Overall Rating
3.6
Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center
The Sacramento Kings enter their fifth season at Golden 1 Center, the arena located in the Downtown Commons (DOCO) business and entertainment district. From the venue's modern creature comforts to amenities such as public art and farm-to-fork concessions, to interactive resources that earned the distinction as "the highest-tech stadium in sports," Golden 1 Center offers a fan experience like no other.
Sacramento Kings 2022-23 Team Info
Conference: Western
Division: Pacific
Year Founded: 1923
Team Colors: Purple, Slate Gray, Black
Sacramento Kings History
The Kings' lineage traces to Rochester, New York, where they played under four names, including the Royals for 12 years (1945-57). Led by Hall of Famers Bob Davies, Bobby Wanzer and Arnie Risen, they team defeated the New York Knicks to win the NBA championship in 1951, the highlight of a seven-year run in the playoffs.
The Royals moved to Cincinnati for the 1957-58 season and added local college standout Oscar Robertson in 1960. Led by the "Big O," they advanced to the division finals in the 1962-63 and 1963-64 seasons -- the second year featuring contributions from rookie of the year Jerry Lucas -- but fell to the Boston Celtics each time.
After a five-year run of futility in the late 1960s and early '70s, the team relocated to Kansas City, adopting the name the Kings because the city's baseball team was named the Royals. For three years, the franchise divided its home games between Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska, and were known as the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. Led by Coach of the Year Phil Johnson, they made the playoffs in 1974-75.
In the 10 seasons that followed as the Kansas City Kings, the team made the playoffs four times, most memorably in 1980-81 behind guard Otis Birdsong. They lost in the Conference Finals to the Houston Rockets.
The franchise relocated to Sacramento in 1985, but failed to post a winning record until the lockout-shortened 1998-90 season, when a team led by Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Vernon Maxwell, Scot Pollard, and Jon Barry went 27-23. It was the first of eight consecutive seasons in the playoffs, highlighted by a trip to the 2002 Conference Finals, which they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.
The team finished the 2020-21 season with a 31-41 record, with De'Aaron Fox averaging 25 points and seven assists per game, on the cusp of being an all-star.