1992–93 Sacramento Kings season

The 1992–93 Sacramento Kings season was the 44th season for the Sacramento Kings in the National Basketball Association, and their eighth season in Sacramento, California.^[1] The Kings received the seventh overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, and selected small forward Walt Williams from the University of Maryland.^[2][3][4] During the first month of the regular season, the team signed free agents Rod Higgins and Kurt Rambis,^[5][6] and hired Garry St. Jean as their new head coach during the off-season.^[7][8][9]

Under St. Jean, and with the addition of Williams and Higgins, the Kings won their first three games of the regular season, but later on posted a seven-game losing streak in December, leading to a 6–16 start to the season. The Kings posted a six-game winning streak between December and January afterwards, but posted a six-game losing streak between January and February, and held a 17–34 record at the All-Star break.^[10] The team dealt with injuries, as Mitch Richmond only played just 45 games due to a broken right thumb, and was out for the remainder of the season,^[11][12][13] and Williams only played 59 games due to a hand injury.^[11][14][15] The Kings posted another seven-game losing streak in February, posted another six-game losing streak in April, and lost 16 of their final 21 games of the season. The Kings finished in last place in the Pacific Division with a 25–57 record, and missed the NBA playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.^[16]

Richmond averaged 21.9 points and 4.9 assists per game, while Lionel Simmons averaged 17.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and Williams provided the team with 17.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. In addition, Wayman Tisdale averaged 16.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while Spud Webb contributed 14.5 points, 7.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and Anthony Bonner provided with 8.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Higgins contributed 8.3 points per game off the bench, second-year guard Randy Brown provided with 7.6 points and 1.4 steals per game, and Duane Causwell averaged 8.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.^[17]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, Richmond was selected for the 1993 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team, but did not participate due to injury; it was his first ever All-Star selection.^[18][19][20] The Kings finished ninth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 709,997 at the ARCO Arena II during the regular season.^[17][21]

Following the season, Bonner signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks,^[22][23][24] while Higgins signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the next season,^[25] and Rambis re-signed with his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers.^[26][27]