De’Aaron Fox is one of the most reliable scorers since being drafted by the Kings in 2017.
The Kings were established as the Rochester Royals in 1923. They went to Cincinnati and Kansas City before landing in Sacramento in 1985. Many prolific scorers have come along for this fantastic franchise, but one stands well above the rest:
Oscar Robertson (1960-70) 22,099 Points
The Cincinnati Royals took Big O as the top pick in the 1960 NBA Draft, and he proceeded to win Rookie of the Year in his debut season. He was an All-Star in all 10 years with the Royals, receiving MVP votes in all but one of those years. Robertson finally took home MVP honors in the 1963-64 season, averaging 31.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 11 assists per game. He was the only player in NBA history average a triple-double in a full season until Russell Westbrook accomplished that in 2016-17. Big O averaged 29.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists in his 10 years with this franchise. He was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 1980 and won a championship with Milwaukee in 1971.
Jack Twyman (1955-66) 15,840 Points
The Rochester Royals took Twyman in the 1955 NBA Draft, selected 10th overall in the second round. That shows how small the league was back then, but Twyman was one of the best scorers around. He played 11 seasons for Rochester and Cincinnati, making an All-Star appearance in six of those years. The 1959 season is where Twyman really made up ground on this list, averaging a career-high 31.2 points and 8.9 rebounds. Twyman led the league in field goal percentage in 1958. He also played at least 68 games in all 11 seasons, earning a Hall-of-Fame berth in 1983.
Mitch Richmond (1991-98) 12,070 Points
Richmond carved out an incredible 14-year career in the NBA, doing most of his damage in Sacramento. The shooting guard played his first three seasons for the Golden State Warriors, earning Rookie of the Year in 1988-89. Traded to the Sacramento Kings in 1991, he spent seven seasons in Sac Town and made the All-Star team in the final six years with the Kings. Amazingly, Richmond averaged at least 21.9 points per game through his first decade in the NBA, finishing Top 10 in scoring in seven of those. He ended his Kings career in 1998, being traded for a future Sacramento superstar in Chris Webber.
Nate “Tiny” Archibald (1970-76) 10,894 Points
Tiny earned his nickname with his slight frame, but this guy had a big game. The 6-foot-1 point guard was taken 19th overall in the 1970 NBA Draft by the Rochester Royals. He spent his first six seasons with the organization and made an All-Star appearance in three of those years. He also got MVP votes in each of those seasons, posting his best numbers in 1972-73. Archibald averaged 34 points and 11.4 assists in one of the best seasons in NBA history. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles the year after he left this franchise, and he was never the same player after that. With that said, Archibald did win a championship for the 1981 Boston Celtics in one of the final years of his storied career.
De’Aaron Fox (2017-Present) 9,940 Points
It’s always fun to see modern-day players on this list, and Fox could climb the ladder with how special he looks. This point guard is known as one of the fastest players in the NBA, playing all seven seasons with Sacramento. Fox was taken fifth overall in the 2017 NBA Draft but didn’t really find his footing until his sophomore season. He finished third in Most Improved Player voting in that sophomore campaign and has seen his scoring steadily rise since then over the last four seasons. Fox is averaging 25.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game in that four-year span. He also led the league with 150 steals last year and will likely be Top 3 in points scored and steals in Sacramento history by the time his career ends.
More notable Sacramento Kings scoring leaders
- Sam Lacey (1970-82) 9,985 Points
- DeMarcus Cousins (2010-17) 9,894 Points
- Peja Stojakovic (1998-2006) 9,498 Points
- Jerry Lucas (1963-69) 9,107 Points
- Eddie Johnson (1981-87) 9,027 Points
