Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are an NBA basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They were founded in 1945 in Rochester, New York as the Rochester Royals. In 1957, they moved to Cincinatti and adopted the name Cincinnati Royals. Finally, in 1972, they moved to Sacramento and adopted their current name of Sacramento Kings.

Early years in Rochester

The Rochester Royals were one of the founding teams of the NBA in 1946. In their first season, they finished second in their division and made it to the NBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Philadelphia Warriors. In 1950, the Royals won their first division title and again reached the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Minneapolis Lakers.

In 1954, the Royals acquired future Hall of Famer Maurice Stokes. However, his career was cut short after suffering a head injury during a game in the 1955-56 season. Despite this blow, the Royals managed to win their second division title in 1956.

Relocation to Cincinnati

In 1957, the Royals moved to Cincinnati and adopted the name Cincinnati Royals. In their first season in Cincinnati, they managed to win their third division title and again reach the NBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Boston Celtics.

During the 1960s, the Cincinnati Royals had a competitive team led by forward Oscar Robertson, who won the NBA MVP in 1964. However, they failed to advance beyond the conference semifinals in that decade.

Relocation to Sacramento

In 1972, the Cincinnati Royals moved to Sacramento and adopted their current name of Sacramento Kings. In their first season in Sacramento, they made the playoffs, but were eliminated in the first round.

In the 1980s, the Sacramento Kings had a competitive team led by forward and Hall of Famer Mitch Richmond. In the 1986-87 season, the Kings managed to win their first Pacific Division and reach the conference semifinals, where they were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the 1990s, the Kings continued to be competitive with players such as small forward and Hall of Famer Chris Webber and point guard Jason Williams. However, they failed to advance beyond the conference semifinals in that decade.

2000-2006: The Beginning of the Reign

In 2000, the Sacramento Kings were in a period of renewal after a mediocre 1999 season. With a young and talented team led by Chris Webber and Mike Bibby, the Kings began winning games and impressing the league. In the 2000-2001 season, the Kings reached the Western Conference Finals where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven thrilling games.

Despite this loss, the Kings continued to be a dominant team in the 2001-2002 season and again reached the Western Conference Finals where they faced the Lakers again. This time, the Kings managed to beat the Lakers in seven games and advanced to the NBA Finals where they faced the New Jersey Nets. Although the Kings put up a good fight, they ultimately fell in six games and missed out on the championship.

Despite this disappointment, the Kings were still a strong team in the 2002-2003 season and again reached the Western Conference Finals where they faced the Dallas Mavericks. Even though the Kings came to have the upper hand in the series, they eventually fell in six games and missed out on the chance to return to the NBA Finals.

Years 2006-2013: Fall and renewal

After this series of failures in the Conference Finals, the Sacramento Kings began to have a decline in their on-court performance. The 2006-2007 season was one of the worst in team history and the Kings finished in last place in the Pacific Division.

In the following years, the Kings attempted to rebuild their team and become competitive again. However, the team continued to suffer losses and failed to advance in the playoffs. In 2013, the team's ownership changed and it was announced that the Kings would move to Seattle for the 2013-2014 season.

2014-2015: Change of ownership and coaching change.

In 2014, Vivek Ranadivé purchased the Sacramento Kings and hired George Karl as head coach. However, the season was not successful, with a 29-53 record.

2015-2016: Fighting for a playoff spot.

The 2015-2016 season began with the hiring of DeMarcus Cousins as the new head coach, but a lack of consistency in the team's performance led to his firing in December 2015. Ty Corbin took over as interim until the team hired Dave Joerger as head coach in May 2016.

Despite a rough start, the Kings managed to fight for a playoff spot, finishing the season with a 33-49 record.

2016-2017: The return of the rivalry with the Warriors.

With the addition of players like Buddy Hield and Skal Labissière, the Kings started the 2016-2017 season with optimism. However, an injury to Cousins in December 2016 and inconsistent performance led to a 32-50 record.

In addition, the rivalry with the Golden State Warriors intensified, with several tense confrontations and verbal confrontations between players from both teams.

2017-2018: Cousins trade and continuous changes in the team.

Prior to the start of the 2017-2018 season, Cousins was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a trade for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans and other players. This marked the beginning of a series of changes to the team, including the hiring of a new head coach, Dave Joerger.

The season was a difficult one for the Kings, with a 27-55 record. However, young De'Aaron Fox showed promise in his first year in the NBA.

2018-2019: Improved performance and first All-Star in 13 years.

With the addition of players like Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles, the Kings began the 2018-2019 season with renewed enthusiasm. Fox became the team's leader, leading them to a 39-43 record, their best season in 13 years.

In addition, Buddy Hield was selected to his first All-Star Game, the first Kings player to do so since 2004.

2019-2020: The COVID-19 pandemic and the drop in performance.

The 2019-2020 season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with several delays, game cancellations, and also several roster changes took place

The summer of 2019 was one of change for the Kings, who acquired NBA player Harrison Barnes and former NCAA star Buddy Hield in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans, respectively. In addition, the team signed head coach Luke Walton, who had been at the helm of the Los Angeles Lakers in the preceding seasons.

With these new players and Walton's leadership, the Kings had a solid regular season in 2019-2020, finishing with a 31-41 record and losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Utah Jazz.

2020-2021: The arrival of De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III.

The 2020-2021 season was a transition year for the Kings, who signed young point guard De'Aaron Fox and center Marvin Bagley III as part of their rebuilding project. Fox and Bagley became two of the team's most prominent players, providing offensive and defensive skills on the court.

However, the regular season was not as successful as expected, with a 27-45 record and another elimination in the first round of the playoffs, this time to the Phoenix Suns.

2021-2022: The departure of Luke Walton and the arrival of Montezl Harrell.

Coach Luke Walton was fired at the start of the 2021-2022 season, ushering in a change of direction for the team's coaching staff. The Kings hired interim coach Tyrone Corbin, who led the team to a 28-36 regular season record.

In addition, the team acquired NBA player Montezl Harrell, who became one of the team's top scorers in his first season with the Kings. However, the team lost again in the first round of the playoffs, this time to the Denver Nuggets.