson
, Michael Jordan
, and LeBron James
, to average 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game for the whole season as a rookie.
On June 24, 2010, the Kings selected DeMarcus Cousins
, a power forward-center from the University of Kentucky
, as the 5th pick of the 2010 NBA Draft
. The Kings also selected Hassan Whiteside
, a center from Marshall University
, as the 33rd pick of the 2010 NBA Draft
.
The 2010-2011 season was marked with much uncertainty towards the end of the season. Frustrated by the lack of progress towards an arena and dwindling profits from other businesses, the Maloofs were seeking an immediate relocation of the franchise to Anaheim. The move seemed a certainty towards the end of the year, as Grant Napear and Jerry Reynolds tearfully signed off at the final home game vs. the LA Lakers.
In the 2011 NBA draft the Sacramento Kings traded for the draft rights of Jimmer Fredette
in a three team deal with the Charlotte Bobcats
and the Milwaukee Bucks
also involving John Salmons
, Shaun Livingston
, Beno Udrih
, Corey Maggette
, and Stephen Jackson
. This deal lands Sacramento the most popular player in the draft in hopes of boosting tickets for the next up-coming years.
On February 19, 2011, NBA commissioner David Stern admitted that the Kings and officials in Anaheim had discussions about a team relocation. It was later found that the organization went as far as to file for a name change to the "Anaheim Royals", among others. The Maloofs prepared to make their case for relocation in an NBA Board meeting in New York, in what many expected to simply be a formality.
In a surprise announcement, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson
announced during a presentation to the NBA that Ron Burkle, a billionaire associate of former United States President Bill Clinton
and Democratic Party
fundraiser, wanted to buy the Kings and keep them in Sacramento. Johnson also pledged some $10 million from local businesses as a show of support from Sacramento. This, along with the overwhelming show of support from the fans, may have swayed Stern and the relocation committee to tell the Maloofs to withdraw their relocation plans.
The Maloof family as well as the NBA have stated that the Kings will stay in Sacramento for the 2011-12 NBA season. Similar to a situation with the Seattle SuperSonics
, both parties have stated that the franchise will relocate to Anaheim, California
or elsewhere for the 2012-13 NBA season unless the city of Sacramento can provide a long term solution concerning a new arena. Currently the city has plans for an arena and are awaiting a 100-day analysis of funding options for the arena.
Archibald and Robertson were named two of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996.
The 2005 Sacramento Monarchs
WNBA Champions banner, as well as the Monarchs 2006 Western Conference Champions banner, also hang from the rafters of Power Balance Pavilion.
NBA Rookie of the Year
NBA Sixth Man of the Year
NBA Coach of the Year
NBA Executive of the Year
All-NBA First Team
All-NBA Second Team
All-NBA Third Team
NBA All-Defensive First Team
NBA All-Defensive Second Team
NBA Rookie First Team
NBA Rookie Second Team
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team based in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference
Western Conference (NBA)
Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA). The only team in the "big four" sports leagues located in Sacramento, they play their home games in Power Balance Pavilion.
The Kings trace their origins to a local semi-professional
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
team based in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
in the early 1920s, making them one of the oldest basketball clubs still in existence. The team joined the National Basketball League
National Basketball League (United States)
Founded in 1937, the National Basketball League, often abbreviated to NBL, was a professional men's basketball league in the United States. The league would later merge with the Basketball Association of America to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.- League history :The...
(NBL) in 1945 as the Rochester Royals. The Royals defected to the NBL's rival, the Basketball Association of America
Basketball Association of America
The Basketball Association of America was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. The league merged with the National Basketball League in 1949, forming the National Basketball Association ...
, in 1948. In 1949, as a result of that year's merger between the NBL and BAA, the Royals became members of the newly formed NBA. Though the Royals were often successful on the court, they had trouble turning a profit in the comparatively small market of Rochester, and relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
in 1957, becoming the Cincinnati Royals. In 1972, the team relocated to Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, initially splitting its games between Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, and taking up the name Kansas City Kings. The team again failed to find success in its market, and moved to Sacramento in 1985.
The team won the NBL championship in 1946 and the NBA championship in 1951. Since 1945 they have won one conference championship and five division championships.
Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, as the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League
National Basketball League (United States)
Founded in 1937, the National Basketball League, often abbreviated to NBL, was a professional men's basketball league in the United States. The league would later merge with the Basketball Association of America to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.- League history :The...
.
In the early 1920s, the team was a semi-pro group sponsored by a local Seagram's distillery. The team was known as the Rochester Seagrams for over two decades. Pro basketball 1920–1940 folded many a strictly pro operation, but the sponsored Seagrams stayed afloat as others fell by the wayside during the Great Depression. Under the watch of Hall Of Famer Les Harrison, the team grew in talent, hosted increasingly better competition, and became a greater local treasure as years went by.
At the conclusion of World War II, the National Basketball League was returning to success after waiting out the War Years. It was looking to add successful operations to its circuit, and Rochester was a natural candidate. The team had changed its name to the Rochester Pros, and moved to the 4500-seat Edgerton Sports Arena in 1942. Invited to join the NBL for the 1945–46 season, Les Harrison and brother Jack parted ways with sponsor Seagram's, who doubted the team would profit from the jump. The team then held a rename-the-team contest in Rochester's largest newspaper. The winner was 15-year-old Richard Paeth for his entry, the "Royals."
Success for the Royals was almost immediate. Founded in 1945 by owner/coach/general manager Les Harrison
Lester Harrison
Lester "Les" Harrison was an American professional basketball player, coach, and team owner and is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame....
(Hall of Famer) and his brother and co-owner/business manager Jack Harrison, the team won the NBL championship in 1945–46, its very first year in the circuit. The team was led by Bob Davies, Al Cervi
Al Cervi
Alfred Nicholas Cervi was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball League and National Basketball Association . One of the strongest backcourt players of the 1940s and 1950s, he was always assigned to defend against the opposing team's best scoring threat...
, George Glamack
George Glamack
George Gregory Glamack was an American basketball player.The 6'7" giant, during that era, attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Glamack, an All-America in 1940 and 1941, was nicknamed the Blind Bomber because of his poor eyesight and remarkably accurate hook shot...
, and Otto Graham
Otto Graham
Otto Everett Graham, Jr. was a professional American football and basketball player who played for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League, as well as the Rochester Royals in the National Basketball League.-Early life:Born in Waukegan,...
, a future NFL Hall of Famer, who, in his only season in professional basketball, won a league championship before moving on to football and leading the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
to ten straight championship games, winning seven. Additionally, the Royals had doubled the original investment of the Harrisons in just one season. Playing numerous exhibitions in addition to the NBL schedule, the team was arguably at its Rochester peak in 1946.
The following season, NBL Governors voted that the regular season "Pennant Winner" would be declared as the official NBL Champion, and the post-season would consist of a separate, non-championship tournament. The Royals finished 31–13 (.705), capturing their second NBL Championship in as many years, but lost in the post-season tournament finals to George Mikan
George Mikan
George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. , nicknamed Mr. Basketball, was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball Association...
and the Chicago American Gears
Chicago American Gears
The Chicago American Gears were a National Basketball League team who played from 1944 to 1947.Led by George Mikan and Bobby McDermott, they defeated the Rochester Royals to win the 1947 NBL Championship....
.
The following season the NBL scrapped their one-year "pennant" experiment, and from that point forward the post-season playoffs would determine the NBL Champion. The Royals again finished with the league's best overall record at 44–16, but lost to George Mikan
George Mikan
George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. , nicknamed Mr. Basketball, was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball Association...
's new team, the Minneapolis Lakers, 3 games to 1 in the NBL Finals.
The countless exhibitions, plus the season schedules, had worn the team down by 1948, with injuries figuring in the 1947 and 1948 NBL Finals. The team added Bobby Wanzer
Bobby Wanzer
Robert Francis Wanzer, also known as "Hooks" Wanzer is a former basketball player and coach. A 6'0" guard, he played collegiately at Seton Hall University, and was selected by the Rochester Royals in 1947...
, a Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
recruit made by Davies, to replace Cervi, among other roster moves. The team's strong reputation also soon made it part of the NBL – BAA merger.
In 1948, the Royals moved to the Basketball Association of America
Basketball Association of America
The Basketball Association of America was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. The league merged with the National Basketball League in 1949, forming the National Basketball Association ...
along with the Fort Wayne Pistons, Minneapolis Lakers, and Indianapolis (Kautskys) Jets
Indianapolis Jets
The Indianapolis Jets were a Basketball Association of America team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team lasted for one season and was later replaced by a new franchise.-Franchise history:...
. A year later, the BAA merged with the remaining NBL teams to become the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
.
The move to the BAA took away Rochester's profitable exhibition schedule, and placed it in the same Western Division that Minneapolis was in. Of the two best teams in pro basketball, only one of them could play in the league finals, 1949–1954. Minneapolis, with Mikan, was almost always a little better at playoff time than the Royals. With their smallish arena and now-limited schedule, the Royals became less profitable even as Harrison maintained a remarkably high standard for the team, which finished no lower than second in its division, 1945–1954. He would spend much of the 1950s looking for a buyer for his team as debts mounted.
The Royals won the NBA title in 1951 by defeating the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
4 games to 3. It is the only NBA championship in the franchise's history. However, the title did not translate into profit for the Royals. The roster turned over in 1955, except for Wanzer; the team moved to the larger
Rochester Memorial
Blue Cross Arena
The Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in Rochester, New York. Its maximum seating capacity is 13,000...
. Now a losing team filled with rookies, the Royals still did not turn a profit. Meanwhile the NBA was putting pressure on Harrison to sell or relocate his team to a larger city. With this in mind, the 1956–57 season was the Royals' last in Rochester.
The Royals' twelve-year stay in Rochester featured the services of nine future members of the Basketball Hall of Fame, one member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a Hollywood Walk of Famer: Al Cervi
Al Cervi
Alfred Nicholas Cervi was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball League and National Basketball Association . One of the strongest backcourt players of the 1940s and 1950s, he was always assigned to defend against the opposing team's best scoring threat...
, Bob Davies, Alex Hannum
Alex Hannum
Alexander Murray Hannum was a professional basketball player and Hall-of-Fame coach.-Coaching career:Hannum is mostly known for coaching the Wilt Chamberlain-led Philadelphia 76ers of 1966-67 to the NBA championship, ending the eight-year title streak of the Boston Celtics. He had also coached the...
, Les Harrison, Red Holzman
Red Holzman
William "Red" Holzman was an NBA basketball player and coach probably best known as the head coach of the New York Knicks from 1967 to 1982. Holzman helped lead the Knicks to two NBA Championships in 1970 and 1973, and was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985...
, Arnie Risen
Arnie Risen
Arnold D. Risen is a retired American basketball player.A 6'9" center from the Ohio State University, he led the Buckeyes to two straight Final Four appearances....
, Maurice Stokes
Maurice Stokes
Maurice Stokes was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s, whose career was cut short by a debilitating injury...
, Jack Twyman
Jack Twyman
John Kennedy "Jack" Twyman is an American former professional basketball player and sports broadcaster.-Playing career:...
, Bobby Wanzer
Bobby Wanzer
Robert Francis Wanzer, also known as "Hooks" Wanzer is a former basketball player and coach. A 6'0" guard, he played collegiately at Seton Hall University, and was selected by the Rochester Royals in 1947...
, Otto Graham
Otto Graham
Otto Everett Graham, Jr. was a professional American football and basketball player who played for the Cleveland Browns in both the All-America Football Conference and National Football League, as well as the Rochester Royals in the National Basketball League.-Early life:Born in Waukegan,...
, and Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors
Chuck Connors was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. His best known role from his forty-year film career was Lucas McCain in the 1960s ABC hit Western series The Rifleman....
.
Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, by the Harrison brothers. This move followed a well-received regular season game played at Cincinnati Gardens
Cincinnati Gardens
The Cincinnati Gardens is an indoor sports and entertainment arena located in Cincinnati, Ohio, that opened in 1949. The 25,000 square foot brick and limestone building, whose entrance is decorated with six three-dimensional carved athletic figures, was modeled after Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto,...
on February 1, 1957. The change of venue had been said to have been suggested by Jack Twyman and Dave Piontek, who were two of several roster players on the new Royals from that region. Cincinnati, which had a strong college basketball fan base and no NFL franchise to compete with, was deemed the best choice for the Harrisons. The Royals name continued to fit in Cincinnati, often known as the "Queen City".
During the team's first NBA draft in Cincinnati, the team acquired Clyde Lovellette and guard George King
George King (basketball)
George Smith King was an American professional basketball player and collegiate coach. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia.-1946-1950:...
. They teamed with the 1–2 punch of Maurice Stokes and Twyman to produce a budding contender in the team's very first season in the Queen City. Injury to Marshall and the loss of star guard Si Green to military service dropped the team into a tie for second place in the NBA Western Division during the 1957–58 season's second half.
In the season's finale, All-Pro star Maurice Stokes
Maurice Stokes
Maurice Stokes was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s, whose career was cut short by a debilitating injury...
struck his head when he fell after pursuing a rebound. He shook off the effects of the fall, even as he had briefly been unconscious. After Game One in the playoffs three days later, Stokes' head injury was greatly aggravated by airplane cabin pressure during the flight back to Cincinnati for Game Two. He suffered a seizure and was permanently hospitalized, a tragedy that greatly shook the team. Stokes, a tremendous talent who could play center, forward and guard, was 2nd in the NBA in rebounds and 3rd in assists, a double-feat only Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
has matched for a full season. Without Stokes, the team nearly folded.
Fellow All-Star Twyman rose to All-Pro level the next two seasons for Cincinnati, even as the team posted two 19-win seasons. The 1958–59 Cincinnati team featured five rookies, with Lovellette, King and other key players having left the team in the wake of Stokes' tragic injury. The Harrisons, under pressure to sell to a local group, sold to a local ownership headed by Thomas Woods. The fact that Stokes was simply dumped by the team and the new ownership infuriated many.
Jack Twyman came to aid of his teammate and even legally adopted Stokes. Raising funds for Stokes' medical treatment, Twyman helped him until his death in April 1970. The 1973 feature film Maurie
Maurie
Maurie is a 1973 American semi-biographical feature film directed by Daniel Mann. Distributed by National General Pictures, the film covers the lives and relationship of two NBA Hall of fame basketball players, the forward Jack Twyman, and his teammate the forward Maurice Stokes.-Plot summary:The...
, which co-starred actors Bernie Casey
Bernie Casey
Bernard Terry "Bernie" Casey is a professional actor who initially had a career as an interscholastic, intercollegiate and professional football player. Casey was also a record-breaking track and field athlete for Bowling Green State University...
and Bo Svenson
Bo Svenson
Bo Svenson is a Swedish-born American actor, known for his roles in American genre films of the 1970s and 1980s.-Early life:...
, dramatized their story.
Shooting often for the beleaguered team, Twyman was the second NBA player to average 30 points per game for an NBA season. Twyman and Stokes were later named Hall of Famers.
In 1960, the team was able to land local superstar Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
. Robertson led a team that included Twyman, Wayne Embry
Wayne Embry
Wayne Richard Embry is a retired American basketball player; a center/forward whose 11-year career spanned from 1959 to 1969...
, Bob Boozer
Bob Boozer
Robert Louis "Bob" Boozer is a retired American professional basketball player. Boozer was born and raised in North Omaha, Nebraska and graduated from Tech High in Omaha....
, Bucky Bockhorn
Bucky Bockhorn
Arlen Dale "Bucky" Bockhorn is a retired American basketball player. He was a guard for the NBA's Cincinnati Royals...
, Tom Hawkins
Tom Hawkins (basketball)
Thomas Jerome Hawkins is a retired American professional basketball player....
and Adrian Smith
Adrian Smith (basketball)
Adrian Howard Smith is a retired American Northeast Mississippi Community College, University of Kentucky, NBA, and ABA player....
over the next three seasons. The Royals reversed their fortunes with Robertson and rose to title contender. An ownership dispute in early 1963 scuttled the team's playoff chances when new owner Louis Jacobs booked a circus for Cincinnati Gardens for the week of the playoff series versus the champion Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
(The Royals had to use Xavier University's home Schmidt Field House
Schmidt Field House
The Schmidt Memorial Field House is an on-campus arena at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was built in 1927 and opened on March 7, 1928 with a win against archrival Cincinnati. It is named for Walter Schmidt, Class of 1905, a benefactor to then-St...
). Jacobs, an aloof owner, would prove no ally to the team's title hopes.
In late 1963, another local superstar, Jerry Lucas
Jerry Lucas
Jerry Ray Lucas was a basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history...
, joined the team. The Royals rose to second-best record in the NBA. From 1963 to 1966, the Royals contended strongly against Boston and the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
, but fell short of their title hopes.
The team's star players throughout the 1960s were Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
and Jerry Lucas. Robertson met with individual success, averaging a triple-double in 1961–62 and winning the Most Valuable Player award in 1964. Robertson was a league-leading scorer and passer each season. Lucas was Rookie Of the Year in 1964, led the league in shooting, and later averaged 20 rebounds per game over three seasons. Both were All-NBA First Team selections multiple times.
The Royals were an also-ran throughout the era anyway. The team failed to keep promising players and played in the tough NBA East division, dominated by the Boston Celtics, even as a Baltimore team played in the West Division for three years, denying the team likely visits to the NBA Finals.
In 1966, the team was sold to a pair of brothers named Max and Jeremy Jacobs
Jeremy Jacobs
Jeremy Maurice Jacobs, Sr. perhaps best known as the owner of the Boston Bruins, is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Delaware North Companies...
. That same season, the Royals began playing some of their home games in neutral sites such as Cleveland (until the Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
began play in 1970), Dayton & Columbus, which was the norm for the rest of the Royals tenure in the Queen City.
New coach Bob Cousy
Bob Cousy
Robert Joseph "Bob" Cousy is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6'1" , 175-pound Cousy played point guard with the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1951 to 1963 and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969–70 season...
, a loyal Boston Celtic, traded Lucas in 1969. Robertson was traded to Milwaukee
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
in 1970, where he would immediately win an NBA title. The declining franchise left Cincinnati shortly thereafter, moving to Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
in 1972.
Kansas City/Omaha
The Royals were renamed the Kings because Kansas City already had the RoyalsKansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
baseball team. The basketball team agreed to change its nickname, even though it had used the name for 25 years before the baseball team was established. The team initially divided its home games between Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
and Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
until 1975, when it abandoned the Omaha market. During that time the team was officially called the "Kansas City-Omaha Kings". The team netted a new superstar in Nate Archibald
Nate Archibald
Nathaniel "Nate" Archibald is a former American professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Kansas City Kings and Boston Celtics....
, who led the league in scoring and assists. Both "Kings" and "Royals" would have fit in Kansas City, due to that city being host to the American Royal
American Royal
The American Royal in Kansas City, Missouri is a livestock show, horse show and rodeo held each year in October and November at Kemper Arena. The Future Farmers of America was founded during the Royal and Kansas City's professional baseball team the Kansas City Royals derive their name from the...
livestock show.
While still in Cincinnati, the Kings introduced a most unusual uniform design, which placed the player's surname below his number. The design remained intact through the first several seasons of the team's run in Sacramento, even when the shade of blue on the road uniforms was changed from royal blue to powder blue, and the script "Kansas City" which adorned the road jerseys was scrubbed after the move in favor of a repeat of the "Kings" script on the home shirts. The Kings' back jersey template was later adopted by the WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
and the NBA Development League
NBA Development League
The NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
, as well the NBA during the All-Star Game since 2006.
The Kings had some decent players throughout. Tom Van Arsdale
Tom Van Arsdale
Thomas Arthur Van Arsdale is a former professional basketball player. A graduate of Indianapolis Emmerich Manual High School, the 6'5" guard played collegiately at Indiana University, Van Arsdale was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 2nd round of the 1965 NBA Draft...
, the shooting forward, "Jumpin" Johnny Green, and Matt Guokas
Matt Guokas
Matthew George "Matt" Guokas, Jr. is a former American professional basketball player and coach.-Playing career:...
helped Archibald in the first year in Kansas City. Toby Kimball was a fan favorite. Jimmy Walker teamed with Archibald as the Kings made the playoffs the second year. Sam Lacey, an effective passing center, became one of the most dependable players in the league. Archibald became the first player to lead the league in scoring and assists in the first season in Kansas City. However, the management traded Archibald, and wasted high draft picks. Bob Cousy gave way to Phil Johnson
Phil Johnson (basketball)
Phil D. Johnson is a former College basketball player and a former basketball coach. He played college basketball at Utah State University and Weber State, and has coached collegiately at Weber State University....
, who was fired midyear in 1977 and replaced by Larry Staverman
Larry Staverman
Larry Joseph Staverman was an American professional basketball player and coach. A 6' 7" forward from Villa Madonna College , Staverman was drafted in the 9th round of the 1958 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals...
, a player on the team on two separate occasions when it was in Cincinnati and who later became the Cleveland Indians groundskeeper.
The Kings finally achieved some success in their new home when they hired Cotton Fitzsimmons
Cotton Fitzsimmons
Lowell "Cotton" Fitzsimmons was a college and NBA basketball coach. A native of Hannibal, Missouri, he attended and played basketball at Hannibal-LaGrange Junior College in Hannibal and Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas...
as coach. Coach Fitzsimmons won the Midwest Division in 1978–79 with rookie point guard Phil Ford who was NBA Rookie of the Year in 1979. Kansas City was led by shooting guard Otis Birdsong
Otis Birdsong
Otis Lee Birdsong is an American former professional basketball player. He spent twelve seasons in the NBA and appeared in four NBA All-Star Games....
, strong on both offense and defense, all around shooting forward Scott Wedman, and passing center Sam Lacey, who had a trademark 25 feet (7.6 m) bank shot. They also drew an average of 10,789 fans to Kemper Arena
Kemper Arena
Kemper Arena is a 19,500 seat indoor arena, in Kansas City, Missouri.It is named for R. Crosby Kemper Sr., a member of the powerful Kemper financial clan and who donated $3.2 million, from his estate for the arena...
that season, the only time during their tenure in KC that average attendance was in five figures. The Kings made the playoffs in 1979–80 and again in 1980–81, despite finishing the regular season at 40–42. The Kings made a surprise run in the NBA Playoffs
NBA Playoffs
The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...
, reaching the Western Conference Finals. Big Ernie Grunfeld
Ernie Grunfeld
Ernest "Ernie" Grunfeld is the General Manager of the Washington Wizards. He was also once a professional basketball player...
played the point in this run, as KC used a slow half court game to win the first two rounds. Power forward Reggie King had a remarkable series, dominating the opposition.
However, a series of bad luck incidents prevented the team from building on its success. Ted Stepien, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
lured Wedman and Birdsong away with big contract offers, the roof literally fell in at Kemper Arena
Kemper Arena
Kemper Arena is a 19,500 seat indoor arena, in Kansas City, Missouri.It is named for R. Crosby Kemper Sr., a member of the powerful Kemper financial clan and who donated $3.2 million, from his estate for the arena...
because of a severe storm, forcing the team to play most of the 1979–80 season at Municipal Auditorium, and the ownership group sold the team to Sacramento interests for just eleven million dollars. The general manager was fired in a bizarre scandal in which he was found to be reusing marked postage stamps. When the Kings rehired Joe Axelson
Joe Axelson
Joe Axelson was an American sports executive who won the first NBA Executive of the Year Award in 1973 while serving as general manager of the Kansas City-Omaha Kings...
as general manager, they brought back the man who had previously traded superstars Oscar Robertson, Norm Van Lier, Nate Archibald and Jerry Lucas, and used the third pick in the ABA
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
dispersal draft on Ron Boone
Ron Boone
Ronald Bruce Boone is a retired American Basketball Association player.During his years at Tech High in North Omaha, Nebraska, Boone stood 6'2" and weighed 175 pounds....
. Axelson would stay on after the Kings left Kansas City where, in their last game ever, fans wore Joe Axelson masks. Axelson later would say he hoped his plane would never touch down in Kansas City.
Axelson later would be the first general manager in the history of sports to fail with the same franchise in four different cities: Cincinnati, Kansas City, Omaha and Sacramento. He would not be fired for good until he rehired as coach Phil Johnson, whom he had fired in midseason in Kansas City ten years before. The Kings also had the misfortune of entering this period competing with the Kansas City Comets
Kansas City Comets
The Kansas City Comets were a professional indoor soccer team based for most of its existence in Kansas City, Missouri. They played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1979–1991, when they folded...
for the winter sports dollar, when the Comets were led by marketers—the Leiweke brothers. Their final season, 1984–85, resulted in a dismal 31–51 record as fans stayed away from Kemper Arena in droves, with average attendance of just 6,410. The most notable moment of this season lives in infamy, when New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
standout Bernard King
Bernard King
Bernard King is a retired American professional basketball player at the small forward position in the NBA...
suffered a devastating knee injury on March 23. The writing was on the wall for Kansas City.
Move to Sacramento
The Kings moved to their current home of Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
in the 1985–86 NBA season, with their first Sacramento season ending in the first round of the Western Conference 1986 NBA Playoffs
1986 NBA Playoffs
The 1986 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1985-86 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets, four games to two, in the NBA Finals. The Celtics won...
. However, they saw little success in subsequent years, and the team did not make the playoffs again until the 1996 NBA Playoffs
1996 NBA Playoffs
The 1996 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1995-1996 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA championship in three years by defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle...
in the 1995–96 NBA season. Some of their failure was attributable to misfortunes such as the career-altering car crash suffered by promising point guard Bobby Hurley
Bobby Hurley
Robert Matthew 'Bobby' Hurley is an American former basketball player and currently an assistant coach at Wagner College.-Biography:...
and the suicide of Ricky Berry
Ricky Berry
Ricky Alan Berry was an American professional basketball player in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings....
; some was attributed to poor management such as the long tenure of head coach Garry St. Jean
Garry St. Jean
Garry St. Jean is a former professional basketball coach and executive. St. Jean was head coach of the Sacramento Kings from 1992 through 1997. He later became the general manager of the Golden State Warriors, and in 2000 he doubled as a head coach after P.J. Carlesimo was fired.- External links:**...
and the selection of "Never Nervous" Pervis Ellison
Pervis Ellison
Pervis Ellison is a former college and professional NBA basketball player.Ellison was nicknamed "Never Nervous Pervis" for his play with the University of Louisville. At 6 ft 9 in and 242 lb, he started all four years as the center under coach Denny Crum...
with the first overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft
1989 NBA Draft
The 1989 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 1989 in New York City, New York, USA. It has been regarded as one of the worst drafts in NBA history, along with the 1986 NBA Draft and the 2000 NBA Draft. Though the draft produced talented players such as Shawn Kemp, Glen Rice, Sean Elliott, Nick...
. Current Kings television broadcaster Jerry Reynolds
Jerry Reynolds (basketball coach)
Jerry Reynolds is an American former professional basketball coach and current executive in the NBA.He coached the Sacramento Kings for two different stretches; once in 1987 and from 1988 through 1989. He also served as the team's general manager...
and NBA legend Bill Russell
Bill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
were among the early coaching staff.
1993–1996
Mitch Richmond
Mitchell James "Mitch" Richmond is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He played collegiately at Kansas State University. He was a 6-time NBA All-Star, a 5-time All-NBA Team member and a former NBA Rookie of the Year...
but they did not see postseason success. The team was eventually sold to the Maloof Family
Maloof family
The Maloof family owns numerous business properties in the Western United States. The origin of the family name is Maalouf and is of Levantine descent; the family is Lebanese via their paternal grandfather. The Maloofs are the owners of the Sacramento Kings of the NBA . The family consists of...
, who finally changed the direction of the team.
In 1994, the Kings radically changed their look, adopting a new color scheme of purple, silver, black and white. This color scheme was later adopted by another team in California called the "Kings", the NHL's Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
, a few years later. The Kings' previous look had dated back to their last season in Cincinnati.
1997–1999
The Kings began to emerge from mediocrity with the draft selection of Jason Williams, the signing of Vlade DivacVlade Divac
Vlade Divac is a retired Yugoslav and Serbian professional basketball player who spent most of his career in the NBA. At , he played center and was known for his passing skills...
, and the trade of Mitch Richmond
Mitch Richmond
Mitchell James "Mitch" Richmond is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He played collegiately at Kansas State University. He was a 6-time NBA All-Star, a 5-time All-NBA Team member and a former NBA Rookie of the Year...
for Chris Webber
Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...
prior to the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season. These acquisitions coincided with the arrival of Peja Stojakovic
Peja Stojaković
Predrag Stojaković , also known by his nickname Peja , is a Serbian professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association . Standing at 6 ft 10 , Stojaković plays the small forward position...
, who had been drafted in 1996
1996 NBA Draft
The 1996 NBA Draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association . It was held on June 26, 1996 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the Turner Network Television...
. Each of these moves was attributed to general manager Geoff Petrie
Geoff Petrie
Geoffrey Michael Petrie is a former American basketball player and current basketball team executive. A native of Pennsylvania, he played professional basketball in the National Basketball Association for the Portland Trail Blazers where he won NBA Rookie of the Year in 1971...
, who has won NBA Executive of the Year twice.
Following these acquisitions, the Kings improved and became perennial playoff contenders. Led by new head coach Rick Adelman
Rick Adelman
Richard Leonard "Rick" Adelman is an American former basketball professional player and current basketball coach. He is the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA. Confirmation of the hiring came from the Timberwolves on September 13, 2011...
, and aided by former Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
head coach and Kings assistant Pete Carril
Pete Carril
Peter J. "Pete" Carril is a former collegiate head coach and former NBA assistant with the Sacramento Kings.-Early years:...
, the so-called "Princeton offense
Princeton offense
The Princeton offense is an offensive basketball strategy which emphasizes constant motion, passing, back-door cuts, and disciplined teamwork. It was used and perfected at Princeton University by Pete Carril, though its roots may be traced back to Franklin “Cappy” Cappon, who coached Princeton...
" impressed others for its quick style and strong ball movement. Some criticized the Kings for their poor team defense, Williams's "flash over substance" style of play with its many turnovers, and Webber's failure to step up in important match-ups. Still, they quickly garnered many fans outside of California, and even around the world, many of which were drawn to Williams' and Webber's talent. Despite their successes, they were still a young team and were ultimately defeated by more experienced teams in the playoffs, losing to the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in 1999 and the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
in 2000.
2000–2005
Following the 1999–2000 season, the Kings traded starting small forward Corliss Williamson to the Toronto RaptorsToronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
for defensive shooting guard Doug Christie
Doug Christie (basketball)
Douglas Dale Christie is a retired American basketball player.-Early life:Christie is the son of John Malone and Norma Christie...
. Peja Stojakovic and Chris Webber proved to complement each other well, and as the Kings continued to improve, their popularity steadily rose, culminating in a February 2001 Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
cover story entitled "The Greatest Show On Court" with Williams, Christie, Stojakovic, Webber, and Divac gracing the cover. In 2001, they won their first playoff series in twenty years, defeating the Phoenix Suns three games to one, before being swept in four games by the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, who eventually won the NBA championship.
In July 2001, starting point guard Jason Williams was traded to the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...
for point guard Mike Bibby
Mike Bibby
Michael "Mike" Bibby is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He is a 6'2" point guard, and he attended Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona and played collegiately at the University of Arizona. In...
. The trade solved the Grizzlies' need for an exciting, popular player to sell tickets after transplanting to a new city, while the Kings sought more stability and control at the point guard position. This move was complemented by the re-signing of Webber to a maximum-salary contract, securing the star power forward over the long term.
With the addition of Bibby, the Kings had their best season to date in 2001–02. The team finished with a league-best record of 61–21, winning 36 of 41 games at home. The Kings would go on to play the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, and in a controversial series, lose in seven games, one game away from the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
. The 2002 Sacramento Kings are widely considered one of best teams to never win an NBA Championship.
After winning another division championship by going 59–23 in 2002–03, the Kings lost Webber to a knee injury in the playoffs, and they ultimately lost to the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
in a seven game series. Webber's knee required major surgery. Although he returned mid-season in 2003–04, he had lost some of his quickness and athleticism; the Kings ended the season with a playoff defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
in seven games.
The 2004–05 season marked more change for the Kings, who lost three of their starting players from the 2002 team. In the off-season of 2004, Divac signed with the rival Lakers, giving Brad Miller
Brad Miller (basketball)
Bradley Alan Miller is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA...
the starting spot at the center position. Early in the season, Christie was traded to the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
for shooting guard Cuttino Mobley, and in February, Chris Webber was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
for three forwards (Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas, and Brian Skinner
Brian Skinner
Brian Skinner is an American professional basketball player. A 6'9", 265 lb forward-center from Baylor University, Skinner was selected by the Clippers in the first round of the 1998 NBA Draft...
). The Kings ultimately lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
. The 2005 off-season continued with more changes, with the Kings trading fan-favorite Bobby Jackson for Bonzi Wells
Bonzi Wells
Gawen DeAngelo "Bonzi" Wells is an American professional basketball player. A 6' 5" shooting guard, he last played for Capitanes de Arecibo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, the main Puerto Rican basketball league. He played college basketball at Ball State University and was drafted in the...
and acquiring free agent forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Shareef Abdur-Rahim is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant general manager for the Sacramento Kings. He last played for the Kings of the National Basketball Association . On the basketball court, he played both forward or center positions. Abdur-Rahim was a...
.
2005–2011
Popular sharpshooting small forward Peja Stojakovic
Predrag Stojakovic
Predrag Stojaković , also known by his nickname Peja , is a Serbian professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association . Standing at 6 ft 10 , Stojaković plays the small forward position...
was traded for Ron Artest
Ron Artest
Metta World Peace is an American professional basketball player and rapper who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. World Peace gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004...
, long known for his volatile temper. With Artest in the lineup, the Kings had a 20–9 record after the 2006 NBA All-Star Weekend, which was the second best post-All-Star break record that season. The Kings finished the regular season with a 44–38 record, which placed them 4th in the Pacific Division
Pacific Division (NBA)
The Pacific Division is one of the three divisions in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association . The division consists of five teams, the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings...
. The Kings were seeded 8th in the Western Conference playoffs, and were matched up in the first round against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs eliminated the Kings 4 games to 2.
The 2006 off-season began with the announcement that head coach Rick Adelman
Rick Adelman
Richard Leonard "Rick" Adelman is an American former basketball professional player and current basketball coach. He is the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA. Confirmation of the hiring came from the Timberwolves on September 13, 2011...
's contract would not be renewed. The Kings named Eric Musselman
Eric Musselman
Eric P. Musselman is an American basketball coach and the former head coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors...
as Adelman's replacement.
In 2006–2007, the disappointing play of the Kings was coupled with the distraction of legal troubles. Coach Eric Musselman
Eric Musselman
Eric P. Musselman is an American basketball coach and the former head coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors...
pleaded no contest to DUI
DUI
DUI is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Driving under the influence * Democratic Union for Integration — the largest ethnic Albanian party in the Republic of Macedonia* Data Use Identifier...
charges early in the season, while star Ron Artest
Ron Artest
Metta World Peace is an American professional basketball player and rapper who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. World Peace gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004...
got in trouble for neglect of his dogs, and was later accused of domestic assault. The Kings relieved Artest of basketball duties, pending investigation, then later reinstated him. The Kings finished the 2006–07 NBA season with an overall record of 33–49 (their worst in 9 years) landing them in fifth place in the Pacific Division. They posted a losing record (20–21) at home for the first time since 1993–94. Their season included a seven game losing-streak that lasted from January 4 to January 19. Consequently, the Sacramento Kings missed the 2007 NBA Playoffs
2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...
, the first time in eight seasons. Musselman was fired on April 20, 2007. The Kings' future appeared to rest on the shoulders of breakout star Kevin Martin
Kevin Martin (basketball)
Kevin Dallas Martin, Jr. , is an American professional basketball player currently with the Houston Rockets in the NBA. He is known for his knack for scoring, deceptive quickness and unorthodox style of shooting.-High school and college:...
, who was a leading candidate for 2007 NBA Most-Improved Player of the Year.
The 2007 off season was a time of change for the Kings. Head coach Eric Musselman was replaced by former Kings player, Reggie Theus. The Kings selected center Spencer Hawes
Spencer Hawes
Spencer Mason Hawes is an American basketball player who is currently playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. He was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 2007 NBA Draft and is the nephew of Steve Hawes, a retired NBA player.-High school:Hawes played center at Seattle Prep, an elite college-prep...
as the 10th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
. In addition to these changes, the acquired center-forward Mikki Moore
Mikki Moore
Clinton Renard "Mikki" Moore is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent.-Professional career:...
from the New Jersey Nets. Kevin Martin
Kevin Martin (basketball)
Kevin Dallas Martin, Jr. , is an American professional basketball player currently with the Houston Rockets in the NBA. He is known for his knack for scoring, deceptive quickness and unorthodox style of shooting.-High school and college:...
signed a contract worth $55 million, extending his period with the team for five more years. However, the Kings also lost some key players over the off-season, with backup point guard Ronnie Price leaving for the Utah Jazz, and Corliss Williamson retiring.
The team claimed fourth-year point guard Beno Udrih
Beno Udrih
Beno Udrih is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. He was traded to the Bucks on June 23, 2011 after spending four seasons in Sacramento. -Early career:...
off waivers from Minnesota. Udrih quickly assumed the starting point guard job, as Bibby was injured. It was announced on February 16, 2008 that the Kings had traded longtime point guard Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
for Tyronn Lue
Tyronn Lue
Tyronn Jamar Lue is a former American professional basketball player who last played for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association...
, Anthony Johnson
Anthony Johnson (basketball)
Anthony Mark Johnson is an American professional basketball player who most recently played with the Orlando Magic of the NBA. Johnson is a 6'3" point guard. He found success in pro basketball, becoming the first NBA D-League player to participate in a NBA Finals...
, Shelden Williams
Shelden Williams
Shelden DeMar Williams is an American professional basketball player who last played for the New York Knicks...
, Lorenzen Wright
Lorenzen Wright
Lorenzen Vern-Gagne Wright was an American professional basketball player.-Early life and college:Raised in Oxford, Mississippi, Wright played all levels of basketball in Memphis – high school, collegiate and professional...
and a 2nd round draft pick. The move was presumably made mostly to clear space under the salary cap. Bibby was the last remaining player from the Kings team that had reached the Western Conference Finals back in 2002.
The Kings improved by 5 games and finished the 2007–08 season with a 38–44 record, missing the playoffs by a bigger margin (12 games) than the previous season (8 games). They went 26–15 at home and 12–29 on the road. After selling out every home game since 1999, the Kings during the 2007–08 season sold out only three games at ARCO Arena (against the Celtics and Lakers) with attendance averaging 13,500 fans per home game, almost 4,000 below capacity.
Following a quiet 2008 off-season, it was confirmed on July 29, 2008 that the Kings would trade forward Ron Artest
Ron Artest
Metta World Peace is an American professional basketball player and rapper who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. World Peace gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004...
and the rights to Patrick Ewing, Jr.
Patrick Ewing, Jr.
Patrick Aloysius Ewing, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets. He is the oldest son of retired NBA Hall of Famer and New York Knicks legend Patrick Ewing and Sharon Campbell...
and Sean Singletary
Sean Singletary
Sean Singletary is an American professional basketball player.-Early life:Singletary was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended C. W...
to the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
in exchange for former King Bobby Jackson, Donté Greene
Donté Greene
Donté Dominic Greene is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA...
, a future first round draft pick, and cash considerations for Rashad McCants
Rashad McCants
Rashad Dion McCants is an American professional basketball player.-High school career:...
and center Calvin Booth
Calvin Booth
Calvin Lawrence Booth is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent.-College career:...
.
Reggie Theus was fired in the middle of the 2008–09 season, giving way to Kenny Natt
Kenny Natt
Kenneth Wayne Natt is a retired American professional basketball player and ex-interim head coach for the NBA's Sacramento Kings. He was a 6'3" guard and played collegiately at Northeast Louisiana University and had a three-year NBA playing career...
as the interim head coach. The Kings continued to struggle under Natt, ending up with the NBA's worst record for the 2008–09 season at 17–65. On April 23, 2009, Kings' Vice President Geoff Petrie announced the firing of Natt and his four assistants, Rex Kalamian, Jason Hamm, Randy Brown
Randy Brown
Randy Brown is a retired American basketball player. A 6'2" guard who played at New Mexico State University, Brown was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 1991 NBA Draft...
and Bubba Burrage.
With the worst record of the 2008–09 season, the Sacramento Kings had a 25% chance of obtaining the first overall pick in the NBA draft. Overall, the Kings had a 64.3% chance of obtaining one of the top three picks in the NBA draft and could not draft any lower than number four overall. Unfortunately, the Kings failed to make it into the top three picks and ended up with the fourth selection in the 2009 NBA Draft. Along with new head coach Paul Westphal
Paul Westphal
Paul Westphal is a retired American basketball player and current head coach of the National Basketball Association's Sacramento Kings. Westphal has had a storied career in the NBA, both as a player and as a coach. As a player, he won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in the 1974 NBA...
, the Kings selected Memphis combo guard Tyreke Evans
Tyreke Evans
Tyreke Jamir Evans is an American professional basketball player with Virtus Roma in Italy. He is also under contract with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association , but is not currently playing with them because of the 2011 NBA lockout...
with the 4th overall pick. With the 23rd pick, the Kings selected Omri Casspi
Omri Casspi
Omri Casspi is an Israeli professional basketball player. He is under contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but is playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. during the 2011 NBA lockout...
from Israel.
On April 27, 2010 Tyreke Evans
Tyreke Evans
Tyreke Jamir Evans is an American professional basketball player with Virtus Roma in Italy. He is also under contract with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association , but is not currently playing with them because of the 2011 NBA lockout...
was the first Sacramento era player to receive the NBA Rookie of the Year Award
NBA Rookie of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1952–53 NBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner receives the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, which is named in honor of the Philadelphia Warriors head...
. Tyreke Evans
Tyreke Evans
Tyreke Jamir Evans is an American professional basketball player with Virtus Roma in Italy. He is also under contract with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association , but is not currently playing with them because of the 2011 NBA lockout...
also became the 4th player in NBA history, joining Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
, Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, and LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
, to average 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game for the whole season as a rookie.
On June 24, 2010, the Kings selected DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins is an American professional basketball player with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball at the University of Kentucky.-High school career:...
, a power forward-center from the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, as the 5th pick of the 2010 NBA Draft
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
. The Kings also selected Hassan Whiteside
Hassan Whiteside
Hassan Niam Whiteside is an American basketball power forward and center for the Sacramento Kings. He was drafted 33rd to the Kings in the 2010 NBA Draft. He played college basketball for the Marshall Thundering Herd.-Early life:Whiteside played middle school basketball in Gastonia, NC...
, a center from Marshall University
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
, as the 33rd pick of the 2010 NBA Draft
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
.
The 2010-2011 season was marked with much uncertainty towards the end of the season. Frustrated by the lack of progress towards an arena and dwindling profits from other businesses, the Maloofs were seeking an immediate relocation of the franchise to Anaheim. The move seemed a certainty towards the end of the year, as Grant Napear and Jerry Reynolds tearfully signed off at the final home game vs. the LA Lakers.
In the 2011 NBA draft the Sacramento Kings traded for the draft rights of Jimmer Fredette
Jimmer Fredette
James Taft "Jimmer" Fredette is an American professional basketball player with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association...
in a three team deal with the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
and the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
also involving John Salmons
John Salmons
John Rashall Salmons is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA...
, Shaun Livingston
Shaun Livingston
Shaun Patrick Livingston is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks.-Early years:Livingston was born in Peoria, Illinois. He led Concordia Lutheran Grade School, coached by Mr. Tom Ruppert, to LSA state titles in 1999 and 2000...
, Beno Udrih
Beno Udrih
Beno Udrih is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. He was traded to the Bucks on June 23, 2011 after spending four seasons in Sacramento. -Early career:...
, Corey Maggette
Corey Maggette
Corey Antoine Maggette is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association, for the Charlotte Bobcats. He excelled at Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Illinois, where he was an All-American in basketball and also an Illinois high school state track finalist in long...
, and Stephen Jackson
Stephen Jackson
Stephen Jesse Jackson is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. Jackson is a 6'8" guard-forward.-Early life, high school, and college:Jackson was born in Houston and grew up in Port Arthur, Texas...
. This deal lands Sacramento the most popular player in the draft in hopes of boosting tickets for the next up-coming years.
2011–2012: Final Year in Sacramento?
More information on the possible Kings move to Anaheim: 2011–12 Sacramento Kings seasonOn February 19, 2011, NBA commissioner David Stern admitted that the Kings and officials in Anaheim had discussions about a team relocation. It was later found that the organization went as far as to file for a name change to the "Anaheim Royals", among others. The Maloofs prepared to make their case for relocation in an NBA Board meeting in New York, in what many expected to simply be a formality.
In a surprise announcement, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson
Kevin Maurice Johnson is the current mayor of Sacramento, California. He is Sacramento's first African American mayor. Prior to entering politics, Johnson was a basketball player in the NBA, playing point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns...
announced during a presentation to the NBA that Ron Burkle, a billionaire associate of former United States President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
fundraiser, wanted to buy the Kings and keep them in Sacramento. Johnson also pledged some $10 million from local businesses as a show of support from Sacramento. This, along with the overwhelming show of support from the fans, may have swayed Stern and the relocation committee to tell the Maloofs to withdraw their relocation plans.
The Maloof family as well as the NBA have stated that the Kings will stay in Sacramento for the 2011-12 NBA season. Similar to a situation with the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
, both parties have stated that the franchise will relocate to Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
or elsewhere for the 2012-13 NBA season unless the city of Sacramento can provide a long term solution concerning a new arena. Currently the city has plans for an arena and are awaiting a 100-day analysis of funding options for the arena.
Home arenas
- Edgerton Park ArenaEdgerton Park ArenaEdgerton Park Arena was an indoor arena in Rochester, New York. The building was originally constructed in 1892 as the drill hall for a training school for delinquent boys. When the school moved early in the 20th century, the building was turned into an indoor sports arena and exhibition hall...
(1945–1955) - Rochester War MemorialBlue Cross ArenaThe Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in Rochester, New York. Its maximum seating capacity is 13,000...
(1955–1957) - Cincinnati GardensCincinnati GardensThe Cincinnati Gardens is an indoor sports and entertainment arena located in Cincinnati, Ohio, that opened in 1949. The 25,000 square foot brick and limestone building, whose entrance is decorated with six three-dimensional carved athletic figures, was modeled after Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto,...
(1957–1972) - Kansas City Municipal Auditorium (1972–1974)
- Omaha Civic AuditoriumOmaha Civic AuditoriumThe Omaha Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CenturyLink Center Omaha in 2003....
(1972–1978) - Kemper ArenaKemper ArenaKemper Arena is a 19,500 seat indoor arena, in Kansas City, Missouri.It is named for R. Crosby Kemper Sr., a member of the powerful Kemper financial clan and who donated $3.2 million, from his estate for the arena...
(1974–1985) - ARCO Arena I (1985–1988)
- Power Balance Pavilion (formerly ARCO Arena II) (1988–present)
Basketball Hall of Famers
- Nate ArchibaldNate ArchibaldNathaniel "Nate" Archibald is a former American professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Kansas City Kings and Boston Celtics....
(Cincinnati/Kansas City/Omaha) - Al CerviAl CerviAlfred Nicholas Cervi was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball League and National Basketball Association . One of the strongest backcourt players of the 1940s and 1950s, he was always assigned to defend against the opposing team's best scoring threat...
(Rochester) - Bob Davies (Rochester)
- Jerry LucasJerry LucasJerry Ray Lucas was a basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history...
(Cincinnati) - Lester HarrisonLester HarrisonLester "Les" Harrison was an American professional basketball player, coach, and team owner and is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame....
(Franchise founder, Rochester) - Arnie RisenArnie RisenArnold D. Risen is a retired American basketball player.A 6'9" center from the Ohio State University, he led the Buckeyes to two straight Final Four appearances....
(Rochester) - Oscar RobertsonOscar RobertsonOscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
(Cincinnati) - Maurice StokesMaurice StokesMaurice Stokes was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s, whose career was cut short by a debilitating injury...
(Rochester/Cincinnati) - Jack TwymanJack TwymanJohn Kennedy "Jack" Twyman is an American former professional basketball player and sports broadcaster.-Playing career:...
(Rochester/Cincinnati) - Bobby WanzerBobby WanzerRobert Francis Wanzer, also known as "Hooks" Wanzer is a former basketball player and coach. A 6'0" guard, he played collegiately at Seton Hall University, and was selected by the Rochester Royals in 1947...
(Rochester)
Retired numbers
- #1 Nate ArchibaldNate ArchibaldNathaniel "Nate" Archibald is a former American professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Kansas City Kings and Boston Celtics....
, G, 1970–76 (1970–72 Cincinnati, 1972–76 Kansas City) - #2 Mitch RichmondMitch RichmondMitchell James "Mitch" Richmond is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He played collegiately at Kansas State University. He was a 6-time NBA All-Star, a 5-time All-NBA Team member and a former NBA Rookie of the Year...
, G, 1991–98 - #4 Chris WebberChris WebberMayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...
, F, 1998–2005 - #6 (Sixth Man) – The Fans of Sacramento, 1985–present
- #11 Bob Davies, G, 1948–55 (all in Rochester)
- #12 Maurice StokesMaurice StokesMaurice Stokes was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s, whose career was cut short by a debilitating injury...
, F, 1955–58 (career-ending injury in team's first season in Cincinnati) - #14 Oscar RobertsonOscar RobertsonOscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
, G, 1960–70 (all in Cincinnati) - #21 Vlade DivacVlade DivacVlade Divac is a retired Yugoslav and Serbian professional basketball player who spent most of his career in the NBA. At , he played center and was known for his passing skills...
, C, 1998–2004 - #27 Jack TwymanJack TwymanJohn Kennedy "Jack" Twyman is an American former professional basketball player and sports broadcaster.-Playing career:...
, F, 1955–66 (1955–57 in Rochester, 1957–66 in Cincinnati) - #44 Sam LaceySam LaceySamuel Lacey is a retired American basketball player.A 6'10" center from New Mexico State University, Lacey played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Cincinnati Royals, Kansas City Kings, New Jersey Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers...
, C, 1970–81 (1970–72 in Cincinnati, 1972–81 in Kansas City)
Archibald and Robertson were named two of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996.
The 2005 Sacramento Monarchs
Sacramento Monarchs
The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009...
WNBA Champions banner, as well as the Monarchs 2006 Western Conference Champions banner, also hang from the rafters of Power Balance Pavilion.
Individual awards
NBA MVP of the Year- Oscar RobertsonOscar RobertsonOscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
– 1964
NBA Rookie of the Year
NBA Rookie of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1952–53 NBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner receives the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, which is named in honor of the Philadelphia Warriors head...
- Maurice StokesMaurice StokesMaurice Stokes was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s, whose career was cut short by a debilitating injury...
- 1956 - Oscar RobertsonOscar RobertsonOscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
- 1961 - Jerry LucasJerry LucasJerry Ray Lucas was a basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history...
- 1964 - Phil Ford - 1979
- Tyreke EvansTyreke EvansTyreke Jamir Evans is an American professional basketball player with Virtus Roma in Italy. He is also under contract with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association , but is not currently playing with them because of the 2011 NBA lockout...
– 2010
NBA Sixth Man of the Year
NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's most valuable player for his team coming off the bench as a substitute . A panel of sportswriters and broadcasters from throughout...
- Bobby Jackson – 2003
NBA Coach of the Year
NBA Coach of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA Championships from 1956 to 1966...
- Phil JohnsonPhil Johnson (basketball)Phil D. Johnson is a former College basketball player and a former basketball coach. He played college basketball at Utah State University and Weber State, and has coached collegiately at Weber State University....
- 1975 - Cotton FitzsimmonsCotton FitzsimmonsLowell "Cotton" Fitzsimmons was a college and NBA basketball coach. A native of Hannibal, Missouri, he attended and played basketball at Hannibal-LaGrange Junior College in Hannibal and Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas...
- 1979
NBA Executive of the Year
NBA Executive of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Executive of the Year Award is an annual award given since the 1972–73 NBA season, to the league's best general managers. Before 2009, the Executive of the Year is presented annually by Sporting News, although it is officially recognized by the NBA. Since then,...
- Joe AxelsonJoe AxelsonJoe Axelson was an American sports executive who won the first NBA Executive of the Year Award in 1973 while serving as general manager of the Kansas City-Omaha Kings...
- 1973 - Geoff PetrieGeoff PetrieGeoffrey Michael Petrie is a former American basketball player and current basketball team executive. A native of Pennsylvania, he played professional basketball in the National Basketball Association for the Portland Trail Blazers where he won NBA Rookie of the Year in 1971...
- 1999, 2001
All-NBA First Team
- Oscar RobertsonOscar RobertsonOscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
- 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969 - Jerry LucasJerry LucasJerry Ray Lucas was a basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history...
- 1965, 1966, 1968 - Nate ArchibaldNate ArchibaldNathaniel "Nate" Archibald is a former American professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Kansas City Kings and Boston Celtics....
- 1973, 1975,1976 - Chris WebberChris WebberMayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...
– 2001
All-NBA Second Team
- Maurice StokesMaurice StokesMaurice Stokes was an American professional basketball player in the 1950s, whose career was cut short by a debilitating injury...
- 1956, 1957, 1958 - Jack TwymanJack TwymanJohn Kennedy "Jack" Twyman is an American former professional basketball player and sports broadcaster.-Playing career:...
1960, 1962 - Jerry LucasJerry LucasJerry Ray Lucas was a basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history...
- 1964, 1967 - Oscar RobertsonOscar RobertsonOscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
- 1970 - Nate ArchibaldNate ArchibaldNathaniel "Nate" Archibald is a former American professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the NBA, most notably with the Kansas City Kings and Boston Celtics....
- 1972 - Phil Ford - 1979
- Otis BirdsongOtis BirdsongOtis Lee Birdsong is an American former professional basketball player. He spent twelve seasons in the NBA and appeared in four NBA All-Star Games....
- 1981 - Mitch RichmondMitch RichmondMitchell James "Mitch" Richmond is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He played collegiately at Kansas State University. He was a 6-time NBA All-Star, a 5-time All-NBA Team member and a former NBA Rookie of the Year...
- 1994, 1995, 1997 - Chris WebberChris WebberMayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...
- 1999, 2002, 2003 - Peja StojakovicPeja StojakovićPredrag Stojaković , also known by his nickname Peja , is a Serbian professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association . Standing at 6 ft 10 , Stojaković plays the small forward position...
- 2004
All-NBA Third Team
- Mitch RichmondMitch RichmondMitchell James "Mitch" Richmond is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He played collegiately at Kansas State University. He was a 6-time NBA All-Star, a 5-time All-NBA Team member and a former NBA Rookie of the Year...
- 1996, 1998 - Chris WebberChris WebberMayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...
– 2000
NBA All-Defensive First Team
- Doug ChristieDoug Christie (basketball)Douglas Dale Christie is a retired American basketball player.-Early life:Christie is the son of John Malone and Norma Christie...
– 2003
NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- Norm Van LierNorm Van LierNorman Allen Van Lier III was an NBA basketball player and television broadcaster who spent the majority of his career with the Chicago Bulls.-Biography:...
- 1971 - Brian TaylorBrian Taylor (basketball)Brian Dwight Taylor is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'2" guard from Princeton University, he was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round of the 1972 NBA Draft...
- 1977 - Scott WedmanScott WedmanScott Dean Wedman is a former NBA basketball player. He was drafted by Kansas City-Omaha Kings in the first round in the 1974 NBA Draft.-Kansas City Kings:...
- 1980 - Doug ChristieDoug Christie (basketball)Douglas Dale Christie is a retired American basketball player.-Early life:Christie is the son of John Malone and Norma Christie...
– 2001, 2002, 2004
NBA Rookie First Team
NBA All-Rookie Team
The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches; who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team. The All-Rookie Team is generally...
- Jerry LucasJerry LucasJerry Ray Lucas was a basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history...
- 1964 - Ron BehagenRon BehagenRonald Michael Behagen is a retired American basketball player.A 6'9" center from DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City, Behagen played basketball in junior college and at the University of Minnesota during the early 1970s. One of his teammates was future Baseball Hall-of-Famer Dave Winfield...
- 1974 - Scott WedmanScott WedmanScott Dean Wedman is a former NBA basketball player. He was drafted by Kansas City-Omaha Kings in the first round in the 1974 NBA Draft.-Kansas City Kings:...
– 1975 - Phil Ford – 1979
- Kenny SmithKenny SmithKenneth "The Jet" Smith is a retired National Basketball Association player and current TV basketball analyst, primarily for Inside the NBA on TNT.-Early life:...
– 1988 - Lionel Simmons – 1991
- Brian GrantBrian GrantBrian Wade Grant is a retired American basketball player. He played the power forward and center positions for five teams during 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He was known for his tenacious rebounding and blue-collar defense...
– 1995 - Jason Williams – 1999
- Tyreke EvansTyreke EvansTyreke Jamir Evans is an American professional basketball player with Virtus Roma in Italy. He is also under contract with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association , but is not currently playing with them because of the 2011 NBA lockout...
- 2010 - DeMarcus CousinsDeMarcus CousinsDeMarcus Cousins is an American professional basketball player with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball at the University of Kentucky.-High school career:...
- 2011
NBA Rookie Second Team
NBA All-Rookie Team
The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches; who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team. The All-Rookie Team is generally...
- Travis MaysTravis MaysTravis Cortez Mays is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 1st round of the 1990 NBA Draft....
- 1991 - Walt WilliamsWalt WilliamsWalter Ander Williams is a retired American professional basketball player. A sharpshooting 6'8" forward/guard, Williams attended school at the University of Maryland from 1988 to 1992, and is credited by many for resurrecting the school's basketball program which was going through very...
- 1993 - Tyus EdneyTyus EdneyTyus Dwayne Edney is an American professional basketball player. A point guard for UCLA from 1991–1995, Edney led the Bruins to the 1995 NCAA National Championship. He also led Žalgiris Kaunas to the 1999 Euroleague title...
– 1996 - Hedo Turkoglu – 2001