On this day in 1985, the Kings played their first game in Sacramento, opening their inaugural season in California’s capitol city with a 108-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers before a sellout crowd of 10,333 at Arco Arena.
The game was a black-tie affair with many wearing tuxedos and evening gowns to mark the occasion as the city celebrated the team’s arrival from Kansas City.
Players, coaches, executives and ownership groups have come and gone, but the team remains despite a lengthy and emotional relocation saga that nearly resulted in a move to Seattle. Instead, the “Here We Stay” movement kept the Kings in Sacramento, paving the way for the construction of Golden 1 Center and a new lease on life for NBA basketball in this region.
On the 40th anniversary of the team’s first home game in Sacramento, we unveil The All-Sacramento Kings Team, broken down by position with First Team, Second Team and Third Team selections.
FIRST TEAM
Point guard: De’Aaron Fox
Fox spent nearly eight seasons in Sacramento after coming out of Kentucky as the No. 5 pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He was named an All-Star and an All-NBA Third Team selection while leading the Kings to their first playoff appearance in 2023, ending the longest payoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons.
Fox averaged 21.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 514 games for the Kings. He averaged a career-high 7.3 assists in 2018-19 and a career-high 26.6 points in 2023-24. He is No. 1 in the Sacramento era in assists (3,146) and steals (731). He is No. 2 in points (11,064).
Shooting guard: Mitch Richmond
Richmond starred with the Run TMC Warriors before coming to Sacramento in the 1991 trade that sent Billy Owens to Golden State. He made six All-Star appearances and earned All-NBA honors five times in seven seasons with the Kings.
Richmond played 517 games for the Kings, averaging 23.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 45.3% from the field and 40.4% from 3-point range. He is No. 1 in the Sacramento era and No. 3 in franchise history in points (12,070). Richmond is a Hall of Famer who won a gold medal with Team USA in 1996 and an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002.
Small forward: Peja Stojakovic
Sacramento selected Stojakovic with the 14th pick in the 1996 NBA draft, but he didn’t come to the NBA until 1998. He helped the Kings reach the playoffs seven times before being traded to the Indiana Pacers in the January 2006 trade that brought Metta Sandiford-Artest to Sacramento.
Stojakovic was a three-time All-Star and a 2004 All-NBA Second Team selection who won back-to-back 3-point contests in 2002 and 2003. He averaged 18.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in 518 games for the Kings. He ranks No. 4 in the Sacramento era in points (9,498).
Power forward: Chris Webber
Widely regarded as the king of Kings, Webber led the Kings to the height of their success under coach Rick Adelman after coming to Sacramento in the May 1998 trade that sent Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe to the Washington Wizards. Webber started all 377 games he played over seven seasons in Sacramento, averaging 23.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks.
During his years with the Kings, Webber made four All-Star appearances, earned five All-NBA selections and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting five times. The Kings were on the cusp of an NBA championship before losing to the Lakers in the controversial 2002 Western Conference finals. Webber is No. 5 in the Sacramento era in points (8,843), No. 3 in rebounds (4,006) and No. 7 in assists (1,791).
Center: Domantas Sabonis
Sabonis has already established himself as one of the best players in franchise history after coming to Sacramento in the February 2022 trade that sent Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers.
Sabonis averaged 19.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists to help the Kings end their 16-year playoff drought in 2022-23. He is a three-time All-Star who earned All-NBA Third Team selections with the Kings in 2023 and 2024. He led the league in rebounding and double-doubles each of the past three seasons and is widely regarded as one of the best passing big men in the history of the game.
SECOND TEAM
Point guard: Mike Bibby
Bibby helped the Kings turn a playoff team into a championship contender when he came to Sacramento in the June 2001 trade that sent Jason Williams and Nick Anderson to the Vancouver Grizzlies. The Kings won an NBA-best 61 games and reached the Western Conference finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in an epic seven-game series in 2001-02.
Bibby played 476 games over seven seasons in Sacramento, averaging 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals. He is No. 3 in the Sacramento era in assists (2,580) and No. 6 in points (8,384).
Shooting guard: Doug Christie
Christie, who now coaches the Kings, came to Sacramento in an August 2000 trade that sent Corliss Williamson to the Toronto Raptors. He spent five seasons with the Kings, starting all 355 games he played for Sacramento.
During his time with the Kings, Christie finished in the top five in Defensive Player of the Year voting twice and earned four NBA-All Defensive Team selections. He averaged 10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals for Sacramento.
Small forward: Metta Sandiford-Artest
Previously known as Ron Artest and Metta World Peace, Sandiford-Artest came to Sacramento in the January 2006 trade that sent Peja Stojakovic to Indiana. He made good on his promise to get the Kings back to the playoffs for the eighth year in a row, helping them go 20-9 after starting the season with a 24-29 record.
Sandiford-Artest appeared in 167 games over three seasons in Sacramento, averaging 18.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals.
Power forward: Otis Thorpe
Thorpe came to Sacramento from Kansas City after the Kings drafted him with the No. 9 pick in the 1984 NBA draft. He spent five seasons with the Kings before being traded to the Houston Rockets, where he averaged 14.0 points and 10.6 rebounds to help Houston win the NBA championship in 1994.
Thorpe played 348 games for the Kings, averaging 15.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He averaged a career-high 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists for Sacramento in 1987-88.
Center: DeMarcus Cousins
The Kings selected Cousins out of Kentucky with the No. 5 pick in the 2010 NBA draft. He earned three of his four career All-Star appearances and two All-NBA Second Team selections during his seven seasons with Sacramento.
Cousins played 470 games for the Kings, averaging 21.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks. He averaged a career-high 27.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 2016-17 before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
THIRD TEAM
Point guard: Reggie Theus
Theus was a two-time All-Star and the best player the Kings had when they arrived in Sacramento. He spent two seasons in Kansas City and three in Sacramento.
In his first season in Sacramento, he averaged 18.3 points and 9.6 assists. In his final season with the Kings, he averaged 21.6 points and 6.3 assists. Counting his two seasons in Kansas City, Theus is No. 5 in franchise history in assists (2,809) and No. 22 in points (6,492).
Shooting guard: Kevin Martin
The Kings selected Martin out of Western Carolina with the 26th overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft. He spent six seasons with Sacramento, helping the Kings reach the playoffs four times.
Martin averaged 17.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 331 games for the Kings, shooting 44.9% from the field and 38.6% from 3-point range. He scored a career-high 50 points in an overtime loss to the Warriors in April 2009.
Small forward: Rudy Gay
Gay helped carry the Kings through some dark times after coming to Sacramento in a December 2013 trade with the Toronto Raptors.
Gay appeared in 223 games over four seasons in Sacramento. The Kings never won more than 33 games during that time, but Gay averaged 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals. Gay gets the Third Team nod over Harrison Barnes, who averaged 14.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists over six seasons with the Kings.
Power forward: Wayman Tisdale
Tisdale came out of Oklahoma as the No. 2 pick in the 1985 NBA draft. The Kings acquired him in a 1989 trade that sent Randy Wittman and LaSalle Thompson to the Pacers.
Tisdale, who died in 2009 following a two-year battle with cancer, averaged 18.4 points and 7.2 rebounds in 370 games over six seasons with the Kings. He put up a career-high 22.3 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Kings in 1989-90.
Center: Vlade Divac
Divac was a driving force in the transformation of the Kings after signing with Sacramento as a free agent in 1999. Some longtime Kings observers consider him the best center in franchise history because of the leadership he demonstrated while helping become a global phenomenon.
Divac spent six seasons with the Kings, averaging 11.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals in 454 games. Divac was one of the best passing big men of all time with exceptional court vision and playmaking ability.