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Cincinnati Royals Team History

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Cincinnati Royals




  • 1957
  • 1960
  • 1966
  • Cincinnati Royals 1957

    Move to Cincinnati

    In April 1957, the Harrison brothers moved the Royals to Cincinnati. 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 ...
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  • Oscar Robertson - Cincinnati Royals

    Oscar Robertson era

    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 ...
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  • Cincinnati_Royals_Oscar_Robertson_Jack_Twyman_Jerry_Lucas

    New Owners Jacobs

    In 1966, the team was sold to 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 to play in 1970), Dayton, and Columbus, Ohio which was the norm for the rest of the Royals tenure in the Queen City. New coach Bob Cousy ...
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History of the Royals

The Cincinnati Royals were a professional basketball team that was active in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1957 to 1972. The franchise, which began as the Rochester Royals, moved to Cincinnati in 1957 and became known as the Cincinnati Royals. During their 15-year tenure in Ohio’s Queen City, they made two NBA Finals appearances and won four division titles.

Led by Hall of Fame players such as Oscar Robertson and Jack Twyman, along with other notable stars like Wayne Embry and Jerry Lucas, the Royal teams of this era were some of the most successful teams ever assembled for an NBA franchise located outside New York City or Los Angeles at that time period. In the 1961-62 season under head coach, Paul Seymour led them to an impressive 56–26 record good enough for first place finish in Eastern Division; however, they lost out on the championship title after losing 4–3 against Boston Celtics during playoffs finals series. Despite these successes though, the team never managed to win any championship titles during its stay there.

By 1971 financial difficulties forced owner Bob Carpenter Jr., who had bought majority shares back in 1965, to sell his controlling interest club eventually leading to relocation to Kansas City Missouri where it rebranded itself Kansas City Kings the following year 1973 thus ending fifteen years long association between Cincinnatians & their beloved royal side. Although a brief stint here may have been rather unsuccessful it did produce some memorable moments & legendary names which still remain firmly etched into history books today making them worthy successors original Rochester Royals' side founded in 1948.





Established
1923

City
Rochester – Cincinnati – Kansas City – Sacramento

League History
1949 – Present / National Basketball Association
1948 – 1949 / Basketball Association of America
1945 – 1948 / National Basketball League
1923 – 1945 / Various Unknown Leagues

Team History
1985 – Present / Sacramento Kings
1975 – 1985 / Kansas City Kings
1972 – 1975 / Kansas City-Omaha Kings
1957 – 1972 / Cincinnati Royals
1923 – 1957 / Rochester Royals

Nickname
Royals – 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.” This name carried over to Cincinnati.

Championship
NBA Championships 0
1951

Arena
2016 – Present / Golden 1 Center
2012 – 2016 / Sleep Train Arena
2011 – 2012 / Power Balance Pavilion
1888 – 2010 / ARCO Arena II
1985 – 1988 / ARCO Arena I

*Kansas City*
1974 – 1985 / Kemper Arena
1972 – 1978 / Omaha Civic Auditorium
1972 – 1974 / Kansas City Municipal Auditorium

*Cincinnati*
1957 – 1972 / Cincinnati Gardens

*Rochester*
1955 – 1957 / Rochester War Memorial
1949 – 1954 / Edgerton Park Arena
1923 – 1948 / Unknown Arena

Owner
2013 – Present / Vivek Ranadive
1999 – 2013 / George, Joe and Gavin Maloof
1992 – 1999 / Jim Thomas
1985 – 1992 / Gregg Lukenbill and Joe Benvenuti
1959 – 1985 / Thomas Woods
1923 – 1959 / Les and Jack Harrison

Who is the greatest Cincinnati Royals?
  • Add your greatest player

To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.

Retired Number
1 / Nate Archibald
2 / Mitch Richmond
4 / Chris Webber
6 / Sacramento Fans “The Sixth Man”
11 / Bob Davies
12 / Maurice Stokes
14 / Oscar Robertson
16 / Peja Stojakovic
21 / Vlade Divac
27 / Jack Twyman
44 / Sam Lacey

*Blue is this team’s history

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