Teams Of Yore: Kansas City Kings
- York Plagge
- Feb 18, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 1, 2024
NBA (1972-85)
-took the name ”Kings” after relocating from Cincinnati (known as Royals); change was made to avoid confusion with MLB’s K.C. Royals
-shared home games with Omaha for a portion of their time in K.C.
-eventually moved to Sacramento in the mid-1980s due to lack of draw, as Kings were third professional sports choice for K.C. sports fans behind Chiefs and Royals
-when the Kings exited K.C., it left Missouri without an NBA team to this day.
Kings Greatest Season: 1980-81
They didn’t have the greatest regular season, finishing up a mere 40-42, but this group made the most of their shot at the postseason. Winning a quick three-game set against the Portland Trailblazers, two games to one, behind Otis Birdsong’s 27.0 and Scott Wedman’s 27.5 ppg and aging Sam Lacey’s steady prescience (10.0ppg; 9.0rpg; 7.7 apg), the Kings headed into the Western Conference Semifinals against the number one seed Phoenix Suns as heavy underdogs. After splitting the first two games on the road in Phoenix, the Kings won two in a row at home (Sam Lacey’s triple double in Game #4 delighted the Kemper Arena crowd of 11,089) to take an unlikely 3-1 lead. The Suns flexed their muscles in the next two games (winning Game #5 at home and Game #6 on the road at Kemper) to set up a decisive Game #7 in Phoenix. Unfazed, the Kings pulled off the series upset behind Reggie King’s and Ernie Grunfeld’s 23 points each and a strong defensive team effort to build a lead in the 3rd quarter (held Suns to twelve points) they would never relinquish, ultimately winning 95-88. Ironically, waiting for the Kings in the Western Conference Finals was another 40-42 team in the Houston Rockets, marking the first and only time two teams with losing records squared off for a trip to the finals. Splitting the first two games at Kemper, the Rockets, were just too much. Led by future Hall of Famer Moses Malone (he averaged 27.4 ppg and 14.6 rpg for the series), the Kings dropped the next three to lose the series. Perhaps without an injury to All-Star Otis Birdsong a round earlier, the Kings could have found a way to surge to the NBA Finals. Nevertheless, the Kings did manage to win the only two playoff series during their time in Kansas City that season.
Kings Greatest Home Game: 4/4/79 v. Lakers
Near the end of the 1978-79 season, the Kings were, to the opinion of many, over-performing. Coming down to the final week of the season, the Kings were in a battle for the Midwest Division title with the Denver Nuggets. With three games left on the regular season schedule, Kansas City controlled their own destiny… win out and win the division. For a team that held zero titles of any kind since making their way to K.C. from Cincinnati, the possibility of pulling this off was significant. The final two games were not the most daunting; the Nets and Pacers had losing records, but the perpetual Western Conference monster Los Angeles Lakers made their way to Kemper on April 4th to try to put a wrench in the plans of pulling off a division crown. It wasn’t the greatest team the Lakers had put on the floor, but they were still among the league’s elite. Led by one of the greatest players of all time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and a supporting class that included future Hall of Famer Jamaal Wilkes and All-Star Norm Nixon, the Lakers were a formidable opponent on any night. By all accounts, the game was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team building much of a lead throughout. Otis Birdsong hit a jumper (the All-Star scored 20 on the night) to give the Kings a one-point lead at the half, and the Lakers clung to a two-point lead at the end of the third when Kenny Carr hit two late baskets (four of his 17 points off of the bench). In the final seconds of regulation, Norm Nixon (who put up a game-leading 27 points) scored with a scoop shot to get the Lakers up by two to seal the apparent victory. Calling a timeout and advancing the ball to half-court, a lack of defensive communication on a Scott Wedman screen for Lucius Allen on the Kings' last-second play left Allen double-teamed and a wide-open Wedman alone at eighteen feet. Getting the inbounds pass, he hit the buzzer-beater to tie the game, much to the delight of the 14,000+ Kings fans in attendance. In overtime, two big jumpers from the top of the key by the longest-tenured member of the Kings, Sam Lacey (he was the last player to have played with the franchise back in Cincinnati), and a missed hook shot by Abdul-Jabbar (who scored 22 to go along with his thirteen rebounds), gave the Kings control and the eventual victory, 115-111. Sam Lacey just missed a triple-double on the night with his 19 points, nine rebounds, and ten assists, while Bill Robinzine pulled down a game-high fifteen rebounds. Rookie of the Year Phil Ford added 24 points, and the Kings used the momentum of this victory to win their last two of the season and capture the Midwest Division title.
Greatest Kings Player: Nate "Tiny" Archibald
-seven-time NBA All-Star and three-time selection to NBA First-Team
-NBA scoring (34.0 ppg) and assist (11.4 apg) during the 1972-73 season
-was selected as season MVP by The Sporting News in 1973
-won an NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics during the 1980-81 season
-was selected as a member of the 50th and 75th NBA Anniversary Teams
-enshrined as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991
-selected as a member as a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006
-not only was his number retired by the Kings franchise, but his college number was also retired at UTEP
Kings Most Interesting: Tom Burelson
When Tom Burleson made his way to North Carolina State to play college basketball (after an All-American high school career) he was convinced to be listed as 7’4 (in actuality he was 7’2). Why… being 7’4 would make him the tallest player in the NCAA and bring him and the college notoriety. He did end up on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but appearing there was likely because of his play on the court. Burleson scored 21.3 ppg during his first year of eligibility, prompting Tom’s selection to the 1972 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team. This Olympics was perhaps better known for its tragedy and controversy, and Burleson was personally involved in two such events. He was benched during the infamous Gold Medal Game loss to the Soviet Union as he had brought his fiancee to his room, violating coach Henry Iba’s rules. Tom also witnessed first-hand the removal of the Israel Olympic Team hostages by the terrorist group Black September. Burleson, along with a couple of other athletes, attempted to go in a back entrance of the Olympic VIllage at the same time the hostages were forced to exit. Tom, pushed up against a wall, was held at gunpoint until the hostages and terrorists were clear of the area. It is said Burleson was the last athlete to have any contact with the Israeli athletes before their deaths at a military airport. Upon returning to North Carolina State, he teamed with David ”Skywalker” Thompson to lead the Wolfpack to the 1974 NCAA Tournament Championship, during which the team did what many during the era considered impossible… defeat the UCLA Bruins. During this epic victory, the National Semifinal, Burleson perhaps outplayed Bill Walton, a player most considered the best in the college game. Drafted third in the 1974 NBA Draft, Tom’s NBA career was off to a promising, yet inconsistent, start (first with the Seattle SuperSonics and then later with the Kings). It took a drastic downturn when his knee was severely injured while intervening in a fight between Kings teammate Phil Ford and Philadelphia Sixers guard Maurice Cheeks. He did return to the court but was never the same.
Home For The Kings: Municipal Auditorium Arena
What is the current status of this arena?
This Art Deco/Streamline Moderne masterpiece has been renovated twice and is currently the home court for the UMKC Roos Basketball Team. The music hall and little theater, which are part of the overall facility, are also still operating. Not even Darryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins' backboard-shattering slam dunk there in 1979 (as the Kings' then-home Kuemper Arena was having roof repairs) would leave the slightest crack to this well-built iconic arena.
Did The Beatles ever play here? Beastie Boys?
The Beatles skipped Municipal, but the venue pulled in some great acts during the Beatle's popularity... The Who... Jimi Hendrix... The Moody Blues... Led Zeppelin... The Rolling Stones... all played there during the heights of their careers. On 5/3/95, The Roots opened for the Beastie Boys as they entertained the crowd at Municipal with a set list that contained some of the group's earlier hidden gems. What wouldn't I have done to hear "Pass The Mic", "Jimmy James", "Gratitude", and "Flute Loop" live? Wait... It was KC, and I had just finished my sophomore year in college back in Iowa and was always up for fun. It is ludicrous that I didn't go.... and no... Ludacris never played Municipal.
What was the most significant non-sports/music event?
The year was 1936. The Municipal Auditorium had been completed the prior year, but now it was time for the official dedication. The complex was hailed by most in the architectural world as one of the country's most beautifully planned and constructed projects. On the campaign trail during the 1936 Presidential Election, President Franklin D. Roosevelt took the opportunity to speak at the biggest event of the Kansas City Metro. Fittingly, the building of the Municipal Auditorium was a New Deal project. Yes... the New Deal that was the crown jewel of FDR's presidency.
Home For The Kings: Kemper Arena
What is the current status of this arena?
It is still standing, but was renamed Hy-Vee Arena (I’m not calling it that despite the fact I love Hy-Vee) in 2018 and has been converted into a youth sports complex with twelve basketball courts on two levels. There is also a 350-meter track in the structure. No statue is in honor of Brett Musburger, Gerald Ford, Steve Durbano, or even Otis Birdsong.
Did The Beatles ever play here? Beastie Boys?
No… the arena didn’t begin holding concerts until 1974, so they missed ”The Fab Four”. Paul McCarthy and Wings played there in 1976, so at least they got a fourth of the greatest band in history. The Beastie Boys rocked Kemper on 9/7/98, closed with ”Sabotage,” and even threw in ”So What’cha Want” during the festivities. How did I not drag my rear end down there and go to this one…
What was the most significant non-sports/music event?
Close one on this question… The 1976 Republican National Convention occurred there as incumbent U.S. President Gerald Ford narrowly defeated Ronald Reagan for the party’s nomination. Reagan parlayed this strong showing to win the party nomination and presidency in 1980. In 1999, at the WWE pay-per-view Over The Edge, Owen Hart plummeted to his death as he carried out his ring entrance as The Blue Blazer. This entrance required Hart to be lowered from the rafters to the ring like a superhero, but an equipment malfunction caused him to fall 70’.