Sacramento Kings · Franchise era 4 of 7
The Sacramento struggle: the Sacramento Kings story
Franchise era
1985–86—1997–98
The Sacramento struggle
Sacramento Kings
The story in one sentence
Sacramento embraced the team despite persistent losing, with Richmond providing All-Star excellence and continuity.
01
A loyal market waits through the lottery
02
Mitch Richmond, Reggie Theus and Lionel Simmons gave the era its recognizable core.
03
Its ending created the conditions for the greatest show on court.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1985–86
What came before
The renamed Kings found intermittent success, including an unlikely conference-finals run, before moving west again.
1986
Western Conference First Round: Sacramento Kings vs Houston Rockets
1996
Western Conference First Round: Sacramento Kings vs Seattle SuperSonics
After 1997–98
What came next
A dazzling, unselfish offense became a true title contender and came painfully close to defeating the Lakers in 2002.
The core