NBA: All-Time starting Five of the Sacramento Kings
One of the oldest franchises in basketball, the Sacramento Kings was founded in 1923 as a semi-professional team. They started as the Rochester Seagrams before joining the NBA in 1948 as the Rochester Royals.
As the Royals, the franchise won their first and only championship in 1951 defeating the New York Knicks in seven games. The team would move to Cincinnati in 1957 with Oscar Robertson becoming their first true superstar. The triple-double machine won MVP in 1964 but he failed to lead the team to an NBA Finals appearance.
In 1972, the franchise relocated once again in Kansas City and they adopted the name Kings. After 13 seasons, they relocated one more time to Sacramento wherein they had more disappointing seasons rather than successful ones.
The Kings had their best run from 1998 to 2006 making the Western Conference Finals in 2002 where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Since 2006, the Kings have not made the postseason but nevertheless, they have produced a lot of great players over the years. Here are the Sacramento Kings’ all-time starting five.
Center – Sam Lacey
Drafted fifth overall in 1970, Sam Lacey became a consistent big man for the Cincinnati Royals. He provided the team with double-doubles almost on a nightly basis. He is also one of the best defensive players of his era. In fact, he is one of five players in NBA history to have 100 steals and 100 blocks in six straight seasons.
Lacey was a one-time All-Star and he played 11 seasons with the franchise. He helped the team make the playoffs four times alongside Oscar Robertson. Lacey ranks fifth in the Kings’ all-time scoring list, third in assists, and first in rebounds, steals, and blocks. For his accomplishment with the franchise, his No. 44 has been retired.
Honourable Mention: Center – DeMarcus Cousins
Although DeMarcus Cousins never helped the Kings make the postseason, he was a consistent player that never had any support from ownership. Despite that, Cousins was a three-time All-Star with the Kings. He also ranks sixth in scoring, sixth in rebounds, fourth in steals and blocks in the franchise leaderboards.