Their best seasons to date in the city were in the early 2000s, including a very successful 2001-02 season when they had the best record in the NBA at 61-21 (a winning percentage of .744). The Kings relieved Artest of basketball duties, pending investigation, then later reinstated him. [70] During the 2016 NBA draft, the Kings traded the 8th pick to the Phoenix Suns for the 13th and 28th pick in the draft, as well as the rights to Serbian guard Bogdan Bogdanovi. Six of the team's shaken players simply retired on the spot. The home uniform is in white, while the road uniform is in black. The former NBA Rookie of the Year was selected as an All-Star six times while making the All-NBA Second Team three times. After easily winning their first two playoff matchups against the Stockton and Malone-led Jazz and the Dirk Nowitzki-led Dallas Mavericks, respectively, the Kings went on to play the archrival and two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, regarded as one of the greatest playoff matchups in history. After the 199495 season, Webb was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Tyrone Corbin. Playing their first game on October 30, against the Nuggets, the Kings won 9088, despite being without projected starters Landry and Mbah a Moute. Their season included a seven-game losing streak that lasted from January 4 to 19. The Kings' back jersey template was later adopted by the WNBA and the NBA Development League, as well as the NBA during the All-Star Game since 2006. The Cincinnati Royals had been looking at Omaha as a market as early as 1968, playing twelve "home games" in the Nebraska city from 1968 to 1971. Free-agent Leon Wood, who would later become an NBA official, played for the Kings but was let go on Christmas Eve of 1990. 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 as a rookie. The so-called 'City' uniforms are similar to the away uniforms, except that the abbreviation "SAC" in gray appears in front. On September 23, 2013, Shaquille O'Neal purchased a minority share of the team, jokingly dubbing the team's new organization the "Shaqramento Kings".[60]. In 200607, the disappointing play of the Kings was coupled with the distraction of legal troubles. Get the latest news and information for the Sacramento Kings. But prayers were answered when they acquired Mitch Richmond, who previously played for the Golden State Warriors. The. From 1994 to 1997, a half-purple, half-black uniform, featuring checkerboard side panels, was used as an alternate uniform, which was panned by fans. Toby Kimball was a fan favorite. The Kings' mid-1980s powder blue jerseys were first brought back in the 200405 season to celebrate the franchise's 20th season in Sacramento. The early 1990s were difficult for the Kings. Reggie Theus was fired in the middle of the 200809 season, giving way to Kenny Natt as the interim head coach. However, the management traded Archibald, and wasted high draft picks. How to watch the Sacramento Kings vs. San Antonio Spurs Game on Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV & more Once you have signed up for your free trial, installing Fubo and watching NBA games on your smart. But after a vote by the NBA Board of Governors, the relocation effort was ended, to the glee of the fans. Despite this, and the presence of college superstar Fredette, Thomas earned the starting spot, finishing the season with averages of 11 points and 4 assists per game and earned a selection to the NBA All-Rookie team. Find out the latest on your favorite NBA teams on CBSSports.com. [108], The 202223 "City" uniform featured a gray base and purple trim, and was inspired by the team's near-relocation in 2012 and eventual sale to Vivek Ranadiv. However, blue names and numbers at home, and white names and numbers on the road were written at the back of the uniform, with the unusual arrangement of the number above the name being used for the first time (normally, the player's name is shown above the back number). [87] However, Sacramento finished these games with a 3-5 record, missing the play-in game and extending their playoff drought for the 14th consecutive season. These acquisitions coincided with the arrival of Peja Stojakovi from PAOK BC (Greece), who had been drafted in 1996. Along with new head coach Paul Westphal, they selected Tyreke Evans. [99] The Kings unveiled their new uniforms on June 15, 2016, featuring four designs. During the 201011 season, the Kings honored the 195051 Rochester Royals championship team by wearing throwback uniforms from that era. The 195859 Cincinnati team featured five rookies, with Lovellette, King and other key players having left the team in the wake of Stokes' tragic injury. "The Kansas City Kings of the National Basketball Association,", "The owners of the Kansas City Kings say they,", Moulton, Dan. Webber's knee required major surgery. Geoff Petrie[56] and Keith Smart[57] were released; Mike Malone[58] and Pete D'Alessandro[59] were brought in to replace them. 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 (Staverman coached for a brief time and then resigned in May 1981 to take up the role of team president's assistant for the Cleveland Browns).[26]. During the team's first NBA draft in Cincinnati, the team acquired Clyde Lovellette and guard George King. [71] Later in the evening, the Kings traded Marco Belinelli to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the 22nd pick in the draft. On November 26, newly acquired Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was traded for power forward Derrick Williams. Three players were fined and two others suspended as a result of an altercation that occurred in the fourth quarter of the Kings' 139-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night at . The Kings also drafted Vinny Del Negro (selected by the Kings in the second round, 29th overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft) and acquired Rodney McCray from the Houston Rockets. The Kings moved to their current home of Sacramento, California in the 198586 NBA season, with their first Sacramento season ending in the first round of the Western Conference 1986 NBA playoffs. [106], The "Sactown" theme was retained for the 202021 "City" uniform, but with four design cues taken from prior uniforms. The franchise again failed to find success in its market and moved after the 198485 season to Sacramento, where they presently reside. [97] This unique color combination was first adopted by the MLB's Colorado Rockies in 1993, and would later be used by the NHL's Los Angeles Kings between 1998 and 2011. Ownership began looking for a new home for the team. One accomplishment the team achieved under St. Jean during their tenures was a playoff appearance in 1996. Despite the excellent play of Cousins and Evans, both of whom were front-runners in Rookie of the Year voting[43][44] and received All-Rookie First Team honors,[45][46] the Kings still ranked near the bottom of the NBA, going 2557 in Evans' rookie year, and 2458 in Cousins' rookie year. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. Their best seasons to date in the city were in the early 2000s, including a very successful 200102 season when they had the best record in the NBA at 6121 (a winning percentage of .744).[10][11][12][13][14]. Despite Williams's often spectacular play, the Kings had grown tired of his recklessness and turnovers; Bibby would provide much more stability and control at the point guard position. On August 14, 2020, the Sacramento Kings announced that general manager Vlade Divac would resign from his position. For the 201415 season, the Kings made a few tweaks to their home and away uniforms. The team finished the 201718 season with a 2755 record, placing 12th in the Western Conference. After the 199697 season, Grant became a free agent and signed with the Portland Trail Blazers. Coach Eric Musselman pleaded no contest to DUI charges early in the season, while Artest got into trouble for neglect of his dogs, and was later accused of domestic assault. With this in mind, the 195657 season was the Royals' last in Rochester. However, Chris Webber sustained a major knee injury in Game 2, and the Kings lost in a seven-game series. The result was a strong league champion in their first season of existence as the Royals during the 194546 season. [62], On March 3, 2015, the Kings announced former Sacramento center Vlade Divac as the new vice president of basketball operations. [63] Following the end of Sacramento's 2953 season for 201415, The Kings made aggressive off-season moves in drafting Willie Cauley-Stein and acquiring Rajon Rondo, Kosta Koufos, Marco Belinelli, and Caron Butler in preparation for the 201516 season. The team, however, found it increasingly difficult to turn a profit in the comparatively small market of Rochester and relocated to Cincinnati in 1957, becoming the Cincinnati Royals. In 1975, the club became simply the Kansas City Kings (moving into the new 16,785-seat Kemper Arena the previous season), but did not abandon Omaha completely, playing several games there through the 197778 season. Lacey, the last remaining Cincinnati Royal to play for the Kings, could not keep up with Rockets superstar center Moses Malone. The "Sactown" script and off-centered number arrangement paid homage to the Kings uniforms from 1971 to 1994. The Kings moved into their new arena, the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento Kings players, coaches and staff welcomed community youth and families to Golden 1 Center for a holiday-themed feast as part of the organization's 21st Annual Season of Doing Good. The word "ROYALS", in white, was placed on the crown. The Kings lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Seattle SuperSonics. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Sacramento Kings seasons. All uniforms feature a baby blue collar, stitches, and tab that says "Sacramento Proud", a nod to the franchise's first few seasons in Sacramento. Giles sat out the entire season due to a leg injury despite previous reports that he would make his rookie debut in January. From the beginning, the road uniforms were blue with the city name written in front, while home uniforms were white with the team name written in front. Houston Rockets guard Garrison Mathews (25) is restrained by Rockets coach Stephen Silas as Mathews yells at Sacramento Kings forward Chimezie Metu and forward Trey Lyles (41) during the second . Thompson was drafted by the Kings in the first round, fifth overall pick in the 1982 NBA draft. Following the season, the Kings' fired Gentry as head coach. [68] Karl compiled a record of 44-68 with the Kings. The Kings' primary uniform set now consists of the white 'Association' uniforms, the purple 'Icon' uniforms and the black 'Statement' uniforms. With four rookie pickups, Divac wanted to add veteran presences on the roster. [76] They also selected North Carolina forward Justin Jackson with the 15th pick, Duke center Harry Giles with the 20th pick,[77] and Kansas point guard Frank Mason III with the 34th pick. The numbers are black on both uniforms. Ranadiv, 55, named Raj Bhathal, 71, founder of Tustin-based Raj Manufacturing,[49] one of the largest swimwear companies in the nation, as one of the investors in a consortium to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the franchise's longtime owners, the Maloof family, for a reported $348 million. His tenure with the team began after the Warriors finished their 202122 season where they won the 2022 NBA championship. The logo change also reflected on the uniforms, now featuring a script 'Royals' in front with red numbers. [85], Earlier in the season, the Kings were rocked by the discovery that their former chief revenue officer, Jeff David, had embezzled $13.4 million in sponsorship payments from the Kings and their corporate partners over four years. They also selected Hassan Whiteside, with the 33rd pick of the 2010 NBA draft. [107], The 202122 "City" uniform featured references of the Kings' previous uniform designs. All of the Kings retired numbers are hanging in the rafters of the Golden 1 Center. In the 2011 NBA draft the Kings traded for the draft rights of Jimmer Fredette in a three-team deal with the Charlotte Bobcats and the Milwaukee Bucks, with the Kings receiving John Salmons sending Beno Udrih. The Royals name continued to fit in Cincinnati, often known as the "Queen City". 6 pick in 2015 NBA draft", "Kings fire Karl, search for 9th coach since '07", "Gleaming Golden 1 Center a big upgrade from Kings' previous eight homes", "Sacramento Kings hire Dave Joerger as next head coach", "2016 NBA Draft: Kings pick Marquese Chriss at No. This left upstate New York without a team until the Buffalo Braves were established in 1970. Robertson was traded to Milwaukee in 1970, where he immediately won an NBA title. However, the shades of blue used on their home and road uniforms were different for five seasons. The team netted a new superstar in point guard Nate Archibald, who led the league in scoring and assists in the 197273 season.[25]. [91], In July 2021, Dyal Capital, a unit of Blue Owl Capital, began to solidify a deal investing in the basketball team, giving the investment firm a 5 percent stake in the team with a valuation of $1.5 billion, though another person familiar with the matter placed the valuation closer to $1.8 billion. This was a crushing blow to the Kings; after losing to their archrivals in a highly controversial series, the team would begin to decline and age in the years that followed. They would turn the series around, however, and win the last two to keep the Kings from advancing in the playoffs. Some criticized the Kings for their poor team defense, Williams's "flash over substance" style with its many turnovers, and Webber's failure to step up in important match-ups. Both were All-NBA First Team selections multiple times. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends. The ownership group sold the team to Sacramento interests for $11 million. Most notably, the New York Post ran a front cover with a headline entitled "Foul Play"; it also published a related article suggesting that the game was rigged. In 1979, the roof literally fell in at Kemper Arena because of a severe storm, forcing the team to play most of the 197980 season at the much smaller Municipal Auditorium. He was not fired for good until he rehired coach Phil Johnson, whom he had fired in mid-season in Kansas City ten years before. As of 2021, it is the last time that the franchise has hosted an All-Star Game. Pages in category "Sacramento Kings players" The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 323 total. The Kings record 117.9 points per game, just 0.6 more points than the 117.3 the Lakers allow. It was regarded by many as one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history.[67]. Tisdale would go on to play for the Kings for five years. The team also wore blue versions of the Rochester throwbacks in the 201415 season. They teamed with the 12 punch of Maurice Stokes and Twyman to produce a budding contender in the team's very first season in the Queen City. [53][54] On May 31, 2013, the Kings closed escrow, finalizing the sale to the Ranadiv group at a record valuation of $534 million, beginning a new era for the franchise. [88] Joe Dumars, a former player and executive for the Detroit Pistons, would be named interim Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations; Dumars had joined the Kings as a special advisor in June of the previous year. Stojakovi was traded for Ron Artest, a talented yet volatile forward known for his temper. With Bibby taking over for Williams, they had their best season to date in 200102. After settling in Kansas City for good in 1975, the Kings changed their road uniforms back to reading the city name in front. This rivalry did not last, and the Royals moved to Kansas City only a few years later. During the 196667 season, the Royals began playing some of their home games in neutral sites such as Cleveland (until the Cavaliers began play in 1970), Dayton and Columbus. In addition, they acquired Mikki Moore from the New Jersey Nets. This move followed a well-received regular-season game played at Cincinnati Gardens on February 1, 1957. After winning Game 1 by 20 points, the Jazz surrendered two consecutive playoff games to the Kings. The 2006 off-season began with the disturbing news that head coach Rick Adelman's contract would not be renewed. This set included a modernized version of the "Kings" script on the home jersey, and the city name on the purple road jersey. In his first season, he made the NBA All-Rookie First Team. The Kings went 5923 and won the division during the following season, seeking to avenge their playoff loss to the Lakers. 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. The 201011 season was marked with uncertainty towards the end of the season. Check out the current Sacramento Kings roster and learn more about your favorite players with access to bios, photos and stats on NBA.com He had a dazzling rookie year in the 198889 season shooting 40.6 percent from the three-point range. The Kings made the playoffs in 197980 and again in 198081, despite finishing the 198081 regular season at 4042 (.488). 2022 NBA championship Royals name continued to fit in Cincinnati, often known as ``! First team the word `` Royals '', in white, was on! 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