The 2005-2006 NBA season was the last time the Sacramento Kings made the playoffs. Players such as Mike Bibby, Ron Artest, Peja Stojakovic, and Kevin Martin headlined that team, but after a first round loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Kings spiraled into 16 straight losing seasons.
It all changed on Wednesday night when the Kings ended the longest playoff drought of any team in United States major professional sports and clinched a playoff spot by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers, 120-80.
Sweeping changes began on February 9th, 2022 when the Kings traded for Domantas Sabonis in a 6-player deal.
Indiana received:
Tyrese Haliburton
Buddy Hield
Tristan Thompson
Sacramento received:
Domantas Sabonis
Justin Holiday
Jeremy Lamb
2023 second-round pick
Sabonis would prove to be a great pairing with guard DeAaron Fox.
Then, the offseason began, and the Kings selected Iowa Forward Keegan Murray with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, a solid wing with a ton of scoring ability. They added Malik Monk in free agency as well as Kevin Huerter through a trade with the Hawks. The Kings also retained second-year head coach, Mike Brown, who became the second Sacramento Kings coach to reach 40 wins and won NBA Coach of the Year for the 2022-23 season.
The Kings’ culture seemed to undergo change as well as the team added a 1000 watt purple laser beam that lights up the sky of Sacramento after every win. On September 16th of 2022, also known as 916 day, the Kings introduced the world to the beam, and the rest is history. The fans loved it and the phrase “Light the beam!” was coined. This addition brought fans together, building a community unseen for more than a decade in Sacramento.
It seemed like the Kings had the perfect recipe and all they had to do was execute it…and they did just that.
They are currently third in the Western Conference with a record of 46-30. If the playoffs started today the Kings would have home court advantage over the sixth seeded Warriors, a tough matchup, but none too tall for this squad.
The sky’s the limit for this Kings team and they will definitely be one of the more entertaining teams to watch throughout the playoffs. Don’t be surprised if they make a deep run and compete for a spot in the NBA Finals.
