1996–97 Sacramento Kings season

1996–97 Sacramento Kings season
Head coach
PresidentGeoff Petrie
General managerGeoff Petrie
OwnerJim Thomas
ArenaARCO Arena
Results
Record34–48 (.415)
PlaceDivision: 6th (Pacific)
Conference: 9th (Western)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television
RadioKHTK

The 1996–97 Sacramento Kings season was the 48th season for the Sacramento Kings in the National Basketball Association, and their 12th season in Sacramento, California.[1] The Kings had the 14th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected Serbian small forward Peja Stojaković; however, Stojaković had a five-year contract with his team, PAOK BC in the Greek Basketball League, and would not play for the Kings until the 1998–99 season.[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf from the Denver Nuggets,[5][6][7] and later on signed free agent Jeff Grayer in January.[8][9]

Coming off of their first NBA playoff appearance in ten years, the Kings struggled with an 8–17 start to the regular season, as Brian Grant only played just 24 games due to a shoulder injury,[10][11][12] and Billy Owens missed 16 games early into the season with a groin injury.[13][14] The Kings would rebound to get back into playoff contention, holding a 21–28 record at the All-Star break.[15] However, after holding a 28–32 record as of March 5, 1997,[16] the team went on a 7-game losing streak as head coach Garry St. Jean was fired, and replaced with assistant Eddie Jordan for the remainder of the season.[17][18][19] The Kings finished in sixth place in the Pacific Division with a 34–48 record, missing the NBA playoffs by finishing just two games behind the 8th-seeded Los Angeles Clippers.[20]

Mitch Richmond averaged 25.9 points, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game, led the Kings with 204 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. In addition, Abdul-Rauf finished second on the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game, while Olden Polynice provided the team with 12.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, second-year forward Corliss Williamson showed improvement averaging 11.6 points per game, Owens provided with 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and Grant contributed 10.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Michael Smith was the team's starting power forward in Grant's absence, averaging 6.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, second-year guard Tyus Edney provided with 6.9 points and 3.2 assists per game, and Kevin Gamble contributed 5.0 points per game, and shot .482 in three-point field-goal percentage.[21]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Richmond was selected for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team;[22][23][24] he also finished tied in 13th place in Most Valuable Player voting.[25]

Following the season, Grant signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers,[26][27][28] while Edney signed with the Boston Celtics,[29][30] Duane Causwell was traded to the Miami Heat,[31][32] Grayer was released to free agency, and Lionel Simmons retired due to knee surgery, after playing seven seasons in the NBA with the Kings.[33][34][35]

Draft picks

Main article: 1996 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 14 Peja Stojaković SF  Yugoslavia
2 41 Jason Sasser SF  United States Texas Tech

Roster

1996–97 Sacramento Kings roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
G 3 Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 162 lb (73 kg) 1969–03–09 LSU
C 31 Duane Causwell 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1968–05–31 Temple
G 5 Tyus Edney 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 152 lb (69 kg) 1973–02–14 UCLA
G/F 40 Kevin Gamble 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1965–11–13 Iowa
F 33 Brian Grant 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 254 lb (115 kg) 1972–03–05 Xavier
G 20 Jeff Grayer 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1965–12–17 Iowa State
G 7 Bobby Hurley 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1971–06–28 Duke
F 30 Billy Owens 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1969–05–01 Syracuse
C 0 Olden Polynice 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1964–11–21 Virginia
G 2 Mitch Richmond 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1965–06–30 Kansas State
C 32 Kevin Salvadori 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 231 lb (105 kg) 1970–12–30 North Carolina
F 22 Lionel Simmons 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1968–11–14 La Salle
F 34 Michael Smith 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1972–03–28 Providence
F 4 Corliss Williamson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1973–12–04 Arkansas
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster
Updated: March 21, 1997

Regular season

Season standings

Pacific Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Seattle SuperSonics 57 25 .695 – 31–10 26–15 16–8
x-Los Angeles Lakers 56 26 .683 1 31–10 25–16 18–6
x-Portland Trail Blazers 49 33 .598 8 29–12 20–21 15–9
x-Phoenix Suns 40 42 .488 17 25–16 15–26 13–11
x-Los Angeles Clippers 36 46 .439 21 21–20 15–26 10–14
Sacramento Kings 34 48 .415 23 22–19 12–29 8–16
Golden State Warriors 30 52 .366 27 18–23 12–29 4–20
1996–97 NBA West standings
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Utah Jazz 64 18 .780 –
2 y-Seattle SuperSonics 57 25 .695 7
3 x-Houston Rockets 57 25 .695 7
4 x-Los Angeles Lakers 56 26 .683 8
5 x-Portland Trail Blazers 49 33 .598 15
6 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 40 42 .488 24
7 x-Phoenix Suns 40 42 .488 24
8 x-Los Angeles Clippers 36 46 .439 28
9 Sacramento Kings 34 48 .415 30
10 Golden State Warriors 30 52 .366 34
11 Dallas Mavericks 24 58 .293 40
12 Denver Nuggets 21 61 .256 43
13 San Antonio Spurs 20 62 .244 44
14 Vancouver Grizzlies 14 68 .171 50
z - clinched division title
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot

Game log

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Regular season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Olden Polynice 82 82 35.3 .457 .000 .562 9.4 2.2 .6 1.0 12.5
Mitch Richmond 81 81 38.6 .454 .428 .861 3.9 4.2 1.5 .3 25.9
Michael Smith 81 52 31.2 .539 .496 9.5 2.4 1.0 .7 6.6
Corliss Williamson 79 31 25.2 .498 .000 .689 4.1 1.6 .8 .6 11.6
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf 75 51 28.4 .445 .382 .846 1.6 2.5 .7 .1 13.7
Tyus Edney 70 20 19.7 .384 .190 .823 1.6 3.2 .9 .0 6.9
Billy Owens 66 56 30.2 .467 .347 .697 5.9 2.8 .9 .4 11.0
Kevin Gamble 62 2 15.4 .430 .482 .700 1.7 1.2 .3 .3 5.0
Bobby Hurley 49 12 12.9 .368 .311 .698 .8 3.0 .6 .1 2.9
Duane Causwell 46 8 12.6 .511 .667 .541 2.8 .4 .3 .8 2.6
Lionel Simmons 41 0 12.7 .331 .233 .875 2.5 1.4 .2 .3 3.4
Jeff Grayer 25 0 12.6 .458 .364 .550 1.5 1.0 .3 .3 3.6
Brian Grant 24 15 25.3 .440 .778 5.9 1.2 .8 1.0 10.5
Kevin Salvadori 23 0 6.7 .364 .722 1.1 .4 .1 .6 1.6
Lloyd Daniels† 5 0 5.6 .125 .182 .8 .2 .2 .0 1.2
Devin Gray† 3 0 8.3 .273 .500 3.0 .7 1.0 .0 2.7
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Kings only.

Player Statistics Citation:[21]

Awards and records

Transactions

References

  1. ^ 1996-97 Sacramento Kings
  2. ^ "N.B.A.: SACRAMENTO; Kings Sign Top European Player". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 16, 1998. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  3. ^ Pearlman, Jeff (January 8, 2001). "Good Stock: Once Destined to Fill Shelves in a Grocery in Croatia, Predrag Stojakovic Instead Fills the Hoop for the Kings". Sports Illustrated Vault. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  4. ^ "1996 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  5. ^ "Nuggets Trade Abdul-Rauf to Sacramento". United Press International. June 13, 1996. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  6. ^ "PRO BASKETBALL; Nuggets Trade Abdul-Rauf, Acquire Pacers' Jackson". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 14, 1996. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  7. ^ "In One of Two Deals, Abdul-Rauf Is Traded". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. June 14, 1996. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  8. ^ "Results Plus". The New York Times. February 4, 1997. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  9. ^ "Kings 85, Spurs 79". The Oklahoman. February 4, 1997. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  10. ^ Massel, Craig (November 11, 1996). "Kemp Is Too Much for Kings: Injured Grant Watches as He Goes Wild in First". Recordnet.com. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  11. ^ "Kings' Grant to Have Shoulder Surgery". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 15, 1996. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  12. ^ Baker, Chris (December 14, 1996). "Clippers Tonight". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  13. ^ Massel, Craig (October 8, 1996). "Owner Likes Having Camp in Stockton". Recordnet.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  14. ^ Steele, David (October 12, 1996). "Fresh Warriors Overthrow Kings". SFGate. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  15. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 6, 1997". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  16. ^ "Denver Nuggets at Sacramento Kings Box Score, March 5, 1997". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  17. ^ "Kings Fire St. Jean". The New York Times. Associated Press. March 21, 1997. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  18. ^ "St. Jean Fired as Coach of Fading Kings". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. March 21, 1997. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  19. ^ Harris, Rich (March 21, 1997). "Kings Fire Garry St. Jean". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  20. ^ "1996–97 Sacramento Kings Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  21. ^ a b "1996–97 Sacramento Kings Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  22. ^ Fry, Darrell (February 8, 1997). "On to the Next Stage". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  23. ^ "1997 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  24. ^ "1997 NBA All-Star Game: East 132, West 120". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  25. ^ "1996–97 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  26. ^ "Trail Blazers Sign Grant to 7-Year, $63-Million Deal". Los Angeles Times. Staff and Wire Reports. August 24, 1997. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  27. ^ "NBA -- Blazers Sign Brian Grant; Clifford Robinson Is Out". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. August 24, 1997. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  28. ^ "Blazers Sign Brian Grant". The Spokesman-Review. Wire Services. August 24, 1997. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  29. ^ "Celtics Sign 2 Free Agents". The New York Times. Bloomberg News. August 23, 1997. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  30. ^ "Transactions". Hartford Courant. August 23, 1997. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  31. ^ "Heat Acquires Causwell". The New York Times. Associated Press. August 13, 1997. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  32. ^ Russo, Michael (August 14, 1997). "Heat Deals 2 Reserves to Kings for 7-Foot Causwell". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  33. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. October 31, 1997. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  34. ^ "Hill, Payton Head Team". The Spokesman-Review. Wire Reports. October 31, 1997. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  35. ^ "N.B.A.: LAST NIGHT; Barkley's Back for the Rockets". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 1, 1997. Retrieved December 1, 2022.

See also

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