The Kings–Warriors rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors. The rivalry takes geographic influence as the two teams share the Northern California region since San Francisco and Sacramento are approximately 86 miles apart. The rivalry extends back to 1985 in which the Kings relocated to Sacramento from Kansas City. Both teams had historically struggled in an effort to appear in the postseason for the duration of their history in California. As such; neither would face each other in the playoffs until 2023, where they faced off in the first round. In a fashion similar to the former 49ers–Raiders rivalry of the NFL, fans between both sides have formed a recent history of violence between each other. The Warriors lead the regular season series 215–193 and the postseason series 4–3.

History

Geographic origins
Both teams had historically been two of the oldest franchises in league history, with the Kings having been founded in 1923 as the Rochester Seagrams. The Warriors later joined the NBA in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors. Despite the early history; the Kings endured a lengthy title drought since 1951 that persists to this day. The Warriors, (inspired by the Giants' relocation to California in 1957) later sought to relocate to California in an effort to increase their market share. The Kings endured unstable ownership during the same stretch of time; relocating to Cincinnati in 1957, Kansas City and Omaha in 1972, and finally to Sacramento in 1985; joining the Warriors as the two NBA franchises splitting the Northern California Market.

First playoff meeting
The Warriors managed to rebuild the franchise during the late 2000s in the form of drafting future star players such as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. It was after the hiring of head coach Steve Kerr that the Warriors began a famed dynasty through the late 2010s and early 2020s; winning four championships. Meanwhile; the Kings endured numerous failed rebuilds following several powerful contending teams in the early 2000s. It began with the hiring of former Warriors' assistant Head Coach Mike Brown in 2022 that helped return the team to their first postseason appearance in 16 years, winning their first division title since 2003 in the process. The two teams met each other in the postseason for the first time; in the opening round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, however; the Warriors had come off of the prior season as defending champions. During game 1 in Sacramento, Bay-Area rapper E-40 was ejected after a confrontation with a Kings fan at his courtside seat. In game 2, a rough play occurred, with Draymond Green stomping on Domantas Sabonis's chest after he grabbed Green's leg, resulting in Green being suspended for game 3. Despite the Warriors experiencing numerous injuries to star players such as Draymond Green, they managed to defeat the Kings in 7 games. Stephen Curry dropped 50 points in game 7, marking the first time a player dropped a 50-piece in a game 7.  The series drew the highest first- and second-round playoff TV ratings for the NBA since 1999, with game 7 peaking at 11.9 million viewers on ABC.

See also
 List of National Basketball Association rivalries
 Bay Bridge Series
 49ers–Raiders rivalry
 The Big Game

References

Sacramento Kings
Golden State Warriors
National Basketball Association rivalries