Sacramento Kings: “Sac-Town” Mount Rushmore
With the offseason that the Sacramento had, let’s take a look at who lands on the Kings’ Mount Rushmore.
The Sacramento Kings have been in quite a rut these past few years. Currently, they have the second longest playoff drought of any team (2006). With ten seasons without making the playoffs, there is a concern for the team’s future. After a spell of questioning whether the Kings would even stay in Sacramento, they moved into a new stadium in at the start of last season.
Now the Kings are looking to rebound from this stint of losing. After trading away their biggest cornerstone piece of this decade, DeMarcus Cousins, a new era may emerge in Sac-Town. That’s all well and good, but let’s look back at this team’s storied history.
While the Kings have only won one title in their history, there are tons of memorable faces that have played for the franchise. From the team’s birth in the 1920s to the Robertson’s Royals of the 1960s to Richmond to Webber, the Kings have had some serious stars on their roster. The Kings are one of those teams that have had tons of talent, but could never put it together and win a title.
Nevertheless, many All-Star caliber players have worn purple and black. From the likes of Spud Webb, Mike Bibby, and Vlade Divac, the Kings have had some legit talent. Throw in guys like Ron Artest (Metta World Peace), Jason Williams, Kevin Martin, and DeMarcus Cousins, and you have yourself a potential All-Star team’s worth of talent.
But we’re not here to talk about an All-Star team, per say. We’re talking about a Mount Rushmore. To me, these four players truly personify what it means to be a Sacramento King. As we look back, let’s remember what made these four players truly great.
Oscar Robertson: The Big O (1960–1970)
Okay, we’re starting this one off with a bang. If you want a stat-stuffer, it’s the Big O. As the first player to ever average a triple double, Robertson took the NBA by storm. With the season that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook had, it’s only fair to mention Oscar Roberton as the OG of the triple double.
While he technically didn’t play for the Kings, Robertson is an important part of their history. As a member of the Cincinnati Royals, the Big O simply dominated. Over his tenure with Cincy, he made ten All-Star appearances and won Rookie of the Year (1961) and Most Valuable Player (1964). On top of that, he was the scoring champ in 1968.
He was an integral piece to the Royals’ success. While they never won an NBA championship, Robertson always had them in the hunt. They made the playoffs in six of the ten seasons he played there. While they never made it past the semi-finals, this is still an impressive achievement.
Clearly, Robertson is the best guard in the franchise’s history. During his stint in Cincy, the Big O averaged 29.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game. No player has come close to averaging numbers like that over his career. It goes without saying why Oscar Robertson earned a spot on this list.
Mitch Richmond: Could Have Been More (1991–1998)
Next, we have arguably the most dominant King of the modern era: Mitch Richmond. While he did not start his career in Sacramento, Richmond’s body of work shows why he’s on this list. After spending his first three seasons with the Golden State Warriors, he was traded to the Kings in exchange for Billy Owens.
With Mitch Richmond’s arrival, Kings fans had a sense of hope. He graced the court with a sense of professionalism and dominance that Kings fans were looking for. Over his tenure in Sacramento, Richmond averaged 23.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He was the best player on that team by a huge margin.
During his seven-year run with the Kings, Mitch Richmond clocked in at 50.4 win shares. While the team itself wasn’t great, it highlights how important he was to that team. The real issue for the Kings in the 1990’s was a lack of star power beyond Rock. Sure, they had the likes of Spud Webb and Kurt Rambis, but neither was around long enough to make a serious impact. As a result, it was Richmond and crew for a while.
Now, the Kings only made the playoffs once with Richmond. This is surprising in and of itself considering how hard he balled. However, even with that in mind, it’s important to note that in three of those six seasons, the Kings were the ninth seed. Interestingly enough, while the Kings didn’t make the playoffs, they were still competitive. Clearly, Mitch Richmond deserves some props here.
Finally, Richmond’s greatest paid off for the Kings in a different way. In 1998, the Kings made a deal with the Washington Wizards in exchange for Chris Webber. C-Webb has his own spot on this list so I won’t get into much detail yet. Basically, Mitch Richmond’s talent helped the Kings build for a future playoff run. Without Rock, the Kings of the 1990s would have been unwatchable. At the very least, he made them entertaining.
Peja Stojakovic: The Croatian Sensation (1998–2006)
The third spot on this list goes to my personal favorite Sacramento King: Peja Stojakovic. Here’s a quick rundown of his accolades: three NBA All-Star appearances and an All-NBA Second Team award. At the start of his career, most didn’t expect much out of him.
Peja spent his first two seasons on the bench behind Corliss Williamson. Williamson would ultimately be traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Doug Christie. Once his third year came around, Stojakovic was a full-time starter.
It should be noted that during this period between 1999 and 2006, the Kings hired Rick Adelman as their head coach. Adelman endorsed the Princeton offense. This style of play depended heavily on speedy ball movement, among other things. The real issue lay in poor transition defense, but nevertheless, the Kings were fun to watch on offense. Peja excelled in this environment, to say the least.
With that came the genesis of his stardom in Sac-Town.
In his first year as a rotational mainstay, Peja averaged 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. On top of that, he shot 38.2 percent from three point range. That was his bread and butter. At 6-foot-9, the fact that Peja was such a prolific shooter made him an anomaly in the NBA. He was one of the original European threes who could play the stretch four position. It made him even more valuable to the Kings.
In addition, you had guys like Mike Bibby, Bobby Jackson, and Vlade Divac who could distribute the ball. The key was for guys like Doug Christie, Chris Webber, and Peja Stojakovic to get open. At the clip that Peja could shoot, he did just that and then some.
That offensive ability would be even more valuable in the playoffs.
Come playoff time, the Kings proved to be a very crafty team. They began to have a bit of a feud with the Los Angeles Lakers. This feud culminated in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Specifically, in game 7 of that series.
Peja played an important role for the Kings in the playoffs that year. They finished first in the West for the first time since becoming the Kings. The Sac-Town hype train was at capacity, and it was beginning to look like this was their year. Then, they went up against the Lakers. Once game 7 came around, the Kings were outgunned and outmatched.
Peja didn’t show up the way he normally did, going three of twelve from the field and going zero of six from three. It was one of his worst outings of his career. But, nevertheless, he still earned himself a spot on this list, as he was one of the most vital components to that early 2000s run. He fit perfectly in Adelman’s scheme and broke out as a high-caliber player.
Chris Webber: Caught in C’s Webb (1998–2005)
Finally, we have the most important player of this era: Chris Webber. This spot could’ve very easily gone to Vlade Divac, but I feel as though Webber played an even more important role for Sacramento. He was arguably the most important piece to their success in the early 2000s.
Chris Webber bounced around quite a bit at the start of his career. After being selected first overall in the 1993 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Penny Hardaway and multiple first round picks. The next season, Webber got dealt again! This time, he was sent to the Washington Bullets/Wizards in a deal involving Tom Gugliotta and first rounders. Three years later, he ended up in Sacramento in exchange for Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe.
At the time, the Wizards were looking to make the big jump into relevance. While Webber played well in his four seasons with DC, they only made the playoffs once during that span. As a result, a move had to be made.
That move helped solidify Chris Webber as a legit star.
Webber came into the Sacramento Kings organization with tons of other pieces. The 1998 offseason was one of the most vital offseasons for Sac-Town. I’ve already mentioned how the Kings brought in the likes of Doug, Peja, J-Will, and Vlade, so the details really don’t matter. The point lies in how the Kings were finally building a serious contender, not a pretender.
Oh, they weren’t pretending.
Chris Webber’s tenure in Sacramento may have been the best time span of his career. Over seven seasons, Webber averaged 23.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He earned four All-Star and five All-NBA nods during that stretch. C-Webb was truly one of the most polarizing figures in the league at the time.
Okay, now back to the playoffs. Webber may have been the most important player for the Kings during those playoff runs. While guys like Peja and Mike Bibby got theirs on occasion, Webber was the anchor. He and Divac up front presented a quicker, craftier pairing that most teams just couldn’t handle.
That said, let’s go back to that Lakers series. Of those that needed to show up in that series, Webber may have been the most important. In that series, he put up monstrous numbers. He averaged 20.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in those seven games. At the end of the day, the Lakers just had more star power. Now, some say that Game 6 was rigged due to poor officiating, but that’s neither here nor there.
Either way, Chris Webber was probably the greatest King of the modern era. While some may give the nod to Mitch Richmond, Webber was able to get the Kings into a deep playoff run. He, Peja, Vlade, Bib, and Doug all deserve some credit for this team’s fairly decent run. They were certainly a fun team to watch.
At the heart of it all, there was Chris Webber. While C-Webb did not finish his career in Sacramento, Kings fans adored him. His grit, toughness, and overall skill made fans love him. For the first time in a long time, Kings basketball drew a crowd. People cared. The fans had something to cheer for.
At the end of the day, you can say whatever you want about Chris Webber. You can bring up the legal trouble or the infamous timeout in the NCAA tournament. However, as a King, Webber was nothing short of dominant. The early 2000s Sacramento Kings truly could’ve been more than they were. If they hit their free throws, who knows. They might have been NBA champions. But while they might not have won the Larry O’Brien Trophy, they won the hearts of Kings fans and basketball fans alike. That would not have been possible without C-Webb. And for that reason, Chris Webber makes this list.
