Sacramento Kings
The Rochester Seagrams began as a semi-professional basketball team in 1923, sponsored by the Canadian distiller Seagram. This local squad played against visiting teams like the Original Celtics and the Harlem Globetrotters for two decades before transforming into a professional entity. In 1945, brothers Lester and Jack Harrison pooled $25,000 to purchase an entry fee for the National Basketball League. They recruited returning World War II veterans Bob Davies and Red Holzman to form the new Rochester Royals roster. The team won the NBL championship immediately during the 1945, 46 season. By 1948, the franchise jumped to the Basketball Association of America alongside three other teams. A year later, these leagues merged to create the NBA. The Royals became the only other team besides the Minneapolis Lakers to win an NBA title between 1949 and 1954. They defeated the New York Knicks four games to three in 1951 to secure their sole league championship. Despite on-court success, the small market of Rochester made profitability impossible. The team struggled financially even while finishing no lower than second in its division from 1945 to 1954.
Financial pressure forced the Harrison brothers to move the franchise to Cincinnati in April 1957. The city offered a strong college basketball fanbase and lacked an NFL competitor until the Bengals arrived in 1970. Tragedy struck the team shortly after arrival when Maurice Stokes suffered a head injury that left him permanently hospitalized. His teammate Jack Twyman legally adopted Stokes and raised funds for his medical care until Stokes died in April 1970. The story inspired the 1973 film Maurie starring Bernie Casey and Bo Svenson. Poor attendance and ownership disputes led to another move before the 1972, 73 season. The team split home games between Kansas City, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska as the Kansas City, Omaha Kings. General manager Joe Axelson became the first sports executive to fail with the same franchise across four cities: Cincinnati, Kansas City, Omaha, and Sacramento. Average attendance in Kansas City peaked at only two-thirds of Kemper Arena capacity during the 1978, 79 season. By 1984, fans stayed away in droves with average attendance dropping to 6,410. The franchise sold for $10.5 million on the 8th of June 1983, to a Sacramento-based investment group.
General manager Geoff Petrie assembled a roster featuring Chris Webber, Peja Stojaković, Mike Bibby, and Vlade Divac. This lineup earned the nickname "The Greatest Show on Court" from a February 2001 Sports Illustrated cover story. The team posted a league-best record of 61 wins and 21 losses during the 2001, 02 season. They won 36 of their 41 home games at ARCO Arena. The squad reached the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers but lost in seven games. Controversy surrounded Game Six when referees awarded the Lakers 27 free throws in the fourth quarter. Print newspapers questioned the legitimacy of the game after the series concluded. NBA analyst David Aldridge noted that while officiating was poor, no concrete evidence proved the game was fixed. The following season, Webber suffered a major knee injury that ended his quickness and athleticism. The team declined rapidly as key players aged or were traded away. By 2006, the era of competitiveness had ended with a 16-year playoff drought beginning immediately after the 2005, 06 season.
From 2006 to 2022, the Kings endured sixteen consecutive losing seasons, the most in NBA history. Head coach Eric Musselman pleaded no contest to DUI charges early in the 2006, 07 season. Ron Artest faced legal trouble for neglecting his dogs and later domestic assault accusations. The team finished 17 wins and 65 losses during the 2008, 09 season, the worst record in the league. Attendance at ARCO Arena dropped significantly, averaging only 13,500 fans per home game by 2007, 08. In 2014, former chief revenue officer Jeff David embezzled $13.4 million from corporate partners over four years. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and received a seven-year federal prison sentence. The franchise missed the playoffs for fourteen consecutive seasons until breaking the streak in March 2023. They lost to the Golden State Warriors in seven games during that first return to postseason play since 2006. The organization held the longest active playoff drought in the four major North American sports leagues.
Head coach Mike Brown took over after the Warriors won the 2022 NBA championship. De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis became All-Stars and earned All-NBA Third Team honors during the 2022, 23 season. On the 24th of February 2023, the Kings defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 176, 175 in double overtime. This second-highest scoring game in NBA history featured 44 combined three-pointers made. Both teams shot over 58 percent from the field and over 80 percent from the free-throw line. It marked the first time two players scored at least 40 points in a single game for Sacramento. Malik Monk scored 45 points while De'Aaron Fox added 42. The team clinched a playoff spot on March 29 by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 120, 80. Mike Brown received the NBA Coach of the Year award for ending the sixteen-year drought. The franchise returned to contention with a record of 46 wins and 36 losses the following year. They finished ninth in the Western Conference but lost to the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament.
The Maloof family sold the franchise to a group led by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Vivek Ranadivé on the 16th of May 2013. The sale reached a then-record valuation of $535 million for an NBA team. Ranadivé named Raj Bhathal as one of the investors who bought a majority stake for $348 million. The NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the transaction on the 28th of May 2013. Turner Construction was selected to build the new Golden 1 Center arena. Shaquille O'Neal purchased a minority share of the team shortly after the sale closed. He jokingly dubbed the organization the "Shaqramento Kings." In July 2021, Dyal Capital invested $1.5 billion into the basketball team, acquiring a 5 percent stake. Another source placed the valuation closer to $1.8 billion. The new ownership group fought off rival bids from Seattle that would have relocated the team. Plans moved forward to convert the Downtown Plaza site into the new arena facility.
The initial Rochester Royals logo featured a blue and white shield with "ROCHESTER" at the top and "ROYALS" below. Road uniforms were blue while home uniforms were white with red accents added later. Upon moving to Cincinnati in 1957, the logo became a basketball wearing a crown with the city name inside. The word "CINCINNATI" appeared above the logo while "ROYALS" sat below it. A 1971 design introduced a red crown with a blue half-basketball beneath it. The Kansas City, Omaha Kings kept these designs until settling permanently in Kansas City in 1975. They changed road uniforms back to reading the city name on the front. An unusual uniform feature persisted for decades: player names appeared below numbers on the back of jerseys. This arrangement flipped the standard convention where names sit above numbers. Sacramento retained the red, white, and blue color scheme after arriving in 1985. Home uniforms used royal blue while road uniforms utilized powder blue for five seasons. The script "Kings" appeared on the sides of road shorts during this period.
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Common questions
When did the Sacramento Kings franchise begin as a semi-professional team?
The Rochester Seagrams began as a semi-professional basketball team in 1923. This local squad played against visiting teams like the Original Celtics and the Harlem Globetrotters for two decades before transforming into a professional entity.
What year did the Sacramento Kings win their only NBA championship title?
The Sacramento Royals won their sole league championship by defeating the New York Knicks four games to three in 1951. They became the only other team besides the Minneapolis Lakers to win an NBA title between 1949 and 1954.
Who purchased the Sacramento Kings franchise on the 8th of June 1983?
A Sacramento-based investment group sold the franchise for $10.5 million on the 8th of June 1983. The Maloof family later sold the franchise to a group led by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Vivek Ranadivé on the 16th of May 2013.
Which game holds the record for the second-highest scoring total in Sacramento Kings history?
On the 24th of February 2023, the Kings defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 176, 175 in double overtime. This second-highest scoring game in NBA history featured 44 combined three-pointers made with Malik Monk scoring 45 points while De'Aaron Fox added 42.
How many consecutive losing seasons did the Sacramento Kings endure from 2006 to 2022?
From 2006 to 2022, the Kings endured sixteen consecutive losing seasons, which is the most in NBA history. The organization held the longest active playoff drought in the four major North American sports leagues until breaking the streak in March 2023.