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FRANCHISE

NBA franchise story

Sacramento Kings

The Kings trace their line from Rochester's 1951 champions and Oscar Robertson in Cincinnati to the beloved Webber teams and the long-awaited return of the Beam era.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Sacramento Kings.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every curated card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Sacramento Kings official team history ↗
The beginning↓
01▼

Franchise era

1948–49—1956–57

01
SACDAVIES11Bob Davies
SACWANZER9Bobby Wanzer
SACRISEN14Arnie Risen

A small-market champion

The Rochester Royals

The Royals emerged from the NBL, won the 1951 championship and established the franchise's first great team.

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Chapter 01

1948–49—1956–57

02▼

Franchise era

1957–58—1971–72

02
SACROBERTSON14Oscar Robertson
SACLUCAS16Jerry Lucas
SACTWYMAN27Jack Twyman

A triple-double genius carries the Royals

Oscar in Cincinnati

Robertson redefined all-around guard play, but Cincinnati could not get past the era's Boston and Philadelphia powers.

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Chapter 02

1957–58—1971–72

03▼

Franchise era

1972–73—1984–85

03
SACARCHIBALD10Nate Archibald
SACBIRDSONG10Otis Birdsong
SACLACEY44Sam Lacey

Archibald's scoring and a 1981 surprise

The Kansas City Kings

The renamed Kings found intermittent success, including an unlikely conference-finals run, before moving west again.

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Chapter 03

1972–73—1984–85

04▼

Franchise era

1985–86—1997–98

04
SACRICHMOND2Mitch Richmond
SACTHEUS24Reggie Theus
SACSIMMONS22Lionel Simmons

A loyal market waits through the lottery

The Sacramento struggle

Sacramento embraced the team despite persistent losing, with Richmond providing All-Star excellence and continuity.

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Chapter 04

1985–86—1997–98

05▼

Franchise era

1998–99—2005–06

05
SACWEBBER4Chris Webber
SACDIVAC21Vlade Divac
SACSTOJAKOVIĆ16Peja Stojaković

Passing, pace and the 2002 heartbreak

The Greatest Show on Court

A dazzling, unselfish offense became a true title contender and came painfully close to defeating the Lakers in 2002.

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Chapter 05

1998–99—2005–06

06▼

Franchise era

2006–07—2021–22

06
SACCOUSINS15DeMarcus Cousins
SACMARTIN23Kevin Martin
SACFOX5De'Aaron Fox

Stars pass through without a stable winner

The sixteen-year drought

Coaching churn and inconsistent roster construction produced the longest playoff drought in NBA history.

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Chapter 06

2006–07—2021–22

07

Franchise era

2022–23—present

07
SACFOX5De'Aaron Fox
SACSABONIS10Domantas Sabonis
SACMURRAY13Keegan Murray

A record offense restores joy

Light the Beam

Sacramento's fast, connected offense ended the drought with 48 wins and gave the city a new ritual before another roster handoff.

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Chapter 07

2022–23—present

◆Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Sacramento Kings games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · Western Conference Finals

Western ConferenceFinals
2002
GAME4
LOS ANGELESLAKERS
SACRAMENTOKINGS
MAY 26, 2002

Lakers vs Kings

May 26, 2002

#02 · Western Conference Finals

Western ConferenceFinals
2002
GAME7
LOS ANGELESLAKERS
SACRAMENTOKINGS
JUN 2, 2002

Lakers vs Kings

Jun 2, 2002

#03 · First Round

First Round
2023
GAME7
SACRAMENTOKINGS
GOLDEN STATEWARRIORS
APR 30, 2023

Kings vs Warriors

Apr 30, 2023

#04 · NBA Finals

NBA Finals
1951
GAME7
CR
NEW YORKKNICKS
CINCINNATIROYALS
1951-04-21

New York Knicks vs Cincinnati Royals

1951-04-21

#05 · Western Conference Semifinals

Western ConferenceSemifinals
1963
GAME7
CR
CINCINNATIROYALS
BOSTONCELTICS
1963-04-10

Cincinnati Royals vs Boston Celtics

1963-04-10

Season history

Past seasons

78 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Sacramento Kings games

6,364 total · loaded 10 at a time