Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings
founding	1923
history	Rochester Seagrams and Royals 1923–1957 Cincinnati Royals 1957–1972 Kansas City-Omaha Kings 1972–1975 Kansas City Kings 1975–1985 Sacramento Kings since 1985
Stadion	Golden 1 Center
Location	Sacramento
Club colors	Black, slate, purple, white    
league	NBA
Conference	Western Conference
division	Pacific Division
Head coach	Luke Walton
General manager	Joe Dumars (Interim)
owner	Vivek Ranadive (majority owner) Raj Bhathal Mark Mastrov Chris Kelly Jacobs family Shaquille O'Neal
Farm teams	Stockton Kings
Championships	1 (1951)
Conference title	1 (1951)
Division title	5 ( 1949 , 1952, 1979, 2002 , 2003 )
Association Icon Statement

The Sacramento Kings (German Sacramento Kings) are a basketball team from the North American basketball league NBA . The team is based in the California capital Sacramento . The club, founded in 1948 under the name Rochester Royals , was originally located on the east coast of the USA in Rochester (New York) . They gradually moved west, via Cincinnati , Ohio to Kansas City (Missouri) , finally gaining a foothold in 1985 in Sacramento. 1951 the team was the last time in the NBA Finals .

Team history

The beginnings from Rochester to Sacramento

Point Guard Nate Archibald played for the Royals / Kings from 1970 to 1976

The Rochester Royals were founded as an amateur team in the 1920s and joined the NBL professional league in 1946 . There they became champions in their first season after the team swept the Sheboygan Red Skins with later Hall of Fame members Al Cervi , Bob Davies and Red Holzman . For the 1948/49 season , the team joined the Basketball Association of America , later the National Basketball Association ( NBA ). In 1951 the team won its first and to date only NBA championship.

In 1957 the team moved to Cincinnati . In the 1960s, the team, led by Oscar Robertson , experienced its most successful period and reached the play-offs six times in a row from 1962 to 1967, but could not win any title. Robertson left the team in 1970, which moved to Kansas City in 1972. From 1972 to 1978, the Kings played some of their home games in Omaha . In the 1980/81 season, the Kings reached the play-offs despite a negative season record and only failed there in the conference finals at the Houston Rockets .

The last move to Sacramento followed in 1985 . In the first season in Sacramento, the team reached the play-offs, it would be the last time for the next ten years. The following years were marked by mismanagement. In 1989 Pervis Ellison was chosen first, but he never lived up to expectations. Kenny Smith and Ralph Sampson's engagements did not turn things around either. In 1991, Mitch Richmond was brought from the Golden State Warriors , who remained the face of the unsuccessful franchise for years. In the new decade, the Kings did not reach the post season again until 1996. After that season, the franchise was sold to the Maloof family who would lead the team into a prosperous future.

With the drafted Jason Williams and the newcomers Vlade Divac , Peja Stojaković and Chris Webber , who could be signed for Richmond by the Washington Bullets, the team ended the lockout season 1998/99 for the first time with a positive balance (27:23). Although the team failed in the first round at the Utah Jazz , in the next few years until 2006 they always reached the play-offs. Webber and Divac in particular, but also his back-up Scot Pollard and point guard Mike Bibby, proved to be particularly valuable for the Kings in this era. In the 2001/02 season , the team had the best record in the regular season (61:21) and lost the series of conference finals just 3: 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers , after losing the last game in extra time went. This game series - especially Game 6 - is suspected of having been manipulated by the NBA in favor of the Lakers.

Tyreke Evans was active for the Kings from 2009 to 2013, and 2017

2006 to 2016 - No playoffs for the Kings

With the departure of Peja Stojaković , Vlade Divac , Scot Pollard and Chris Webber, the team was severely weakened and has not reached the play-offs since 2006. In addition, head coach Rick Adelman left the team as announced and was replaced by Eric Musselman . Under Musselman, the team was last in the division. Musselman was consequently replaced by Reggie Theus . But even under Theus there was no sporting success. During the 2011/2012 season he was replaced by his assistant coach Keith Smart. Smart was subsequently confirmed as head coach for the 2012/2013 season. The management hoped that the development of the young players Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins ​​would provide important impulses for the future of the franchise. But even with Smart, there were mostly no successes. The 2012/2013 season ended with 28 wins and 54 defeats, only slightly better than the years before, and the development of the team's talents also stagnated.

After the franchise was sold to the current owner group around the Indian businessman Vivek Ranadive, the management was restructured. It was also with Michael Malone , a new head coach and the squad committed rebuilt again. The former hopefuls Tyreke Evans received no new contract and left the club for New Orleans. DeMarcus Cousins ​​was chosen as the future face of the franchise and given a new contract. With the draft, the Kings secured Ben McLemore as further support for the team's sporting future. With Carl Landry , a former high performer also returned to the team. However, the 2013/2014 season ended with the same results as 2012/2013. With 28 wins and 54 defeats, the Kings were again in the table cellar of the Western Conference and missed the play-offs significantly.

After a solid start to the 2014/2015 season, head coach Michael Malone was relieved of his duties after 24 games and a record of 11 wins and 13 losses. The reason given was the sporting record and the hope for new impulses for the franchise. His successor was initially his former assistant coach Tyrone Corbin , who previously worked as head coach for Utah Jazz . Under his leadership, however, the team could only achieve 7 wins in 28 games. As a result, Corbin was replaced in February 2015 by George Karl , who previously trained the Denver Nuggets . Ultimately, with 29 wins and 53 defeats, the Kings were only able to achieve one victory better than in 2013/2014 and, as in previous years, found themselves well outside the play-offs. The former king player Vlade Divac then replaced D'Alessandro as manager. This tried to attract new players in the summer of 2015.

For the 2015/2016 season, the Kings were able to sign Rajon Rondo, a former all-star from the Dallas Mavericks , who, alongside cousins ​​and Gay, was to become the third established force in the Kings game. Furthermore Kostas Koufos and Marco Belinelli were committed. Over the season, the Kings were able to keep up in the fight for the play-offs for a long time, but ended up with 33 wins and 49 defeats again outside the play-off positions. Following the season, the Kings announced the separation from head coach George Karl .

Season 2016/2017 - move to the Golden 1 Center and rebuild without DeMarcus cousins

Dave Joerger was the head coach of the Sacramento Kings from 2016 to 2019

The new head coach was David Joerger , who had previously worked as head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies for three years . Joerger received a contract with the Kings until 2019. Shortly before the end of the trade deadline in February 2017, the Kings surprisingly gave their top scorer DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans via Trade and in return received Buddy Hield , Tyreke Evans , Langston Galloway, and draft picks for the 2017 draft. With that, the Kings set their course again for a rebuilding without their most dominant player in recent years. Likewise, the Kings parted in the course of the trade from Forward Matt Barnes , whose contract was terminated. The season ended with a record of 32 wins and 50 losses well outside the playoff placements.

In the 2017 NBA draft , the Kings De'Aaron Fox drew fifth, and they secured the rights to Justin Jackson in 15th place and Harry Giles in 20th place in the first round of the draft . In the course of the 2017 offseason, those responsible for the Kings decided to add several veterans to the young core of the squad and signed Zach Randolph and Vince Carter, two former all-stars who were already active at the Memphis Grizzlies under head coach Dave Joerger. Likewise, with George Hill, an experienced player from the Utah Jazz was hired. In return, Darren Collison and Rudy Gay , among others, left the club and joined new teams. The experiment with the veterans did not work out, however, so that Hill was transferred to the Cleveland Cavaliers during the season and the team increasingly turned to young players such as De'Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanović , Buddy Hield , Skal Labissière , Justin Jackson or Willie Cauley Stone sat. The playoffs were again clearly missed with 27 wins. In the 2018 NBA draft , the power forward Marvin Bagley was chosen in second place . The Kings start the season surprisingly well, thanks in particular to the performance improvement on the backcourt with Buddy Hield and De'Aaron Fox . Over the course of the season, Harrison Barnes was another high achiever from the Dallas Mavericks .

Secure future in Sacramento

Interior view of the Sleep Train Arena during a Kings home game

Old logo from 1994 to 2016

For many years the Maloof brothers tried to build a new hall in Sacramento or to find investors to renovate the Power Balance Pavilion . With this project they have regularly failed in the past few years, both in local politics and in hearings before the league.

Since the outdated arena in Sacramento had not met the requirements for years, plans to move the team were discussed. With its 17,317 seats, the Power Balance Pavilion offers the smallest hall in the league and is anything but attractive for new sponsors and investors. During the 2010/11 season it was revealed that the Kings were in contact with the city of Anaheim to move the franchise there. There the Kings would have played in the modern Honda Center . The city of Anaheim was keen to attract an NBA team to the city at the time. The Kings have already checked their first names, and if they moved, the team should have been named Anaheim Royals (based on the beginnings of the franchise, which was called “Royals” from 1945 to 1972).

However, the move to Anaheim failed due to various factors. On the one hand, the city of Sacramento is refusing to allow a move due to outstanding debts on the part of the franchise, and some city officials also hoped that a solution could still be found to keep the team in Sacramento. There were also some actions and calls from the fans to keep the team in Sacramento and secure the future with a new arena. Even former players, like Chris Webber , campaigned for the Kings to stay.

In May 2011, the Kings announced that the team would play in Sacramento for the 2011/12 season . The club's management was forced to wait and see whether the plans for a new arena could be implemented. Should this not be the case, the Kings would move to Anaheim for the 2012/13 season . As the season progressed, there were more and more positive signals and in early 2012 the owners of the Kings announced that the team would stay in Sacramento and that a new arena would be built.

But just a few months later the project was reversed and the plans for a new arena had to be frozen. The reason given was a lack of agreements between the Kings and the city. Finally, the Maloof brothers announced that they wanted to sell their shares in the Kings, so that the team could move again. In January 2013, a preliminary agreement was reached with a group of investors from Seattle who wanted to bring the Kings to Seattle as Seattle SuperSonics in the event of a successful sale . To prevent the Kings from moving, local investors from California wanted to try to make an equal bid for the franchise. A final decision on the future of the franchise was then postponed to spring 2013.

In April 2013, an NBA committee voted that the Kings should stay in Sacramento and that a sale of the Kings to an investor group from California would be preferred. It was expected that the representatives of the other teams would follow suit and the Kings would remain in Sacramento. Less than a month later, the owners of the other teams followed suit and refused to allow the Kings to move to Seattle. The Kings will therefore initially remain in Sacramento. However, it was emphasized from all sides that a new arena was needed to keep the Kings permanently in Sacramento. In May 2013, the previous owners of the Maloof family and the new owners around Vivek Ranadive agreed on a sale with a volume of 535 million US dollars.

A few months after the successful sale of the franchise, the Kings unveiled plans for a new arena in the Sacramento metropolitan area. According to the plans of the new owners, the arena should be completed by summer 2016 and offer 18,500 spectators for basketball games. According to initial estimates, the construction costs will amount to 448 million US dollars. On April 10, 2016, the Kings final game took place in the Sleep Train Arena . In this game, the Kings prevailed 114: 112 against the Oklahoma City Thunder . For the 2016/2017 season, the Kings then moved into the new Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

Current squad

Sacramento Kings squad as of June 23, 2020

player	Coaches
No. Nat. Surname position birth size info college 3 Yogi Ferrell Guard 05/09/1993 183 cm Indiana 5 De'Aaron Fox Guard 12/20/1997 191 cm Kentucky 7th Kyle Guy Guard 08/11/1997 188 cm G / R Virginia 8th Bogdan Bogdanović Forward 08/18/1992 198 cm Serbia 9 Cory Joseph Guard 08/20/1991 190 cm Texas 10 Justin James Guard / Forward 01/24/1997 201 cm R. Wyoming 13 Corey Brewer Guard / Forward 05.03.1986 206 cm Florida 19th DaQuan Jeffries Guard / Forward 08/30/1997 196 cm G / R Tulsa 20th Harry Giles Forward 04/22/1998 211 cm Duke 22nd Richaun Holmes Forward 10/15/1993 208 cm Bowling green 24 Buddy Hield Guard 12/17/1992 196 cm Oklahoma 25th Alex Len center 06/16/1993 216 cm Maryland 26th Kent Bazemore Guard / Forward 07/01/1989 196 cm Old Dominion 33 Jabari Parker Forward 03/15/1995 203 cm Duke 35 Marvin Bagley Forward / Center 03/14/1999 211 cm Duke 48 Harrison Barnes Forward 05/30/1992 203 cm North Carolina 88 Nemanja Bjelica Guard 05/09/1988 209 cm Serbia	Nat. Surname position Luke Walton Head coach Igor Kokoškov Assistant coach Bob Beyer Assistant coach Jesse Mermuys Assistant coach Roy Rana Assistant coach Stacey Augmon Assistant coach for player development Lindsey Harding Assistant coach for player development Rico Hines Assistant coach for player development Bobby Jackson Assistant coach for player development Will Scott Assistant coach for player development Teena Murray Director of Athletic Development
	Legend Abbr. meaning No. Jersey number Nat. nationality C. Team captain R. Rookie G Two-way contract Inactivity due to injury

Honors and achievements worth mentioning

Ron Artest played for the Sacramento Kings for two years

Shooting Guard Kevin Martin in the jersey of the Kings

Center DeMarcus Cousins played for the Kings from 2010 to 2017

Chris Webber was active for the Kings from 1998 to 2005

Jersey numbers that are no longer assigned

No.	Nat.	Surname	position	time
2		Mitch Richmond	Guard	1991-1998
4th		Chris Webber	Forward	1998-2005
6th		Fans		1985–
10		Nate Archibald	Guard	1970-1976
11		Bob Davies	Guard	1948-1955
12		Maurice Stokes	Forward	1955-1958
14th		Oscar Robertson	Guard	1960-1970
16		Peja Stojaković	Forward	1998-2006
21st		Vlade Divac	center	1998-2004
27		Jack Twyman	Forward	1955-1966
44		Sam Lacey	center	1970-1981

Well-known former players

Surname	current club
Mike Bibby	Career ended
Otis Birdsong	Career ended
Doug Christie	Career ended
Wayne Embry	Career ended
Brian Grant	Career ended
Bobby Jackson	Career ended
Jerry Lucas	Career ended
Kevin Martin	Career ended
Brad Miller	Career ended
Lionel Simmons	Career ended
Kenny Smith	Career ended
Reggie Theus	Career ended
Rudy Gay	San Antonio Spurs
Tyreke Evans	without a club
Isaiah Thomas	without a club
DeMarcus cousins	Los Angeles Lakers
Vince Carter	Atlanta Hawks
Hedo Türkoğlu	Career ended
Bobby Wanzer	Career ended
Jason Williams	Career ended

statistics

National Basketball Association seasons (as of August 2020)

year	Victories: defeats	Wins [%]	Play-offs
Rochester Royals
1948/49	45:15	75.0	0-2 in the Western Division Finals against the Minneapolis Lakers
1949/50	51:17	75.0	0-2 in the Central Division semifinals against the Minneapolis Lakers
1950/51	41:27	60.3	NBA champions 4-3 against the New York Knicks
1951/52	41:25	62.1	1: 3 in the Western Division semi-finals against the Minneapolis Lakers
1952/53	44:26	62.9	1: 2 in the Western Division semifinals against the Fort Wayne Pistons
1953/54	44:28	61.1	1: 2 in the Western Division Finals against the Minneapolis Lakers
1954/55	29:43	40.3	1: 2 in the Western Division semifinals against the Minneapolis Lakers
1955/56	31:41	43.1	Not qualified for the play-offs
1956/57	31:41	43.1	Not qualified for the play-offs
Cincinnati Royals
1957/58	33:39	45.8	0-2 in the Western Division semifinals against the Detroit Pistons
1958/59	19:53	26.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
1959/60	19:56	25.3	Not qualified for the play-offs
1960/61	33:46	41.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1961/62	43:37	53.8	1: 3 in the Western Division semifinals against the Detroit Pistons
1962/63	42:38	52.5	3: 4 in the Eastern Division Finals against the Boston Celtics
1963/64	55:25	68.8	1: 4 in the Eastern Division Finals against the Boston Celtics
1964/65	48:32	60.0	3-4 in the Eastern Division semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers
1965/66	45:35	56.3	2-3 in the Eastern Division semifinals against the Boston Celtics
1966/67	39:42	48.1	1-3 in the Eastern Division semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers
1967/68	39:43	47.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
1968/69	41:41	50.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
1969/70	36:46	43.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
1970/71	33:49	40.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
1971/72	30:52	36.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
Kansas City-Omaha Kings
1972/73	36:46	43.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
1973/74	33:49	40.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
1974/75	44:38	53.7	2-4 in the Western Conference semifinals against the Chicago Bulls
Kansas City Kings
1975/76	31:51	37.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1976/77	40:42	48.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1977/78	31:51	37.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
1978/79	48:34	58.5	1: 4 in the Western Conference semifinals against the Phoenix Suns
1979/80	47:35	57.3	1: 2 in the first round against the Phoenix Suns
1980/81	40:42	48.8	1: 4 in the Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets
1981/82	30:52	36.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
1982/83	45:37	54.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
1983/84	38:44	46.3	0: 3 in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers
1984/85	31:51	37.8	Not qualified for the play-offs
Sacramento Kings
1985/86	37:45	45.1	0-3 in the first round against the Houston Rockets
1986/87	29:53	35.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
1987/88	24:58	29.3	Not qualified for the play-offs
1988/89	27:55	32.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
1989/90	23:59	28.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
1990/91	25:57	30.5	Not qualified for the play-offs
1991/92	29:53	35.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
1992/93	25:57	30.5	Not qualified for the play-offs
1993/94	28:54	34.1	Not qualified for the play-offs
1994/95	39:43	47.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
1995/96	39:43	47.6	1: 3 in the first round against the Seattle SuperSonics
1996/97	34:48	41.5	Not qualified for the play-offs
1997/98	27:55	32.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
1998/99	27:23	54.0	2: 3 in the first round against the Utah Jazz
1999/00	44:38	53.7	2: 3 in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers
2000/01	55:27	67.1	0: 4 in the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers
2001/02	61:21	74.4	3: 4 in the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers
2002/03	59:23	72.0	3: 4 in the Western Conference semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks
2003/04	55:27	67.1	3: 4 in the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves
2004/05	50:32	61.0	1: 4 in the first round against the Seattle SuperSonics
2005/06	44:38	53.7	2: 4 in the first round against the San Antonio Spurs
2006/07	33:49	40.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
2007/08	38:44	46.3	Not qualified for the play-offs
2008/09	17:65	20.7	Not qualified for the play-offs
2009/10	25:57	30.5	Not qualified for the play-offs
2010/11	24:58	29.3	Not qualified for the play-offs
2011/12	22:44	33.3	Not qualified for the play-offs
2012/13	28:54	34.1	Not qualified for the play-offs
2013/14	28:54	34.1	Not qualified for the play-offs
2014/15	29:53	35.4	Not qualified for the play-offs
2015/16	33:49	40.2	Not qualified for the play-offs
2016/17	32:50	39.0	Not qualified for the play-offs
2017/18	27:55	32.9	Not qualified for the play-offs
2018/19	39:43	47.6	Not qualified for the play-offs
2019/20	31:41	43.1	Not qualified for the play-offs
total	2593: 3094	45.6	80: 107 in the play-offs (42.8%) 1 NBA championship

Web links

• Official website
• Official squad of the team

Individual evidence

1. ^ Matt Gallagher: The NBA's Greatest, Ugliest Series . June 6, 2012 ( thedailybeast.com [accessed June 18, 2019]).
2. ↑ Donaghy docs allege refs altered playoff games. June 10, 2008, accessed June 18, 2019 .