The upcoming sports event promises to bring forth two basketball franchises that have been actively partaking in local and international games for years now. The teams that will compete for the big win include the Sacramento Kings and the Washington Wizards. The event is a regular season game and the winner will increase its season-end score. Expected to take place at the Verizon Center, the game can be witnessed by approximately twenty thousand spectators. Inaugurated in 1997, the arena is situated in the Chinatown area. Costing a whopping amount of three hundred and eighty dollars to construct, the stadium is a multi-purpose vicinity, known for hosting basketball games, ice hockey tournaments and concerts. Currently owned by the Monumental Sports and Entertainment Company, the facility provides its grounds to teams namely the Washington Capitals, Washington Mystics, Georgetown Hoyas and the Washington Wizards.
Introducing the Sacramento Kings
The team that will be challenging the Wizards i.e. the Sacramento Kings has been around for nine decades now. Part of Western Conference’s Pacific Division, the Kings played locally before becoming a professional team back in 1945. Initially becoming a part of the National Basketball League, the Kings were known as the Rochester Seagrams. It wasn’t until the team relocated to Sacramento that they started being known as the Sacramento Kings. Currently with Mike Malone as the team’s head coach and Pete D’Alessandro as their general manager, the Sacramento Kings are practicing hard to take on the Washington Wizards. Like all their clashes, this event too will hail in large crowds.
Franchise History
The Sacramento Kings started off by playing in Rochester, New York. The team was called the Rochester Seagrams and was a semi-professional team financed by a local distillery company. Even though many professional teams folded during the era of the Great Depression, the Rochester Seagrams was able to stay afloat. During the forties, the franchise remained under the watch of a basketball hall of famer player, Les Harrison who started working on the team’s talent and strategy.
As their game improved, the Seagrams became a natural candidate for the National Basketball League after the end of World War II. By this time the Rochester Seagram had changed their name to the Rochester Pros. Invited to compete in NBL’s 1945 season, the team surprised audiences by bagging the NBL Championship title of the season. After their entry into the NBL, the team started being known as the Royals. Competing in the NBL for 3 seasons, the Royals were seen moving to the Basketball Association of America in 1948. However as the BAA and NBL merged to become the National Basketball Association, the Royals became less profitable. It was a year later when the franchise regained its popularity winning the 1951 NBL Championship Trophy.
Name Changes & Current Stance
Since the team became a part of the NBA, it underwent several location and name changes. In 1957 the Royals relocated to Cincinnati to become the Cincinnati Royals. Playing there for fifteen years, the Cincinnati team moved to Kansas City and became known as the Kansas City Kings. It wasn’t until 1985 when the Kings relocated to Sacramento and became the Sacramento Kings. The team’s current roster consists of players namely Cousins, Fredette, Hayes, Landry, McCallum, Outlaw, N’Diaye, McLemore, Salmons, Patterson, Thompson, Thomas, Thornton and Vasquez.