The franchise began with the Rochester Seagrams (a semi-professional team) from Rochester, New York, that formed in 1923 and hosted a number of teams there over the next 20 years. They joined the National Basketball League in 1945 as the renamed Rochester Royals,[1] winning that league's championship in their first season, 1945–46. In 1948 they jumped with three other NBL teams to the Basketball Association of America, that later merged with the NBL to form the NBA. As the Royals, the team was often successful on the court, winning the NBA championship in 1951. The team, however, found it increasingly difficult to turn a profit in the comparatively small market of Rochester and relocated to Cincinnati in 1957, becoming the Cincinnati Royals.
In 1972, the team relocated again, this time to Kansas City, Missouri, and renamed the Kansas City–Omaha Kings because it initially split its home games between Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska; the nickname was changed to avoid confusion with the baseball team dubbed the Kansas City Royals. After three seasons, the team truncated to Kansas City Kings, but continued to play several home games per season in Omaha, through March 1978.[16][17][18]
The franchise again failed to find success in its market and moved after the 1984–85 season to Sacramento. Between 2006 and 2022, the Kings had 16 consecutive losing seasons, the most in NBA history.[19] The Kings also had the longest active postseason drought in the four major North American sports, which started in 2006 and lasted until 2023.
^ ab"Franchise Timeline". Kings.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
^"NBA LockerVision - Sacramento Kings - Icon Edition - Story Guide". LockerVision.NBA.com. NBA Properties, Inc. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2023. The new Icon Edition uniform for the Sacramento Kings marks a significant return to the team's iconic black primary color, reminiscent of the 1994 transition from royal blue and red to black and purple. Purple takes on a vital role as a secondary color, prominently featured in the core uniforms.
^"Color"(PDF). 2023-24 Sacramento Kings Brand Book. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Archived(PDF) from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^"Kings troubled despite changes". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 2, 1977. p. 5C. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
^"Kings win in overtime". Lawrence Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. December 5, 1977. p. 20. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
^"Gervin gets point mark". Lawrence Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. March 27, 1978. p. 17. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.