Sacramento Kings Trivia
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58 free Sacramento Kings trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Sacramento Kings trivia quiz covers the NBA's oldest franchise across five cities: the Rochester Seagrams and Royals, the 1951 championship, Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman, Oscar Robertson in Cincinnati, Tiny Archibald and the Kansas City–Omaha Kings, the roof that fell in at Kemper Arena, the 1985 move west, Mitch Richmond, the Greatest Show on Court and the 2002 Game 6 controversy, the 16-season drought, Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, the near-move to Anaheim, and the Fox-Sabonis team that finally lit the beam. Expect easy questions on the arena, the mascot and the biggest names, plenty of history for regular fans, and hard ones about the circus that bumped a playoff series, the GM who failed in four cities and the executive who embezzled $13.4 million. Uniforms and logos, from the surname-under-number jerseys to Sactown, get a turn too. Every answer was checked against primary and encyclopaedic sources before it went in, so when you miss one you can trust the explanation. Play it solo or run it as a round at your next watch party. For the wider league, our NBA trivia page is the natural next stop.
30 of 58 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is the name of the Kings' downtown Sacramento arena, opened in 2016?
Golden 1 Center
Golden 1 Center, named for Golden 1 Credit Union, opened in downtown Sacramento in September 2016, replacing the suburban arena in Natomas that the Kings had used since 1988.
Q 02The Kings franchise began as the Royals in which New York city?
Rochester
Rochester: the Royals joined the National Basketball League there in 1945, moved to the BAA in 1948 and came into the NBA with the 1949 merger, their roots reaching a semi-pro club of the 1920s.
Q 03Which distiller sponsored the semi-professional team that preceded the Royals?
Seagram
Seagram, the Canadian distiller, sponsored the 1920s semi-professional club that carried its name before the team was reorganised as the Royals in 1945.
Q 04In which year did the Royals win the franchise's only NBA championship?
1951
1951: the Royals beat the New York Knicks 4–3 in the NBA Finals, winning the deciding game 79–75 for the franchise's only championship.
Q 05Which local star was the Royals' captain, coach, manager and scout, and co-founded the franchise with his brother?
Lester Harrison
Lester Harrison founded the Royals with his brother Jack in 1945, coached them to the 1946 NBL title and was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
Q 06Which Royals star suffered a career-ending brain injury in 1958 after a fall was aggravated by cabin pressure?
Maurice Stokes
Maurice Stokes was left paralysed by post-traumatic encephalopathy; teammate Jack Twyman became his legal guardian and cared for him until his death in 1970, a story told in the 1973 film 'Maurie'.
Q 07Which local superstar joined the Cincinnati Royals in 1960 and averaged a triple-double in 1961–62?
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists in 1961–62, won the 1964 MVP and was traded to Milwaukee in 1970, winning a title there in 1971.
Q 08Which Hall of Fame coach traded Jerry Lucas in 1969 and the Big O in 1970, speeding the exit from Ohio?
Bob Cousy
Bob Cousy, the Celtics great, coached the Royals from 1969 to 1973 and dealt both stars away; the deeply unpopular trades sank attendance and hastened the 1972 move to Kansas City.
Q 09Why did the franchise change its nickname from Royals to Kings when it relocated in 1972?
A local baseball team already used the name
A local baseball team already used the name: the Kansas City Royals of baseball's American League had begun play in 1969, so the relocated NBA club became the Kings, keeping a regal theme.
Q 10With which Nebraska city did the Kings share their home games from 1972 to 1975?
Omaha
Omaha: as the Kansas City–Omaha Kings from 1972 to 1975 the team split its home schedule between Kansas City and the Omaha Civic Auditorium, dropping the Nebraska city from its name in 1975.
Q 11Which point guard led the NBA in scoring and assists in 1972–73, the Kings' first Kansas City season?
Nate Archibald
Nate Archibald, 'Tiny', averaged 34.0 points and 11.4 assists in 1972–73, the only player to lead the NBA in both scoring and assists in a single season.
Q 12What unusual Kings uniform feature, introduced in Cincinnati, was later adopted by the WNBA and the All-Star Game?
The player's surname placed below the number
The player's surname placed below the number first appeared on Royals jerseys in the Cincinnati years, stayed on Kings uniforms into the Sacramento era and was later used by WNBA and NBA All-Star Game uniforms.
Q 13Who won 1979 Rookie of the Year with Cotton Fitzsimmons's Kings?
Q 21What was the Kings' road record in 1990–91, when they went 24–17 at home?
1–40
1–40: the 1990–91 Kings won a single road game all season while going 24–17 at home, finishing 25–57.
Q 22Which shooting guard, acquired from Golden State in 1991, made six All-Star teams with the Kings?
Mitch Richmond
Mitch Richmond, acquired for rookie Billy Owens, averaged more than 21 points in every Kings season and was the 1995 All-Star Game MVP before being traded in 1998.
Q 23Whom did the Kings receive from Washington in the May 1998 trade of their six-time All-Star guard?
Chris Webber
Chris Webber came from Washington in May 1998 for the Kings' star guard and Otis Thorpe, then made four All-Star teams and the 2001 All-NBA First Team in Sacramento.
Phil Ford
Phil Ford, the second overall pick from North Carolina, averaged 15.9 points and 8.6 assists in 1978–79 to win Rookie of the Year as the Kings won the Midwest Division.
Q 14In the 1981 playoffs, the fifth-seeded Kings ousted which top seed in Game 7?
Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns: the 40–42 Kings, seeded fifth, beat the 57–25 Suns 4–3 in the 1981 Western semifinals, then fell to Houston in the conference finals, the franchise's last series win until 2001.
Q 15What happened to Kemper Arena in 1979 that forced the Kings back into the smaller Municipal Auditorium?
The roof collapsed in a storm
The roof collapsed in a storm: on 4 June 1979 high winds brought down much of Kemper Arena's roof, so the Kings spent 1979–80 back in Municipal Auditorium while repairs were made.
Q 16Which executive ran the franchise in Cincinnati and Kansas City, then returned for the Sacramento move?
Joe Axelson
Joe Axelson became general manager of the Royals in 1969, oversaw the 1972 relocation to Kansas City and returned to run the front office when the club moved to Sacramento.
Q 17For how many million dollars was the franchise sold to the Sacramento group in 1983?
10.5
10.5: a group led by Sacramento developer Gregg Lukenbill bought the Kings in 1983 for $10.5 million, keeping them in Kansas City while a new arena was built in California.
Q 18In which season did the Kings begin play in Sacramento?
1985–86
1985–86: the Kings opened their first Sacramento season in the original ARCO Arena, went 37–45 and reached the playoffs before a decade-long drought that lasted until 1996.
Q 19Which NBA legend coached the Kings in 1987–88, early in the Sacramento era?
Bill Russell
Bill Russell, the 11-time champion Celtics center, coached the Kings to a 17–41 start in 1987–88 before moving into the front office and handing the bench to Jerry Reynolds.
Q 20Which centre did the Kings take first overall in 1989, a pick blamed for early Sacramento struggles?
Pervis Ellison
Pervis Ellison, the Louisville centre nicknamed 'Never Nervous', played only 34 games as a rookie and was dealt to Washington in a 1990 three-team trade.
Q 24Which flashy point guard, drafted in 1998, thrilled fans with his passing before being traded for Mike Bibby?
Jason Williams
Jason Williams, 'White Chocolate', was the seventh pick in 1998 and made the All-Rookie First Team; the Kings sent him to the Grizzlies in June 2001 for Mike Bibby.
Q 25Which former Princeton coach helped install the ball-movement offense of the Adelman-era Kings?
Pete Carril
Pete Carril, who coached Princeton for 29 seasons, joined the Kings as an assistant in 1996 and under Rick Adelman installed the cutting, passing 'Princeton offense' that defined the early-2000s teams.
Q 26What was the title of the February 2001 Sports Illustrated cover story on the Kings?
The Greatest Show on Court
The Greatest Show on Court: Sports Illustrated's February 2001 cover put five Kings players together, celebrating the pass-happy, fast-breaking style that made Sacramento a must-watch team.
Q 27What was the Kings' league-best record in 2001–02?
61–21
61–21: the 2001–02 Kings went 36–5 at home to post the NBA's best record, earning home-court advantage throughout the playoffs before a seven-game loss to the Lakers.
Q 28How many free throws were the Lakers awarded in the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the 2002 West finals?
27
27: the Lakers shot 27 fourth-quarter free throws in Game 6, winning 106–102 to force Game 7; referee Tim Donaghy later alleged the game was rigged, a claim the NBA's Pedowitz review did not substantiate.
Q 29Which team eliminated the Kings in seven games in the 2004 Western semifinals?
Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves, led by MVP Kevin Garnett's 32 points and 21 rebounds, won Game 7 83–80 at home to reach their first conference final.
Q 30Which volatile forward did the Kings acquire from Indiana in 2006 in exchange for Peja Stojaković?
Ron Artest
Ron Artest arrived from Indiana in January 2006 for Peja Stojaković; the Kings finished 44–38 and reached the playoffs, losing in the first round in six games.