The Kings organization has been around for quite a long time. They began as the Rochester Royals back in 1945 when the NBA was still in its fledgling stages and called the NBL. The franchise then relocated to Cincinnati in 1957 and stayed there for 15 seasons until 1972 rolled around. The Royals relocated once again to Kansas City and were renamed the Kings. They existed in Kansas City up until 1985, when the franchise moved one more time, this time to Sacramento, where it remains to this day.
Over the long history of the Sacramento Kings franchise, it hasn't accomplished a whole lot in terms of titles. The Kings have won just two titles in franchise history, in the years 1946 and 1951, and they won their first title when the NBA was still called the NBL.
Despite the Kings' unspectacular accomplishments as a franchise, they have been fortunate enough to have some of the best players ever to play in the NBA on their rosters over the years, such as Oscar Robertson, Chris Webber, and Mitch Richmond, just to name a few.
With all of that being said, let's rank the top 10 greatest players ever to don a Kings jersey in the history of the franchise.
10. Kevin Martin
One of the best three-point shooters ever to wear a Kings jersey, Martin spent the first six seasons of his NBA career with Sacramento from 2004-05 to 2009-10. He averaged 17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 38.6% from behind the three-point arc across 331 total regular season games played with the franchise (245 starts). Martin's best statistical season with the Kings came in 2008-09 when he averaged a career-high 24.6 points and shot 41.5% from deep on 5.4 attempts per game, an impressive combination of usage rate and accuracy. Puzzlingly, though, Martin didn't make the All-Star team that year or any of his years with the Kings.
9. Mike Bibby
Bibby was a member of the Kings franchise for half of his 14-year playing career in the NBA. Bibby provided borderline elite scoring and playmaking during his stint with Sacramento, as he averaged 15.4 points and 5.4 assists per contest across 476 regular season games with the franchise. The floor general was also an underrated defender at the point guard position, considering he averaged 1.2 steals per game as a King during the regular season. And he was an invaluable piece of that 2002 Kings team that reached Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers — he scored 22.7 points and dished out 4.4 assists per game during that seven-game series.
8. Vlade Divac
Arguably one of the best passing big men in NBA history, Divac spent six seasons with the Kings from 1998-99 to 2003-04. He earned one All-Star appearance as a King and averaged 11.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game in 454 career regular season games with Sacramento. Divac's skillset was ahead of his time, considering how he was able to stuff the stat sheet and do a little bit of everything on the court. His best season as a King was during the 2000-01 season when he averaged 12.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per contest and earned the only All-Star appearance of his pro career.
7. Peja Stojakovic
Stojakovic might just be the greatest pure shooter in the history of the Kings franchise. He averaged 18.3 points on 39.8% shooting from behind the three-point arc across his eight seasons with the Kings. What's just as impressive as his three-point percentage was his usage rate, as he attempted an average of 5.2 threes per game across 518 career regular season games with Sacramento, a very high number for the time as teams didn't let it fly from deep early and often like they do today. Stojakovic earned back-to-back-to-back All-Star appearances as a member of the Kings, as he made the team in 2001-02, 2002-03, and 2003-04.
6. De'Aaron Fox
The only current Sacramento Kings player on this list, De'Aaron Fox has been in the NBA for just six years, yet he's already established himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise. He's fresh off the best season of his career, as he made the first All-Star appearance of his career and averaged 25.0 points, 6.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game across 73 appearances during the 2022-23 regular season (all starts). And Fox played at an even higher level during Sacramento's first-round series against the Golden State Warriors — he scored 27.7 points and dished out 7.7 assists per contest during the seven-game series.
5. DeMarcus Cousins
Arguably the most talented big man ever to don a Sacramento Kings jersey, Cousins put up huge numbers during his seven seasons with the Kings from 2010-11 to 2016-17. He averaged 21.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game in 470 career regular-season appearances with Sacramento and made the All-Star team three times. But while Cousins accomplished a lot individually with the Kings, his teams didn't have a lot of success. The Kings never made the playoffs with Cousins on the roster and never won more than 33 games during the regular season.
4. Nate Archibald
The second-best point guard in Kings history, Archibald spent six years of his NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City Kings. He earned three All-Star appearances during his stint with the team and averaged 25.2 points, 8.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game across 433 career regular-season games with the franchise. Archibald's best season as a King/Royal was, without a doubt, the 1972-73 campaign, as he led the entire league in minutes (46.0), points (34.0), and assists (11.4) per game.
3. Mitch Richmond
Richmond should be remembered as the best scorer in Sacramento Kings history. He was a scoring machine from both outside and inside the three-point arc during his seven seasons with the Kings, as he averaged 23.3 points per game and shot 45.3% from the field and 40.4% from behind the three-point arc in 517 regular season games with the squad. Richmond earned six All-Star appearances as a King and even won the All-Star MVP award in 1994-95 after dropping a game-high 22 points.
2. Jerry Lucas
Before he helped the New York Knicks win an NBA title in 1973, Lucas was a superstar-caliber player with the Cincinnati Royals. Lucas spent seven seasons of his pro career with the Royals and averaged 19.6 points and 19.1 rebounds per game across 465 total regular season games with the franchise. During his time with the Royals, Lucas was named to the All-Star team six times, won the Rookie of the Year award in 1963-64, and won the All-Star Game MVP in 1964-65. Lucas' best season came during 1965-66 when he averaged 21.5 points and 21.1 rebounds per game and played 79 games.
1. Oscar Robertson
Robertson is the best player ever to play for the Sacramento Kings franchise, and it's not close, either. He's not only the greatest King ever, but he's also one of the greatest players ever to play the game. Robertson spent 10 of his 14 seasons in the NBA with the Cincinnati Royals, and he accomplished so much during his time with the team. He led the league in assists per game a whopping seven times as a Royal, led the league in free-throw percentage twice, led the league in points per game once, and led the league in minutes per game once.
Robertson's ability to rack up points, rebounds, and assists was unparalleled by any other player in the league at the time. Arguably Robertson's best season as a Royal was in the 1961-62 campaign — just his second year in the NBA — as he averaged a triple-double of 30.8 points, 11.4 assists, and 12.5 rebounds per game in 79 games played that season.
After his incredibly successful stint with the Royals, Robertson spent the last four seasons of his pro career with the Milwaukee Bucks and won a championship with the team in 1971.
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