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Kansas City Kings

Frank Fleming
Author: 
Frank Fleming
7 mins
October 27th, 2023
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Kansas City Kings
  • First Game Played October 11, 1972

  • Last Game Played April 14, 1985

  • Moved to Sacramento in 1985

Historical Moments

1972/73:Under the unique arrangement of splitting games between Kansas City and Omaha the newly rechristened Kings were a ome man team. That player was Nate “Tiny” Archibald who became the first player ever to lead the NBA in scoring and assists, averaging 34.0 points and 11.4 assists per game. However it was not enough to lift the Kings out of last place in the Midwest Division with a record of 36-46.

1973/74:The Kings would get off to a terrible start winning just six of their first 25 games as Coach Bob Cousy is fired. Eventually he would be replaced by Phil Johnson who was able to the lift the Kings to within three games of .500 before losing 19 of their final 22 games to finish in last place with a 33-49 record as an Achilles tendon injury limited Tiny Archibald to just 35 games.

1974/75:With Tiny Archibald healthy for the entire season the Kings have six players average double digits in scoring as they make the playoffs for the first time in eight years by finishing in second place with a 44-38 record. However, in the playoffs the Kings would fall to the Chicago Bulls in six games.

1975/76:Although they still played a handful of games in Omaha the team drops Omaha from their name and becomes just the Kansas City Kings. Coming of a season in which they tasted the postseason, the Kings would take a major step backwards as they missed the playoffs by finishing in third place with a disappointing record of 31-51. Following the season Tiny Archibald would be traded to the New Jersey Nets for Brian Taylor, Jim Eakins, and two first-round draft choices.

1976/77:Although fielding a predominantly no-name crew, the retooled Kings surprised everyone by posting a 39-33 record with ten games to go, holding a four game lead over the Chicago Bulls for the final Western Conference Playoff spot. However the Kings would collapse down the stretch winning just one of their final ten games to finish with a 40-42 record that left dropped them out of the playoffs.

1977/78:The Kings late season collapse would carry over into the next season as they got off to a 13-24 start when Coach Phil Johnson is fired. Under his replacement Larry Staverman the Kings would not play any better as they finished in last place with a 31-51 record.

1978/79:Under new Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons the Kings would make a remarkable turnaround as first round pick Phil Ford made an immediate impact capturing the rookie of the year as the Kings competed for the Midwest Division Title all season long. On April 4th the next to last game of the season the Kings beat the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime to clinch their first division title in 27 years, when they were known as the Rochester Royals. By winning the division with a 48-34 record the Kings would earn a bye in the first round. However, they would be burnt by the Phoenix Suns four games to one in the Conference Semifinals.

1979/80:A year after they stopped playing games in Omaha their home in Kansas City was affected as the roof of Kemper arena was damaged by freak storm packing 70 mile-per-hour winds swept through downtown Kansas City. Forced to play most of the season at the 9,333-seat Municipal Auditorium the Kings were not adversely affected as they once again battled for the Midwestern Division Title. For the stretch run they would get to return to Kemper Arena, and appeared primed to make some noise as Phil Ford nailed a game winning shot at the buzzer. However, the Kings would fall two games short of the Division title with a record of 47-35. In the playoffs they would once again be beaten by the Phoenix Suns losing a three game series in the first round.

1980/81:The Kings would struggle all year and end up posting a 40-42 record. However it would be good enough to sneak them into the playoffs. In the first round the Kings would stun the Portland Trailblazers in a hard fought three game series. In the second round the Kings once again found themselves facing the Phoenix Suns, who had won 57 games in the regular season. However, it was the Kings who would get off to fast start taking a 3-1 series lead. The Suns would bounce back to force a seventh game. However, the Kings would pull off the upset by beating the Suns in Game 7 on the road 95-88. In the Western Conference Finals the Kings were matched up with Houston Rockets in a battle of 40-42 teams. However, after splitting the first two games the Rockets would win three straight games to shoot off to the NBA Finals.

1981/82:Following their improbable run to the Western Conference Finals the Kings were plucked apart as Otis Birdsong was traded to the New Jersey Nets, and Scott Wedman signed a Free Agent deal with Cleveland Cavaliers. Without their two top scorers the Kings would fall to fourth place with a 30-52 record as they were never a factor in the playoff race.

1982/83:With the emergence of Larry Drew as a 20-point scorer and a productive season from second-year sharpshooter Eddie Johnson the Kings were able to bounce back dueling with the Denver Nuggets for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The two teams squared off on the final day of the season, as the Nuggets won 125-116 win. The win would give the Nuggets the tiebreaker for the final playoff spot as both teams finished with 37-45 records.

1983/84:Prior to the season the Kings are sold to a group of inventors from Sacramento, California for $10.5 million dollars. Staying in Kansas City for now the Kings would back into the playoffs despite a 38-44 record benefiting from the NBA expanding the playoffs from six to eight teams in each conference. In the playoffs reality would hit hard as they are swept in three straight games by the Los Angeles Lakers. Following the season Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons would step down to take over the San Antonio Spurs. He would be replaced by Jack McKinney.

1984/85:The Kings would get off to an awful start losing eight of their first nine games as new Coach Jack McKinney steps down and is replaced by Phil Johnson, who had last coached the Kings seven years earlier. As the season wore and the Kings struggles continued, as owners announced that the team was moving to Sacramento. This would leave the Kings playing in front of an empty house most of the season often drawing less then 4,000 fans at Kemper Arena. The Kings would go on to finish in last place with a 31-51 record, playing their final game at Kemper Arena on April 14th in front of 11,371 fans. Just two days later the NBA Board of Governors voted unanimously to allow the club to relocate to Sacramento.

Kings Arenas

Omaha Civic Auditorium

1972-1978

Kemper Arena

1974-1985

Kings Memories

John Block

1972-1974

Matt Guokas

1972-1974, 1975/76

Don Kojis

1972-1975

Nate Williams

1972-1975

Ron Behagen

1973-1975, 1978/79

Nate “Tiny” Archibald

1972-1976

Larry McNeill

1973-1976

Jimmy Walker

1973-1976

Ollie Johnson

1974-1977

Ron Boone

1976-1978

Richard Washington

1976-1979

Lucius Allen

1977-1979

Bill Robinzine

1975-1980

Tom Burleson

1977-1980

Scott Wedman

1974-1981

Otis Birdsong

1977-1981

Sam Lacey

1972-1982

Phil Ford

1978-1982

1979 Rookie of the Year

Ernie Grunfeld

1979-1982

Reggie King

1979-1983

Steve Johnson

1981-1984

Joe Meriweather

1980-1985

Larry Drew

1981-1985

Eddie Johnson

1981-1985

Mike Woodson

1981-1985

LaSalle Thompson

1982-1985

Billy Knight

1983-1985

Reggie Theus

1983-1985

Otis Thorpe

1984/85

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Author

Frank Fleming
Frank Fleming founded the Sports Ecyclopedia in 2001 & is a passionate Devils fan.