- 1985
- 1991
- 1998
- 2013
- 2016
-
Move to Sacramento
The Kings moved to their current home of Sacramento, California in the 1985 – 1986 NBA season, with their first Sacramento season ending in the first round of the Western Conference 1986 NBA Playoffs. However, they saw little success in subsequent years, and the team did not make the playoffs again until the 1996 NBA Playoffs in the 1995 – ... -
The Mitch Richmond Era
The early 1990s were difficult for the Kings. Sacramento was known for having strong fan support, and while they won over 60% of their home games, the team struggled on the road, going 1–40 on the road in a single season. But prayers were answered when they acquired Mitch Richmond, who previously played for the Golden State Warriors. The former ... -
Maloofs Family Owners
The Maloofs were the owners of the Sacramento Kings of the NBA from 1998 until 2013. The family consists of George J. Maloof, Sr., his wife Colleen, and their children: Adrienne Maloof, Joe Maloof, Gavin Maloof, George J. Maloof, Jr., and Phil Maloof. The Maloofs had acquired a minority interest in the Kings in 1998 and took majority control the ... -
Vivek Ranadivé New Ownership
On March 21, 2013, it was announced that Ranadive had joined Ron Burkle and Mark Mastrov to be a major investor in the attempt to purchase the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. In order for Ranadive to purchase the Kings, he had to sell his share of the Golden State Warriors. On May 16, 2013, it was announced ... -
Golden 1 Center Opens
Golden 1 Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in Downtown Sacramento, California. It sits partially on the site of the former Downtown Plaza shopping center. The publicly-owned arena is part of a business and entertainment district called Downtown Commons, otherwise known as DoCo, which includes a $250 million 16-story mixed-use tower. The arena, which replaced Sleep Train Arena as ...
History of the Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the only team in the major professional North American sports leagues located in Sacramento. The team played its home games at the Sleep Train Arena from 1988 to 2016; beginning with the 2016 – 2017 season, the Kings will play home games at the Golden 1 Center.
The Kings are the oldest franchise in the NBA, and one of the oldest continuously operating professional basketball franchises in the nation. They originated in Rochester, New York as the Rochester Seagrams (a semi-professional team) in 1923 and joined the National Basketball League in 1945 as the Rochester Royals. They jumped to the Basketball Association of America, the forerunner of the NBA, in 1948. As the Royals, the team was often successful on the court, winning the NBA championship in 1951. However, they 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 1972, the team relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, and was renamed the Kansas City-Omaha Kings because it initially split its home games between Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska. In 1975, the Kings ceased playing home games in Omaha and simply became the Kansas City Kings. The team again failed to find success in that market and moved to Sacramento in 1985.
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
Kings – The Kings' royal lineage stretches all the way back to the founding of the National Basketball League's Rochester Royals in 1945. The Royals retained their nickname after a move to Cincinnati in 1957 and became the Kansas City-Omaha Kings (soon dropping the Omaha) through a name-the-team contest in 1972. The name remained unchanged when the franchise relocated to California in 1985.
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
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