SACRAMENTO KINGS FRANCHISE HISTORY
Previous Franchise Names: Kansas City Kings, Omaha Kings, Cincinnati Royals, Rochester Royals
Principal Owner: Vivek Ranadive
COO: Chris Granger
General Manager: Vlade Divac
Head Coach: George Karl
Best Season: 1949-50 (51-17, .750)
Playoff Appearances: 29
NBA Championships: 1 (1950-51)
CINCINNATI – 1970: Oscar Robertson #14 of the Cincinnati Royals drives against the Boston Celtics during the NBA game in Cincinnati, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1970 NBAE (Photo by Walter Iooss/NBAE via Getty Images)
No franchise in NBA history has endured as long a championship drought as the Sacramento Kings, an odyssey that stretches across more than six decades and four cities.
The Rochester Royals began play in the National Basketball League in 1945-46 and jumped to the Basketball Association of America in 1948. In 1949, the rival leagues merged to form the NBA and in 1950-51, the Royals topped the New York Knicks in seven games to win their first—and only—NBA title.
Through stints in Rochester, Cincinnati, Kansas City and Sacramento (with a little Omaha thrown in) and as both the Royals and Kings (the name was changed in conjunction with the 1972 move to Kansas City because of the presence of baseball’s Kansas City Royals), the franchise has not been back to the NBA Finals since.
The Royals lost in the Western Division Finals in both 1952 and 1954 to the Minneapolis Lakers and, after moving to Cincinnati in 1957, fell to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals in 1963 and 1964.
The Kansas City Kings lost to the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals in 1981 and the Sacramento Kings (the franchise has been in California’s capital since 1985) lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2002 Western Conference Finals.
The Kings have missed the playoffs each season since 2006 and in 68 seasons in the BAA and NBA have reached the postseason just 29 times.
Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas, Hall of Famers both, were stars in Cincinnati, while the Kansas City iteration of the franchise got star play from Tiny Archibald. Sacramento has enjoyed the likes of Mitch Richmond and Chris Webber, but that hasn’t been enough to get the Kings back to the winner’s circle.
The winningest coach in team history is Rick Adelman, who led Sacramento to a 395-229 record from 1998-99 through 2005-06, going 34-35 in the postseason.
Sacramento Kings Career Leaders (as of 3/9/2016)
- Games, Sam Lacey, 888
- Points, Oscar Robertson, 22009
- Rebounds, Sam Lacey, 9353
- Assists, Oscar Robertson, 7731
- Steals, Sam Lacey, 950
- Blocks, Sam Lacey, 1098
1970s: Kansas City-Omaha Kings player Sam Lacey sits for a portrait. (Photo by Rogers Photo Archive/Getty Images)
Sacramento Kings Retired Numbers
- 1, Tiny Archibald
- 2, Mitch Richmond
- 4, Chris Webber
- 6, The Sixth Man
- 11, Bob Davies
- 12, Maurice Stokes
- 14, Oscar Robertson
- 21, Vlade Divac
- 27, Jack Twyman
- 44, Sam Lacey
Sacramento Kings Official Links
Official Team Site: nba.com/kings
Official Twitter Handle: @sacramentokings
Official Facebook Page: Sacramento Kings
Official Instagram Page: Sacramento Kings
Official Arena Page: Sleep Train Arena
Sacramento Kings Beat Writers
Jason Jones, Sacramento Bee, @mr_jasonjones
Ailene Voisin, Sacramento Bee, @ailene_voisin
Andy Furillo, Sacramento Bee, @afurillo
Marcos Breton, Sacramento Bee, @marcosbreton
Related Sacramento Kings Blogs and Links
Sacramento Kings Logo History, courtesy of Chris Creamer’s Sportslogos.net
Salary Page: Sacramento Kings Salaries at Spotrac
FanSided Sacramento Kings: A Royal Pain
SB Nation Sacramento Kings: Sactown Royalty
ESPN TrueHoop Sacramento Kings: Cowbell Kingdom
HoopsHabit Sacramento Kings Archive: Sacramento Kings
Bleacher Report Sacramento Kings Team Stream: Sacramento Kings
RealGM Sacramento Kings Page: Sacramento Kings
Stats and retired number information courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com
