Sacramento Kings

From Hoopedia

1 Franchise Name History
2 External Links

Franchise Name History

The Rochester National Basketball League franchise was originally nicknamed the Royals in 1946 after 15-year-old Richard Paeth’s entry beat out 500 other suggestions in a name the team contest. For his winning entry, Paeth, a native of Rochester, received a $100 Victory Bond from team president/manager Les Harrison. When the franchise moved to Cincinnati before the 1957-58 campaign, the ownership decided to maintain the Royals moniker. However, when the franchise moved to Kansas City prior to the 1972-73 season, it needed a new nickname because the name Royals was already being used by the city’s Major League Baseball team. Wanting to keep the “Royal” theme, the club decided on the nickname of Kings. Other nicknames considered were the Steers, River Kings, Tornadoes, Plainsmen, Barons, Regals, Scouts, Crowns, and Stars. "I'm very satisfied with the name Kings," commented team general manager Joe Axelson. "I'm also very happy with the reception we have received in both cities. We are sorry to give up the Royals name, but we did it to accommodate the Kansas City and Omaha Royals baseball teams. We felt it would eliminate confusion for the media and public alike." In 1975, "Omaha" was dropped from the team's name.

The franchise moved to Sacramento, California, in 1985.

On May 22, 1994, the Sacramento Kings unveiled the franchise’s current primary logo, home and road uniforms, and team colors. The changes marked the first major alteration from the crown and ball logo which had been the franchise’s trademark since the club resided in Cincinnati.

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History of Franchise Ownership

The Kings are currently owned by the Maloof Family and have been since 1999. The Maloofs took over from Jim Thomas who had owned the franchise since 1992. Read More...

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Franchise Arenas

Arena	Years	Notes
Edgerton Park Arena	1948-1955
Rochester War Memorial	1955-1958	As Rochester Royals
Cincinnati Gardens	1958-1972	Had a home game in Cleveland (1968-69)and (1969-70) as Cincinnati Royals
Kansas City Municipal Auditorium	1972-1974	Kansas City/Omaha Kings (1972-1975); Kansas City Kings (1975-1985)
Omaha Civic Auditorium	1972-1978	Kansas City/Omaha Kings (1972-1975); Kansas City Kings (1975-1985)
Kemper Arena	1974-1985	Kansas City/Omaha Kings (1972-1975); Kansas City Kings (1975-1985)
Sacramento Sports Arena	1985-1988
ARCO Arena	1988-present