History of the Sacramento Kings

50s - Early Ring

The franchise began as the Rochester Royals in 1948. Only two seasons later they won their first championship led by center Arnie Risen. He had the help of guard Bobby Wanzer who would become the leader of the team as Risen aged.  This core couldn’t get back to the finals and all eventually left the team.

60s - The Big O

In the next decade, the now Cincinnati Royals were known for having arguably the best guard in the league in Oscar Robertson. Here “The Big O” had his infamous year where he averaged a triple double in only his second year in the league. Even with Jerry Lucas averaging 20 and 20, the team struggled to find playoff success considering the personnel they had.

70s - Nate the Skate

The next great guard for the Kings was Nate “Tiny” Archibald. This left guard is the only player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and assists which he did in the 1973 season. Even with his dominance the team only found one playoff appearance.

80s - The Last Relocation

In the 1985 offseason, the team had its last relocation from the Kansas City Kings to Sacramento. After making the playoffs in their first year, the Kings would begin a nine-year playoff drought as they struggle to find a player to fill the shoes of future greats.

90s - Reviving

The streak continued until sharpshooter, Mitch Richmond, led them to the 8th seed in 1996. In 1998 they traded the aging Richmond to Washington for a young Chris Webber in hopes of building around a new star. They surrounded him with rookie Peja Stojakovic and veteran Vlade Divac.

00s - Rise and Fall

This core along with role players such as Jason Williams, Doug Christie, and Mike Bibby, became a force in the West. Unfortunately they matched up with the Kobe-Shaq Lakers in the playoffs three years in a row, losing all three times. In 2004 they traded Vlade Divac away which led to the eventual downfall of the dominance.

10s - The Dark Ages

From 2007 and on through the entire 2010s, the Kings would miss the playoffs every year. Management was to get a lot of the blame being famous for having Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, and Luka Doncic all get drafted one pick after the Kings. The one bright spot for the decade would be star center Demarcus Cousins but he would eventually leave after having issues with coaches.