What was the home venue of Sacramento Kings from 1978 to 1988?
Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento , California . The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division . The Kings are the only team in the major professional North American sports leagues located in Sacramento . The team plays its home games at the Golden 1 Center . Their best seasons to date in the city were in the early 2000s , including the 2001–02 season when they had the best record in the NBA at 61–21 ( a winning percentage of ) . The franchise began with the Rochester Seagrams ( a semi-professional team ) from Rochester , New York , that formed in 1923 and hosted a number of teams there over the next 20 years . They joined the National Basketball League in 1945 as the renamed Rochester Royals , winning that leagues championship in their first season , 1945–46 . They later jumped with three other NBL teams to the Basketball Association of America , forerunner of the NBA , in 1948 . As the Royals , the team was often successful on the court , winning the NBA championship in 1951 . The team , however , found it increasingly difficult to turn a profit in the comparatively small market of Rochester and relocated to Cincinnati in , becoming the Cincinnati Royals . In 1972 , the team relocated again , this time to Kansas City , Missouri , and renamed the Kansas City–Omaha Kings because it initially split its home games between Kansas City and Omaha , Nebraska ; the nickname was changed to avoid confusion with the baseball Royals . After three seasons , the team truncated to Kansas City Kings , but continued to play several home games per season in Omaha , through March 1978 . The franchise again failed to find success in its market and moved after the 1984–85 season to Sacramento , where they presently reside . Franchise history . 1948–1957 : Rochester Royals . The basis of the purely-professional Royals team that came into existence in 1945 , after two decades of sponsored semi-professional team . Seagram was the teams main sponsor and received the bulk of what monies were made . One of the teams early stars was Lester Harrison , a local high school star of some publicity before joining the team . The driven Harrison later became the teams captain , coach , manager and chief scout over the next two decades , and was very key in the teams continued success and existence through hard years in the 1930s . Among visitors to Rochester then to play the team were the Original Celtics , the New York Rens and the Harlem Globetrotters . With news that World War II was approaching its end , the National Basketball League ( NBL ) announced that it was expanding , and Harrison was approached for interest in a franchise . While the sponsored Seagrams balked at additional expenses involved , Harrison and his lawyer brother Jack jumped at the chance . They pooled money to meet the steep entry fee of $25,000 dollars , and were granted an NBL franchise . Their team pushed out the Seagrams locally at their facility , smallish Edgerton Park Arena . With his new team , Harrison took advantage of conditions and rules in 1945 . The best players were the returning Navy and Army players now being released from the war . There was no draft for the league in the selection of new players . So , Harrison was able to scoop up several name stars for his new team , among them Bob Davies , Red Holzman and William Fuzzy Levane , as well as NBL free agents like George Glamack and Al Cervi . The result was a strong league champion in their first season of existence as the Royals during the 1945–46 season . The team had two more seasons of success during their NBL years , which permitted the team to play non-league opponents . During all three years , 1945–1948 , the team played over 300 total games , hosting most of them . The Royals defected to the NBLs rival , the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) , in 1948 . In 1949 , as a result of that years absorption of the NBL by the BAA , the Royals became members of the newly formed NBA along with the Fort Wayne Pistons , Minneapolis Lakers , and Indianapolis ( Kautskys ) Jets . A year later , the BAA absorbed the remaining NBL teams to become the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The move to the BAA took away Rochesters profitable exhibition schedule , and placed it in the same Western Division as the Minneapolis Lakers . Of the two best teams in professional basketball , only one of them could play in the league finals from 1949 to 1954 . Minneapolis , with George Mikan , was almost always better during playoffs than the Royals . With their smallish arena and now-limited schedule , the Royals became less profitable even as Harrison maintained a remarkably high standard for the team , which finished no lower than second in its division in both the NBL and BAA/NBA from 1945 to 1954 . Harrison knew that the NBA was outgrowing Rochester , and spent most of the 1950s looking for a buyer for his team . The Royals won the NBA title in 1951 by defeating the New York Knicks 4–3 . It is the only NBA championship in the franchises history . The title , however , did not translate into profit for the Royals . The roster turned over in 1955 , except for star guard Bobby Wanzer , who soon became the teams new coach . The team moved to the larger Rochester War Memorial in 1955 in an attempt to improve fortunes with a much larger arena . The NBA even agreed to host their All-Star Game there in 1956 . But the Royals were now a losing team filled with rookies , and did not turn a profit . Meanwhile , the NBA was putting pressure on Harrison to sell or relocate his team to a larger city . With this in mind , the 1956–57 season was the Royals last in Rochester . The Royals stay in Rochester featured the services of nine future members of the Basketball Hall of Fame : Al Cervi , Bob Davies , Alex Hannum , Lester Harrison , Red Holzman , Arnie Risen , Maurice Stokes , Jack Twyman , Bobby Wanzer , while others proved prominent in other fields , such as Pro Football Hall of Fame member Otto Graham , Hollywood Walk of Famer Chuck Connors , and Jack McMahon . 1957–1972 : Cincinnati Royals . In April 1957 , the Harrison brothers moved the Royals to Cincinnati , a city that was then trying to obtain an NBA expansion franchise . This move followed a well-received regular-season game played at Cincinnati Gardens on February 1 , 1957 . The change of venue had been said to have been partly suggested by Jack Twyman and Dave Piontek , who were two of several roster players on the new Royals from that area . Cincinnati , which had a strong college basketball fanbase then , and no NFL franchise to compete with ( until the Bengals joined in 1970 after two seasons in the AFL ) , was deemed the best choice for the Harrisons , who also considered other cities . The Royals name continued to fit in Cincinnati , often known as the Queen City . During the teams first NBA draft in Cincinnati , the team acquired Clyde Lovellette and guard George King . They teamed with the 1–2 punch of Maurice Stokes and Twyman to produce a budding contender in the teams very first season in the Queen City . But injuries and the loss of star guard Si Green , the #1 overall pick of the 1956 NBA draft , to military service dropped the team into a tie for second place in the NBA Western Division during the 1957–58 seasons second half . In the seasons finale , All-Pro star Maurice Stokes struck his head when he fell after pursuing a rebound . He shook off the effects of the fall , even as he had briefly been unconscious . After Game One in the playoffs three days later , Stokes head injury was greatly aggravated by airplane cabin pressure during the flight back to Cincinnati for Game Two . He suffered a seizure and was permanently hospitalized , a tragedy that greatly shook the team . Stokes , a tremendous talent who could play center , forward and guard , was 2nd in the NBA in rebounds and 3rd in assists , a double-feat only Wilt Chamberlain has matched for a full season . The impact of losing Stokes was such that the team nearly folded . Six of the teams shaken players simply retired on the spot . Fellow All-Star Twyman rose to All-Pro level over the next two seasons for Cincinnati , even as the team posted two 19-win seasons . The 1958–59 Cincinnati team featured five rookies , with Lovellette , King and other key players having left the team in the wake of Stokes tragic injury . The Harrisons , wanting out at this point , sold to a makeshift local group , headed by Thomas Woods , Cincinnati Gardens management , and a number of local businessmen . Jack Twyman came to the aid of his teammate , and even legally adopted Stokes . Raising funds for Stokes medical treatment , Twyman helped him until his death in April 1970 . The 1973 feature film Maurie , which co-starred actors Bernie Casey and Bo Svenson , dramatized their story . Shooting often for the beleaguered team , Twyman was the second NBA player to ever average 30 points per game for an NBA season . Twyman and Stokes were later named Hall of Famers . 1960–1970 : The Oscar Robertson era . In 1960 , the team was able to land local superstar Oscar Robertson . Robertson led a team that included Twyman , Wayne Embry , Bob Boozer , Bucky Bockhorn , Tom Hawkins and Adrian Smith over the next three seasons . The Royals reversed their fortunes with Robertson and rose to title contender . An ownership dispute in early 1963 scuttled the teams playoff chances when new owner Louis Jacobs booked a circus for Cincinnati Gardens for the week of the playoff series versus the champion Boston Celtics . The Royals home games were at Xavier Universitys Schmidt Field House . In late 1963 , another local superstar , Jerry Lucas , joined the team . The Royals rose to the second-best record in the NBA . From 1963 to 1966 , the Royals contended strongly against Boston and the Philadelphia 76ers , but won no titles . In the 1964 NBA draft the Royals drafted rookies George Wilson , Bill Chmielewski , Steve Courtin ( later traded to 76ers ) , and Happy Hairston . The teams star players throughout the 1960s were Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas . Robertson met with individual success , averaging a triple-double in 1961–62 and winning the Most Valuable Player award in 1964 . Robertson was a league-leading scorer and passer each season . Lucas was Rookie Of the Year in 1964 , led the league in shooting , and later averaged 20 rebounds per game over four seasons . Both were All-NBA First Team selections multiple times . The team failed to keep some promising players , though , and played in the tough NBA East division , dominated by the Boston Celtics , even as a Baltimore team played in the West Division for three years , denying the team likely visits to the NBA Finals . In 1966 , the team was sold to Max and Jeremy Jacobs . That same season , the Royals began playing some of their home games in neutral sites such as Cleveland ( until the Cavaliers began play in 1970 ) , Dayton and Columbus . This did wound their local fan base in Cincinnati , though , and fortunes for the team continued to steadily decline . That year , they would host the 1966 NBA All-Star Game , with Smith scoring 24 points to be named All-Star MVP . As of 2021 , it is the last time that the franchise has hosted an All-Star Game . New coach Bob Cousy traded Lucas in 1969 . Robertson was traded to Milwaukee in 1970 , where he immediately won an NBA title . The declining franchise left Cincinnati shortly thereafter , moving to Kansas City in 1972 . 1972–1985 : Kansas City–Omaha/Kansas City Kings . After moving to Kansas City , the Royals renamed themselves the Kings to avoid confusion with the Royals baseball team . Now dubbed the Kansas City-Omaha Kings , the team split its home games between the 7,316-seat Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City and the 9,300-seat Omaha Civic Auditorium . The Cincinnati Royals had been looking at Omaha as a market as early as 1968 , playing twelve home games in the Nebraska city from 1968 to 1971 . From 1972 to 1975 , the KC–Omaha Kings played a total of 42 regular season contests ( but no playoff games ) in Omaha . In 1975 , the club became simply the Kansas City Kings ( moving into the new 16,785-seat Kemper Arena the previous season ) , but did not abandon Omaha completely , playing several games there through the 1977–78 season . For the next two seasons , they played several home games at St . Louis . 1972–1976 . The team netted a new superstar in point guard Nate Archibald , who led the league in scoring and assists in the 1972–73 season . While still in Cincinnati , the team introduced a most unusual uniform design , which placed the players surname below his number . The design remained intact through the first several seasons of the teams run in Sacramento , even when the shade of blue on the road uniforms was changed from royal blue to powder blue , and the script Kansas City which adorned the road jerseys was scrubbed after the move in favor of a repeat of the Kings script on the home shirts . The Kings back jersey template was later adopted by the WNBA and the NBA Development League , as well the NBA during the All-Star Game since 2006 . The Kings had some decent players throughout . Tom Van Arsdale , the shooting forward , Jumpin Johnny Green , and Matt Guokas helped Archibald in the first year in Kansas City . Toby Kimball was a fan favorite . Jimmy Walker teamed with Archibald as the Kings made the playoffs the second year . Sam Lacey , an effective passing center , became one of the most dependable players in the league . Archibald became the first player to lead the league in scoring and assists in the first season in Kansas City . However , the management traded Archibald , and wasted high draft picks . Bob Cousy gave way to Phil Johnson , who was fired midyear in 1977 and replaced by Larry Staverman , a player on the team on two separate occasions when it was in Cincinnati and who later became the vice president of operations for the Cleveland Stadium Corporation in June 1981 . 1976–1984 . The Kings finally achieved some success in their new home when they hired Cotton Fitzsimmons as coach . Fitzsimmons won the Midwest Division in 1978–79 with rookie point guard Phil Ford , who was NBA Rookie of the Year in 1979 . Kansas City was led by shooting guard Otis Birdsong , strong on both offense and defense , all-around shooting forward Scott Wedman , and passing center Sam Lacey , who had a trademark bank shot . They drew an average of 10,789 fans to Kemper Arena that season , the only time during their tenure in KC that average attendance was in five figures ( the attendance at the peak was only two-thirds of Kempers capacity ) . The Kings later played several home games in St . Louis during the early 1980s to large crowds . Most Kansas City sports fans preferred to spend their entertainment dollar on the Royals , who won the American League West division championship four times in five seasons between 1976 and 1980 , and reached the 1980 World Series . The Kings made the playoffs in 1979–80 and again in 1980–81 , despite finishing the 1980–81 regular season at . The Kings made a run in the 1981 NBA Playoffs , reaching the Western Conference finals ; these were the franchises first playoff victories since 1964 , and their only ones ever in Kansas City . Ernie Grunfeld played the point in this run in place of an injured Ford , as KC used a slow half-court game to win the first two rounds . Power forward Reggie King had a remarkable series , dominating the opposition . After upsetting the Phoenix Suns by winning Game 7 at Phoenix in the Conference Semifinals and becoming the second NBA road team to do so after leading a series 3–1 , they bowed out to the Houston Rockets ( also 40–42 in the regular season ) in five games in the Conference Finals . Lacey , the last remaining Cincinnati Royal to play for the Kings , could not keep up with Rockets superstar center Moses Malone . ( The Kings did not win another playoff series for two decades. ) However , a series of bad luck incidents prevented the team from building on its success . Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien lured Wedman and Birdsong away with big contract offers . In 1979 , the roof literally fell in at Kemper Arena because of a severe storm , forcing the team to play most of the 1979–80 season at the much smaller Municipal Auditorium . The ownership group sold the team to Sacramento interests for $11 million . The general manager was fired in a scandal in which he was found to be reusing marked postage stamps . When the Kings rehired Joe Axelson as general manager , they brought back the man who had previously traded Oscar Robertson , Norm Van Lier , Nate Archibald and Jerry Lucas , and used the third pick in the ABA dispersal draft on Ron Boone . Axelson stayed on after the Kings left Kansas City where , in their last game ever , fans wore Joe Axelson masks . Axelson later said he hoped his plane would never touch down in Kansas City . Axelson became the first general manager in the history of sports to fail with the same franchise in four cities : Cincinnati , Kansas City , Omaha and Sacramento . He was not fired for good until he rehired coach Phil Johnson , whom he had fired in mid-season in Kansas City ten years before . The Kings also had the misfortune of entering this period competing with the Kansas City Comets for the winter sports dollar , when the Comets were led by marketers—the Leiweke brothers . Their final season in 1984–85 resulted in a record , as fans stayed away from Kemper Arena in droves , with average attendance of 6,410 . Long-time ABA and NBA star , Don Buse , played his final professional season for the Kings . Ownership began looking for a new home for the team . Poor attendance and lack of sponsorship dollars ( the team was third in sports market share by a significant margin behind the NFLs Chiefs and MLBs Royals ) were the main reasons . Also , Kansas City had a much stronger following for the Kansas Jayhawks college basketball team than they did the NBAs Kings . Seeing the success the NBA was having in fast-growing cities with no NFL or MLB teams like Portland , Oregon , Salt Lake City , Utah , and San Antonio , Texas , it was decided the team would move to Sacramento , California , a fast-growing city with no competition from the NFL or MLB . The NBA unanimously approved the move , with the caveat that Sacramento had to have an NBA-ready arena finished within three years or the team was free to move again with no penalty . 1985–present : Sacramento Kings . The Kings moved to their current home of Sacramento , California in the 1985–86 NBA season , with their first Sacramento season ending in the first round of the Western Conference 1986 NBA Playoffs . The starting lineup was Reggie Theus , LaSalle Thompson , Mark Olberding , Terry Tyler , and Mike Woodson , with Larry Drew , Eddie Johnson , Otis Thorpe , and Joe Kleine coming off the bench . However , despite fan loyalty the Kings saw little success in subsequent seasons , and the team did not make the playoffs again until the 1996 NBA Playoffs in the 1995–96 NBA season . Some of their failure was attributable to misfortunes such as the career-altering car crash suffered by promising point guard Bobby Hurley in 1993 , and the suicide of Ricky Berry during the 1989 off-season ; some was attributed to poor management such as the long tenure of head coach Garry St . Jean and the selection of Never Nervous Pervis Ellison with the first overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft . Former Kings television broadcaster Jerry Reynolds ( 1987 , 1988–90 ) and NBA legend Bill Russell ( 1987–88 ) were the earliest head coaches . 1988–1989 : Ricky Berry . Ricky Berry was selected by the Kings in the first round , 18th pick overall in the 1988 NBA draft . He had a dazzling rookie year in the 1988–89 season shooting 40.6% from three-point range . The Kings also drafted Vinny Del Negro ( selected by the Kings in the second round , 29th overall pick in the 1988 NBA draft ) and acquired Rodney McCray from the Houston Rockets . In his first year with the Kings , McCray made 1988 NBA All-Defensive First Team . It was the first season the Kings would play without Reggie Theus and LaSalle Thompson ( both part in the original team from Kansas City ) or Joe Kleine ( selected by the Kings as first round , sixth pick overall in the 1985 NBA draft ) . Thompson was drafted by the Kings in the first round , fifth overall pick in the 1982 NBA draft . It was also the last year that Michael Jackson ( selected by the New York Knicks in the second round , 47th pick overall in the 1986 NBA draft but who played his entire career with the Kings ) and Ed Pinckney ( selected 10th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 1985 NBA draft and played for the Kings from 1987 to 1989 ) played for the Kings . On February 23 , 1989 , Brad Lohaus and Danny Ainge were traded to the Kings from the Boston Celtics for Joe Kleine and Ed Pinckney . In June of the 1989 off-season , Lohaus was then acquired by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft . In August of the 1989 off-season , Berry was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Fair Oaks , California just weeks before his 25th birthday following an argument with his wife . 1989–1990 : Pervis Ellison . Following the loss of Ricky Berry , 1989–90 season featured Pervis Ellison , who was first overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft by the Kings , and acquisition Wayman Tisdale ( from the Indiana Pacers , second pick overall in the 1985 NBA draft ) . An injury kept Ellison on the sidelines for 48 of 82 games of his rookie year , after which he was traded to the Washington Bullets . Tisdale would go on to play for the Kings for five years . It was the last season that Danny Ainge , Kenny Smith ( who had an impressive showing in the 1990 NBA Slam Dunk Contest ) , Rodney McCray , Harold Pressley ( selected by the Kings in the first round , 17th overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft ) , Vinny Del Negro , Greg Kite , and Ralph Sampson played for the Kings . In 1990 , Ainge was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers , Kenny Smith was traded to the Atlanta Hawks , and Rodney McCray was traded to the Dallas Mavericks . 1990–1991 : Lionel Simmons . Lionel Simmons – or L-Train – was drafted by the Kings in the 1990 NBA draft in the first round , 7th pick overall . In his first season , he made the NBA All-Rookie First Team . He would go on to play his entire career ( 1990–1997 ) with the Kings and had 5,833 career points . Antoine Carr ( acquired from the Atlanta Hawks ) played for the Kings in the 1990–91 NBA season and then was traded to the San Antonio Spurs . Free-agent Leon Wood , who would later become an NBA official , played for the Kings but was let go on Christmas Eve of 1990 . Also notable that Bill Wennington was acquired from the Dallas Mavericks and played for the Kings for the 1990–91 season and after a successful career with the Chicago Bulls returned to the Kings for his final season in 1999–2000 . 1991–1998 : The Mitch Richmond era . The early 1990s were difficult for the Kings . Sacramento was known for having strong fan support , and while they won over 60% of their home games , the team struggled on the road , going 1–40 on the road in a single season . But prayers were answered when they acquired Mitch Richmond , who previously played for the Golden State Warriors . The former NBA Rookie of the Year was selected as an All-Star six times while making the All-NBA Second Team three times . Garry St . Jean was chosen as new coach in 1992 and coached the team all the way through 1997 , where he was replaced by Eddie Jordan . During the 1990s , Sacramento had other stars like Spud Webb , Kurt Rambis , Wayman Tisdale , Walt Williams , Olden Polynice and Brian Grant , but they only lasted with the team for a few years . After the 1992–93 season , Rambis was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers . After the 1993–94 season , Tisdale was traded to the Phoenix Suns . After the 1994–95 season , Webb was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Tyrone Corbin . Midway through the 1995–96 season , Williams was traded to the Miami Heat for Billy Owens ( who was drafted by the Kings in 1991 , and traded to Golden State for Richmond ) . After the 1996–97 season , Grant became a free agent and signed with the Portland Trail Blazers . One accomplishment the team achieved under St . Jean during their tenures was a playoff appearance in 1996 . The series was lost 3–1 to the Seattle SuperSonics who , led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp , finished as that years conference champions . They did not make a playoff appearance again while Richmond was still on the Kings . He was soon traded along with Otis Thorpe to the Washington Wizards for Chris Webber in May 1998 . Although Richmond was lost , this trade proved to be one of the keys to finally achieving playoff success after so many seasons of mediocrity . 1998–2004 : The Greatest Show on Court era . The Kings drafted Jason Williams in the 1998 NBA draft , signed Vlade Divac , and traded for Chris Webber prior to the lockout-shortened season of 1998–99 . These acquisitions coincided with the arrival of Peja Stojaković from Serbia , who had been drafted in 1996 . Each of these moves was attributed to general manager Geoff Petrie , who has won the NBA Executive of the Year Award twice . Led by new head coach Rick Adelman , and aided by former Princeton head coach Pete Carril , the Kings Princeton offense impressed others for its quick style and strong ball movement . Some criticized the Kings for their poor team defense , Williamss flash over substance style with its many turnovers , and Webbers failure to step up in important match-ups . Still , they quickly garnered many fans outside of California , many of whom were drawn to the spectacular pairing of Williams and Webber . In 1998–99 , they went 27–23 , their first winning season in nearly twenty years and their first since moving to Sacramento . The new arrivals Webber , Williams , and Divac all played key roles in this resurgence ; Divac ranked near the top of the team in most statistics , Webber led the league in rebounds and was named to the All-NBA Second Team , and Williams was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team . In the playoffs , they were matched up against the defending Western Conference Champions , the Utah Jazz . After winning Game 1 by 20 points , the Jazz surrendered two consecutive playoff games to the Kings . They would turn the series around , however , and win the last two to keep the Kings from advancing in the playoffs . In 1999–2000 , the Kings only notable transaction was trading shooting guard Tariq Abdul-Wahad to the Orlando Magic in exchange for shooting guard Nick Anderson . They finished eighth in the Western Conference with a 44–38 record and were matched up with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs . Once again , however , the Kings failed to advance , losing the series 2–3 against the Lakers . The following season , the Kings traded starting small forward Corliss Williamson to the Toronto Raptors for shooting guard Doug Christie , a move made to improve the subpar defense . They also drafted Turkish power forward Hedo Türkoğlu , further improving their bench rotation . Stojakovic moved into the starting small forward role , where he and Webber proved to complement each other extremely well , and as the Kings continued to improve , their popularity steadily rose , culminating in a February 2001 Sports Illustrated cover story entitled The Greatest Show on Court with Williams , Christie , Stojakovic , Webber , and Divac gracing the cover . That year , they went 55–27 , their best in 40 years . In the playoffs , they won their first series in 20 years , defeating the Phoenix Suns three games to one , before being swept in the second round by the Lakers , who eventually won the NBA Championship . In July 2001 , Jason Williams was traded , along with Nick Anderson , to the Vancouver Grizzlies for Mike Bibby and Brent Price . Despite Williamss often spectacular play , the Kings had grown tired of his recklessness and turnovers ; Bibby would provide much more stability and control at the point guard position . This move was complemented by the re-signing of Webber to a maximum-salary contract , securing their superstar long term . With Bibby taking over for Williams , they had their best season to date in 2001–02 . Though not as exciting or flashy as they had been in previous years with Williams , the team became much more effective and disciplined with Bibby at the helm . They finished with a league-best record of 61–21 , winning 36 of 41 at home . After easily winning their first two playoff matchups against the Stockton and Malone-led Jazz and the Dirk Nowitzki-led Dallas Mavericks , respectively , the Kings went on to play the archrival and two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals , regarded as one of the greatest playoff matchups in history . In a controversial series , the Kings lost in seven games , one game away from what would have been the first NBA Finals and professional sports championship in Sacramento history . This was a crushing blow to the Kings ; after losing to their archrivals in a highly controversial series , the team would begin to decline and age in the years that followed . Many commentators and journalists would question the decisions made by the referees during Game 6 , specifically that the Lakers were awarded a staggering 27 free throws in the fourth quarter , many of which came from what were in retrospect proved to be no-calls . Following Game 6 even print newspapers began to question the legitimacy of the game . Most notably , the New York Post ran a front cover with a headline entitled Foul Play ; it also published a related article suggesting that the game was rigged . NBA analyst David Aldridge ( then working for ESPN ) spoke on the game : The 2002 Western Conference finals left many fans wondering whether the Kings could have gone on to win a title , and debate would continue for many years after the events of the series . Later , due to allegations raised by former NBA referee Tim Donaghy , the NBA set up a review of the leagues officiating . Lawrence Pedowitz , who led the review , concluded that while Game 6 featured poor officiating , there was no concrete evidence that the game had been fixed . The Kings went 59–23 and won the division during the following season , seeking to avenge their playoff loss to the Lakers . After defeating the Stockton- and Malone-led Jazz in the first round and winning Game 1 against the Dirk Nowitzki-led Dallas Mavericks in the second round , the Kings appeared to be on the brink of another Western Conference Finals berth . However , Chris Webber sustained a major knee injury in Game 2 , and the Kings lost in a seven-game series . Webbers knee required major surgery . He returned mid-season in 2003–04 a season in which the Kings were seeking another chance to avenge their playoff loss to the Lakers , but without his quickness and athleticism , which had been the focal point of his style of play , it was not the same . Despite that , the Kings still managed to defeat the Dirk Nowitzki-led Dallas Mavericks in the first round and after winning Game 1 against the Kevin Garnett-led Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round , the Kings appeared to be on the brink of their second Western Conference Finals berth in three years , but the Kings ended the season with a defeat to the Timberwolves in a seven-game series . 2004–2006 : Decline . The 2004–05 season marked change for the Kings , who lost three starters from the famed 2002 team . In the off-season of 2004 , Divac signed with the Lakers , which prompted the Kings to sign Brad Miller to start at center . Early in the season , Christie was traded to the Orlando Magic for Cuttino Mobley , and in February , Webber was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for three forwards ( Corliss Williamson , Kenny Thomas , and Brian Skinner ) . Thomas and Skinner failed in their attempt to replicate Webbers impact , and as a result the teams record suffered . The Kings lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Seattle SuperSonics . The 2005 off-season continued with changes , when they traded fan-favorite Bobby Jackson for Bonzi Wells and acquired free agent Shareef Abdur-Rahim . The 2005–06 season started poorly since the Kings had a hard time establishing team chemistry . Newcomers Wells and Abdur-Rahim made major contributions early , but both were injured and missed a significant number of games . As the Kings season continued , general manager Petrie decided to make a major move . Stojakovic was traded for Ron Artest , a talented yet volatile forward known for his temper . Despite doubts that he would be able to replace the huge production of Stojakovic , Artest and the Kings went 20–9 after the 2006 NBA All-Star break , the second best post-All-Star break record that season . Despite a winning record of 44–38 , it was clear that they were not the same team of years past . The Kings were seeded 8th in the Western Conference playoffs and were matched up in the first round against the San Antonio Spurs . Though the Kings were surprisingly competitive , the Spurs eliminated them 4–2 . This was the end of their era of competitiveness and to date , their last winning season and their last playoff season . The 2006 off-season began with the disturbing news that head coach Rick Adelmans contract would not be renewed . The Kings named Eric Musselman as his replacement . 2006–2009 : Change and transition . In 2006–07 , the disappointing play of the Kings was coupled with the distraction of legal troubles . Coach Eric Musselman pleaded no contest to DUI charges early in the season , while Artest got into trouble for neglect of his dogs , and was later accused of domestic assault . The Kings relieved Artest of basketball duties , pending investigation , then later reinstated him . They finished the season 33–49 ( their worst in 9 years ) which landed them in fifth place in the Pacific Division . They posted a losing record ( 20–21 ) at home for the first time since 1993–94 . Their season included a seven-game losing streak that lasted from January 4 to 19 . The Kings missed the 2007 NBA Playoffs , the first time in eight seasons . Musselman was fired in April . The Kings future appeared to rest on the shoulders of Kevin Martin , who was a lead candidate for 2007 NBA Most-Improved Player of the Year . The 2007 off-season was a time of change . Head coach Musselman was replaced by former Kings player , Reggie Theus . The Kings selected Spencer Hawes with the 10th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft . In addition , they acquired Mikki Moore from the New Jersey Nets . Martin signed a contract worth $55 million , extending his period with the team for five more years . The Kings lost key players over the off-season , with backup Ronnie Price leaving for the Utah Jazz , and Corliss Williamson retiring . They claimed fourth-year Beno Udrih off waivers from Minnesota . Udrih quickly assumed the starting position for an injured Bibby . It was announced in February that the Kings had traded Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks for Tyronn Lue , Anthony Johnson , Shelden Williams , Lorenzen Wright and a 2nd round draft pick . The move was presumably made to clear cap space . Bibby had been the last player from the Kings team that reached the Western Conference Finals in 2002 . The Kings improved by five games and finished the 2007–08 season 38–44 , and missed the playoffs by a bigger margin ( 12 games ) than the previous season ( 8 games ) . They went 26–15 at home and 12–29 on the road . After selling out every home game since 1999 , the 2007–08 season sold out only three games at ARCO Arena with attendance averaging 13,500 fans per home game , almost 4,000 below capacity . Following a quiet 2008 off-season , it was confirmed on July 29 , 2008 , that the Kings would trade Artest and the rights to Patrick Ewing Jr . and Sean Singletary to the Houston Rockets in exchange for former King Bobby Jackson , Donté Greene , a future first-round draft pick , and cash considerations for Rashad McCants and center Calvin Booth . Reggie Theus was fired in the middle of the 2008–09 season , giving way to Kenny Natt as the interim head coach . The Kings continued to struggle under Natt , ending up with the NBAs worst record for the 2008–09 season at 17–65 . On April 23 , 2009 , Kings Vice President Geoff Petrie announced the firing of Natt and his four assistants , Rex Kalamian , Jason Hamm , Randy Brown and Bubba Burrage . 2009–2012 : Here we Rise period . Despite having the best odds to win the top overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft , the Kings obtained the 4th overall pick , the lowest they could possibly pick , to the outrage of many fans . Along with new head coach Paul Westphal , they selected Tyreke Evans . With the 23rd pick , they selected Omri Casspi from Israel . On April 27 , 2010 , Evans was the first Sacramento-era player to receive the NBA Rookie of the Year Award . Evans also became the 4th player in NBA history , joining Oscar Robertson , Michael Jordan , and LeBron James , to average 20 points , 5 rebounds , and 5 assists per game as a rookie . On June 24 , 2010 , the Kings selected DeMarcus Cousins with the 5th pick of the 2010 NBA draft . They also selected Hassan Whiteside , with the 33rd pick of the 2010 NBA draft . Despite the excellent play of Cousins and Evans , both of whom were front-runners in Rookie of the Year voting and received All-Rookie First Team honors , the Kings still ranked near the bottom of the NBA , going 25–57 in Evans rookie year , and 24–58 in Cousins rookie year . Much of this was due to the poor fit of the roster around Evans and Cousins , and the uninspired coaching of Westphal . The 2010–11 season was marked with uncertainty towards the end of the season . Frustrated by the lack of progress towards an arena and dwindling profits from other businesses , the Maloofs sought an immediate relocation of the franchise to Anaheim . The move seemed certain towards the end of the year , with Grant Napear and Jerry Reynolds emotionally signing off at the final home game vs . the Los Angeles Lakers . But after a vote by the NBA Board of Governors , the relocation effort was ended , to the glee of the fans . In the 2011 NBA draft the Kings traded for the draft rights of Jimmer Fredette in a three-team deal with the Charlotte Bobcats and the Milwaukee Bucks , with the Kings receiving John Salmons sending Beno Udrih . This move was heavily panned by fans and media ; by moving down in the draft and losing longtime starter Udrih for the unproductive Salmons , most found it difficult to find a bright spot in the deal . Westphal would shortly be fired , with Warriors assistant Keith Smart hired as his replacement . Around this time , the team took the slogan Here we rise ! for its marketing campaign . Amidst various relocation rumors and locker room tensions , the Kings had yet another unsuccessful season . One of their few bright spots was rookie Isaiah Thomas . Due to criticisms about his height ( 59 in shoes ) and playmaking ability , Thomas slipped to the 60th and final pick of the draft . Despite this , and the presence of college superstar Fredette , Thomas earned the starting spot , finishing the season with averages of 11 points and 4 assists per game and earned a selection to the NBA All-Rookie team . In the 2012 NBA draft they selected Thomas Robinson out of Kansas . Because of an unproductive rookie season by Robinson , he was traded with Francisco García and Tyler Honeycutt to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Patrick Patterson , Toney Douglas and Cole Aldrich . 2013–2015 : Franchise restructuring . On May 16 , 2013 , the Maloof family reached agreement to sell the Kings to a group led by Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur Vivek Ranadivé for a then-record NBA franchise valuation of $535 million . Ranadivé , 55 , named Raj Bhathal , 71 , founder of Tustin-based Raj Manufacturing , one of the largest swimwear companies in the nation , as one of the investors in a consortium to buy a majority stake in the Kings from the franchises longtime owners , the Maloof family , for a reported $348 million . The group fought off a rival bid that would have moved the team to Seattle after the NBAs Board of Governors rejected investor Chris Hansens bid to relocate the team . The new owners intend to keep the team in Sacramento . On May 28 , the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale , ending several years of efforts by other cities to take possession and move the Kings out of Sacramento . On May 31 , 2013 , the Kings closed escrow , finalizing the sale to the Ranadivé group at a record valuation of $534 million , beginning a new era for the franchise . Plans were already underway to move forward on an arena , as the Downtown Plaza was reportedly being sold to the Sacramento ownership group . A month later , on July 30 , Turner Construction was selected to be the builder of the arena . Once the sale had closed and ownership was transferred to Ranadivé , the Kings began making changes to the management and staff . Geoff Petrie and Keith Smart were released ; Mike Malone and Pete DAlessandro were brought in to replace them . Corliss Williamson , Brendan Malone , Chris Jent , and Dee Brown were brought in as assistant coaches . On July 10 , NBA executive Chris Granger was hired as team president . On September 23 , 2013 , Shaquille ONeal purchased a minority share of the team , jokingly dubbing the teams new organization the Shaqramento Kings . These hires coincided with several roster moves . In the 2013 NBA draft on June 27 , the Kings selected Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore , who was widely projected to go top-five , with the seventh overall pick . They also selected point guard and former McDonalds All-American Ray McCallum , Jr . from the University of Detroit with the 36th pick . One week later , on July 5 , the Kings sent former NBA Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans to the New Orleans Pelicans in a three-team deal involving Robin Lopez , Greivis Vásquez , Jeff Withey , Terrel Harris , and picks . On July 9 , the Kings traded a future second-round draft pick to the Bucks in exchange for defensive small forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute , and on July 15 , the Kings signed Carl Landry , who had played a stint with the team in its previous ownership , to a 4-year deal worth $28 million . The 2013–14 season was widely anticipated by Kings fans . Playing their first game on October 30 , against the Nuggets , the Kings won 90–88 , despite being without projected starters Landry and Mbah a Moute . They were led by a 30-point , 14 rebound performance from DeMarcus Cousins , and a putback dunk by Jason Thompson with under a minute to play which sealed the victory for the Kings . After the poor play of starting forwards John Salmons and Patrick Patterson through November , the Kings sought a change . On November 26 , newly acquired Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was traded for power forward Derrick Williams . Nearly two weeks later , on December 8 , they acquired Rudy Gay in a blockbuster seven-player deal that sent the struggling Patterson and Salmons to Toronto along with Chuck Hayes and off-season acquisition Greivis Vásquez . Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray were also sent to the Kings . The organization sought to add depth to their lineup during the 2014 off-season to complement the Kings star duo DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay . Sacramento added Darren Collison , Ryan Hollins and Ramon Sessions through free agency signings , as well as drafting Nik Stauskas prior to the start of the 2014–15 season . After an 11–13 start to the 2014–15 season , head coach Michael Malone was fired by the Sacramento Kings organization . Tyrone Corbin filled in for the Kings until Hall of Fame coach George Karl replaced him in February 2015 . On January 30 , 2015 , DeMarcus Cousins was named to replace the injured Kobe Bryant as a Western Conference All-Star in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game . Cousins selection marked the first time a Kings player earned All-Star honors since Brad Miller and Peja Stojaković represented Sacramento in 2004 . 2015–2017 : Divac as general manager , new arena . On March 3 , 2015 , the Kings announced former Sacramento center Vlade Divac as the new vice president of basketball operations . Following the end of Sacramentos 29–53 season for 2014–15 , The Kings made aggressive off-season moves in drafting Willie Cauley-Stein and acquiring Rajon Rondo , Kosta Koufos , Marco Belinelli , and Caron Butler in preparation for the 2015–16 season . To free up cap space , Divac traded Nik Stauskas , Carl Landry , Jason Thompson , a future top 10 protected first-round pick , and the right to swap two future first-round picks to the Philadelphia 76ers for the rights to second-round picks Artūras Gudaitis and Luka Mitrović . While the 76ers gave up nearly nothing to acquire draft assets that would result in the selection of number 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz , the Kings remained one of the worst teams in the NBA . It was regarded by many as one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history . On April 14 , 2016 , after a 33–49 season , the Kings fired head coach George Karl . Karl compiled a record of 44-68 with the Kings . The 2016–17 season brought several changes . The Kings moved into their new arena , the Golden 1 Center . On May 9 , 2016 , the Kings hired former Memphis Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger as head coach . During the 2016 NBA draft , the Kings traded the 8th pick to the Phoenix Suns for the 13th and 28th pick in the draft , as well as the rights to Serbian guard Bogdan Bogdanović . Later in the evening , the Kings traded Marco Belinelli to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for the 22nd pick in the draft . The Kings selected four players in the 2016 NBA draft – Greek center Georgios Papagiannis with the 13th pick , Syracuse shooting guard Malachi Richardson with the 22nd pick , Kentucky forward Skal Labissiere with the 28th pick , and Oklahoma guard Isaiah Cousins with the 59th pick . In free agency , the Kings signed Anthony Tolliver , Garrett Temple , Arron Afflalo , Matt Barnes , and Ty Lawson . 2017–2020 : Rebuilding post-DeMarcus Cousins . On February 20 , 2017 , the Kings traded DeMarcus Cousins , alongside Omri Casspi to the New Orleans Pelicans for Tyreke Evans , Buddy Hield , Langston Galloway and two future draft picks . The Kings finished the 2016–17 season with a 32–50 record . In the 2017 NBA draft the team selected Kentucky point guard DeAaron Fox with the fifth pick . They also selected North Carolina forward Justin Jackson with the 15th pick , Duke center Harry Giles with the 20th pick,and Kansas point guard Frank Mason III with the 34th pick . With four rookie pickups , Divac wanted to add veteran presences on the roster . On July 10 , 2017 , the team signed three veterans – Vince Carter , Zach Randolph , and George Hill . The team finished the 2017–18 season with a 27–55 record , placing 12th in the Western Conference . Giles sat out the entire season due to a leg injury despite previous reports that he would make his rookie debut in January . Hill was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers . Greek center Papagiannis , who was selected in the first round of the 2016 draft , averaged only 2.1 points in the 16 games played . During the 2018 NBA draft , the Kings selected Duke center Marvin Bagley III . The team was criticized following the draft for not selecting Luka Dončić , while Divac would go on to say he was confident in Bagley . Prior to the 2018–19 season , multiple analysts picked Sacramento to finish last in the Western Conference , calling their recent draft a missed opportunity to build and their lack of a veteran presence to offset their rookie lineup . The Kings lost to the Utah Jazz 123–117 in their season opener on October 17 , 2018 . Despite starting the season 1–3 , including a loss to the Pelicans in which they gave up 149 points , the team would go onto win their next five games to hold a winning record . By December 30 , the team held a 19–16 record . Ultimately , the Kings finished the season in ninth place in the Western Conference posting a record of 39–43 ; they again missed the playoffs . However , this was the team’s best regular-season record since their last playoff appearance in the 2005–06 season . In spite of this , head coach Joerger was fired after the conclusion of the season , and Luke Walton was hired as his replacement three days later . Earlier in the season , the Kings were rocked by the discovery that their former chief revenue officer , Jeff David , had embezzled $13.4 million in sponsorship payments from the Kings and their corporate partners over four years . David , who had taken a similar position with the Miami Heat , pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft and was sentenced to seven years in federal prison . Following the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season , the Kings were one of the 22 teams invited to the NBA Bubble to participate in the final 8 games of the regular season . However , Sacramento finished these games with a 3-5 record , missing the play-in game and extending their playoff drought for the 14th consecutive season . 2020–present : The Monte McNair era . On August 14 , 2020 , the Sacramento Kings announced that general manager Vlade Divac would resign from his position . Joe Dumars , a former player and executive for the Detroit Pistons , would be named interim Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations ; Dumars had joined the Kings as a special advisor in June of the previous year . Following a month-long search , the Sacramento Kings announced on September 17 , 2020 , that Houston Rockets executive Monte McNair would be hired as the franchises new general manager . With the Rockets , McNair spent thirteen years working under Daryl Morey , serving in various roles ; he was most recently named assistant general manager in 2018 . Following this hire , interim executive Joe Dumars was named as the chief strategy officer of the organization . Other candidates for the position included Minnesota Timberwolves executive vice president Sachin Gupta , Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth , and former Atlanta Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox . McNair announced three additional hires on October 14 , 2020 ; these included the aforementioned Wes Wilcox who became an assistant GM , former Philadelphia 76ers scouting director Phil Jabour as vice president of player personnel , and Oklahoma City Blue executive Paul Johnson as director of basketball operations . Team logo , uniform and colors . Rochester Royals . The initial Rochester Royals logo featured a blue and white shield with the word ROCHESTER on the top , with a white banner with the word ROYALS on it . From the beginning , the road uniforms were blue with the city name written in front , while home uniforms were white with the team name written in front . Red accents were added later in their Rochester tenure . Cincinnati Royals . Upon moving to Cincinnati in 1957 , the team logo became a basketball with a cartoon face . The basketball was depicted as wearing a crown with the city of Cincinnati within it . The word CINCINNATI was featured above the logo while the word ROYALS was below . The crown also had the team name on it . This logo was white with blue outlines . The uniforms remained blue on the road and white at home , again with red accents and the city/team name designation on the respective uniforms . In the late 1960s the Royals wore a uniform with the team name written vertically on the left side , with the number on the right . In 1971 , the team adopted a red crown with a blue half-basketball below it . The word CINCINNATI , in blue , was placed above the logo . The word ROYALS , in white , was placed on the crown . The logo change also reflected on the uniforms , now featuring a script Royals in front with red numbers . However , blue names and numbers at home , and white names and numbers on the road were written at the back of the uniform , with the unusual arrangement of the number above the name being used for the first time ( normally , the players name is shown above the back number ) . Kansas City–Omaha/Kansas City Kings . For the 1972–73 season , the renamed and relocated Kansas City-Omaha Kings kept their uniforms and logos , with the exception of the name change . After settling in Kansas City for good in 1975 , the Kings changed their road uniforms back to reading the city name in front . Beginning with the 1981–82 season , the road uniforms reverted to the team name in front , while numbers in front took on the same color schemes as the numbers in the back . Sacramento Kings . Following their move from Kansas City in 1985 the Kings still used the same color scheme of red , white and blue . The logo of a crown atop a bottom half of the basketball was also carried over . However , the shades of blue used on their home and road uniforms were different for five seasons . The home uniforms use royal blue , while the road uniforms use powder blue . The striping patterns were also different between the two uniforms , with the script Kings wordmark on the sides of the road shorts , and basic side stripes on the home uniforms . Carrying over from Kansas City was the unusual placement of player names at the bottom of the number at the front of the uniforms . The uniforms changed slightly in 1990 , with royal blue now used on the road ; the shorts now incorporate the Kings logo , and the name and number on the back switched places to the standard positions of the name being on the top , then the players number below it . The player names were now in a standard monotone serif font which was used by several NBA teams . This version would mark the last time the classic script Kings wordmark was used until 2005 . Change to purple and black . In 1994 , the Kings radically changed their look , adopting a new color scheme of purple , silver , black and white . The uniform set consists of one wide side stripe running through the right leg of the shorts , with the primary Kings logo prominently featured . The home uniform is in white , while the road uniform is in black ( by later coincidence , the NHLs Los Angeles Kings would use that exact color scheme ) . From 1994 to 1997 , a half-purple , half-black uniform , featuring checkerboard side panels , was used as an alternate uniform , which was panned by fans . However , the uniform was revived for the 2012–13 season during Hardwood Classics Nights . A new purple uniform , which shares the same template from the home and road uniforms , was introduced in the 1997–98 season . Before the start of the 2002–03 NBA season , the Kings changed their uniforms once again . This set included a modernized version of the Kings script on the home jersey , and the city name on the purple road jersey . The side stripes now run through the uniform . In the 2005–06 season they introduced a gold alternate uniform , featuring the classic script Kings wordmark . However , this alternate lasted only two seasons . In 2008 , the team introduced a new style of uniforms , with the names switching designations with a modernized Kings script on the road jersey in black text , and Sacramento on the home jersey still in white text . In doing this , the Kings became unique ; most professional franchises place the team nickname on the home jerseys and the city name on the road jerseys . The numbers are black on both uniforms . The side panels were revamped , now only featured on the shorts and at the top half of the uniform . Before the 2011–12 season a black alternate uniform was introduced , sharing the same template as the home and road uniforms , but with the classic script Kings wordmark and silver numbers . For the 2014–15 season , the Kings made a few tweaks to their home and away uniforms . While the team kept the 2008-era template , they brought back the 1994–2002 Kings script from the primary logo on both uniforms , along with purple ( home ) and white ( away ) numbers . The black alternate uniform was kept without any alterations . In addition , the crown logo at the back was replaced by the NBA logo , while a gold tab above it represents the franchises 1951 NBA championship . For the 2016–17 season , the Kings are changing their brand once more , adopting a logo reminiscent of their 1971–1994 design and dispatched black from their logo while keeping the purple and silver . The Kings unveiled their new uniforms on June 15 , 2016 , featuring four designs . Both the home white and purple away uniforms feature a modernized Kings script , an updated crown on top , and gray side stripes . The so-called City uniforms are similar to the away uniforms , except that the abbreviation SAC in gray appears in front . The black Global uniforms substitute the crown for a standing lion crest on top , along with a solid gray side stripe on the right and the primary logo on the left leg . All uniforms feature a baby blue collar , stitches , and tab that says Sacramento Proud , a nod to the franchises first few seasons in Sacramento . Beginning with the 2017–18 season , the jerseys will be sponsored by Blue Diamond Growers . As part of the switch to Nike as the NBAs uniform provider , the home and away uniform designations were abolished . The Kings kept their uniforms mostly intact , but the erstwhile primary purple uniforms were retired in favor of the City alternate purple uniforms . The Kings primary uniform set now consists of the white Association uniforms , the purple Icon uniforms and the black Statement uniforms . City special edition uniforms . Nike also released a special edition City uniform that pays tribute to both local culture and team heritage . Sacramentos 2017–18 City uniforms feature a white and powder blue base with red trim , echoing the road uniform colors the team wore from 1985 to 1990 . A recolored lion head logo in red and gray is also emblazoned in front . For the 2018–19 season , the Kings tweaked the City uniforms , replacing the lion head logo with the wordmark Sactown . The same uniform design was carried over for the 2019–20 season , but with red as the base color and powder blue as the trim color . The Sactown theme was retained for the 2020–21 City uniform , but with four design cues taken from prior uniforms . The black base paid homage to the 1994–2002 black uniforms . The checkerboard patterns were taken from their 1994–1997 purple/black alternate uniforms . The powder blue and red trim of the 1985–1990 road uniforms and of previous City uniforms were carried over to this design . Classic uniforms . During the 2002–03 season , the Kings brought back the 1960s Cincinnati Royals white uniform for a few games as a tribute to Oscar Robertson . The following season , they wore the mid-1970s Kansas City Kings white uniform for select games to honor Nate Archibald . The Kings mid-1980s powder blue jerseys were first brought back in the 2004–05 season to celebrate the franchises 20th season in Sacramento . They would return in 2015–16 for the teams final season at Sleep Train Arena , and the following season upon moving to Golden 1 Center . During the 2010–11 season , the Kings honored the 1950–51 Rochester Royals championship team by wearing throwback uniforms from that era . The team also wore blue versions of the Rochester throwbacks in the 2014–15 season . For the 2019–20 season , the Kings will bring back their blue uniforms worn from 1990 to 1994 in commemoration of the franchises 35th season in Sacramento . Mascot . Since the 1997–98 season , the official Kings mascot has been Slamson the Lion . Prior to that , the Kings mascot was The Gorilla . Season-by-season record . List of the last five seasons completed by the Kings . For the full season-by-season history , see List of Sacramento Kings seasons . Note : GP = Games played , W = Wins , L = Losses , W–L% = Winning percentage Home arenas . - Edgerton Park Arena ( 1949–1954 ) - Rochester War Memorial ( 1955–1957 ) - Cincinnati Gardens ( 1957–1972 ) - Omaha Civic Auditorium ( 1972–1978 ) - Kansas City Municipal Auditorium ( 1972–1974 ) & ( 1979-1980 ) - Kemper Arena ( 1974–1985 ) - ARCO Arena I ( 1985–1988 ) - Sleep Train Arena ( formerly ARCO Arena II/Power Balance Pavilion ) ( 1988–2016 ) - Golden 1 Center ( 2016–present ) Rivalries . Prior to moving to Ohio , the Royals biggest rival was the Syracuse Nationals , which went on to become the Philadelphia 76ers . This left upstate New York without a team until the Buffalo Braves were established in 1970 . This third attempt did not last , with the Braves moving to San Diego , California in 1978 to become the San Diego Clippers . In 1970 , the Cleveland Cavaliers were established . This brought a new rival for the Royals , as well as a new team in Ohio . This rivalry did not last , and the Royals moved to Kansas City only a few years later . Although the NBA previously had a team in St . Louis , Missouri in the form of the St . Louis Hawks , that team moved to Atlanta in 1968 , thus preventing a potential new rivalry for the Kings . This made the Kings the first team in the state in four years . 13 years later , the Kings moved to California , leaving Missouri without a team . Players . Retained draft rights . The Kings hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA . A drafted player , either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him , is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams . In this case , the team retains the players draft rights in the NBA until one year after the players contract with the non-NBA team ends . This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams . Retired numbers . All of the Kings retired numbers are hanging in the rafters of the Golden 1 Center . Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers . Notes : - In total , Robertson was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as player and as a member of the 1960 Olympic team . - In total , Lucas was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as player and as a member of the 1960 Olympic team . - Inducted as contributor for being the first African American to manage a team in the NBA . He also played for the team in 1958–1966 . - Also played for the team ( 1975 ) . - In total , Russell was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as a player and as coach .