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Sacramento Kings · Franchise era 5 of 7

The Greatest Show on Court: the Sacramento Kings story

Franchise era

1998–99—2005–06

The Greatest Show on Court

Sacramento Kings

The story in one sentence

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

01

Passing, pace and the 2002 heartbreak

02

Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Peja Stojaković and Mike Bibby gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for the sixteen-year drought.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Before 1998–99

    What came before

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

  2. 2002

    Western Conference Finals: Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Lakers

    Western ConferenceFinals
    2002
    SACRAMENTOKINGS
    LOS ANGELESLAKERS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference Finals · 7 games

    Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Lakers

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 7 · Jun 2, 2002Los Angeles Lakers at Sacramento Kings →Closest game · Game 4 · May 26, 2002Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers →

  3. 2003

    Western Conference Semifinals: Sacramento Kings vs Dallas Mavericks

    Western ConferenceSemifinals
    2003
    SACRAMENTOKINGS
    DALLASMAVERICKS
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference Semifinals · 7 games

    Sacramento Kings vs Dallas Mavericks

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 7 · May 17, 2003Sacramento Kings at Dallas Mavericks →Closest game · Game 3 · May 10, 2003Dallas Mavericks at Sacramento Kings →

  4. 2004

    Western Conference Semifinals: Sacramento Kings vs Minnesota Timberwolves

    Western ConferenceSemifinals
    2004
    SACRAMENTOKINGS
    MINNESOTATIMBERWOLVES
    COMPLETE SERIES

    Western Conference Semifinals · 7 games

    Sacramento Kings vs Minnesota Timberwolves

    Open the complete series →

    Series finale · Game 7 · May 19, 2004Sacramento Kings at Minnesota Timberwolves →Closest game · Game 3 · May 10, 2004Minnesota Timberwolves at Sacramento Kings →

  5. After 2005–06

    What came next

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

The core

Faces of the chapter

01Chris Webber→02Vlade Divac→03Peja Stojaković→04Mike Bibby→
← Previous eraThe Sacramento struggle1985–86—1997–98Next era →The sixteen-year drought2006–07—2021–22