The Kings have had many NBA players before – just not since the administration of Lyndon Johnson.
De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis made the NBA Third Team this year, the Kings’ first NBA draft picks since DeMarcus Cousins in 2016. Prior to Cousins, Sacramento’s last NBA pick was an appearance Peja Stojakovic with the second team in 2004 Stojakovic finished fourth in NBA voting, but forwards Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan unfortunately took the two spots in that voting.
It’s only fitting that Fox and Sabonis made the All-NBA, because they needed each other to take them to the next level, as we saw in that devastating sequence against the Warriors in the first round.
When has this franchise had two All-NBA players before? You have to go back two cities and change the name of one team, back to when the franchise was still the Cincinnati Royals. Nate “Tiny” Archibald and Otis Birdsong were the only players in the NBA for the Kansas City Kings, and Archibald was a Boston Celtic player when both players played in the NBA in 1981.
In 1968, the Royals were at the tail end of a playoff round revolving around a local player. Cincinnati’s Oscar Robertson and Cincinnati’s Jerry Lucas were the two remaining stars, and despite the team’s 39-43 record, both made the All-NBA First Team. Lucas tallied 19 rebounds per game and shot 52 percent from the field while Robertson had 29.2 points, 9.7 assists and six rebounds.
These old Royals teams loaded on players from Cincinnati, Ohio, Miami, Ohio, and Louisville, less than 100 miles away, in Kentucky. This Sacramento team is focusing on the University of Kentucky, where Fox and fellow quarterback Malik Monk have played together, and forward Trey Lyles is also gone. Sacramento also has two starting linebackers who grew up in Iowa, Keegan Murray and Harrison Barnes.
Plus, this may not be the last time both players will make All-NBA. Fox is only 25 years old, and Sabonis is just 27. And Barnes wants it counting The next year, it was Murray First team freshman And Kevin Huerter, 24, hits more than 40 percent of his triples, thanks in part to passing and passing by Fox and Sabonis.
Maybe Fox and Sabonis won’t repeat, or Murray will advance to the All-NBA level. All we know is that it probably won’t be another 55 years before the Kings have multiple NBA players again.