Remembering the last time the Kings made the playoffs, from Mike Bibby to Ron Artest

Light the beam!

It's a new era in Sacramento as the Kings punch their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06.

With a win over the Trail Blazers, the Kings secured their spot in the postseason, boasting a 46-30 record as they sit in the third seed in the Western Conference. 

Led by the All-Star duo of De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, the Kings have been one of the most entertaining teams in the league this season under new head coach Mike Brown, fueled by their No. 1 ranked offense.

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The 2022-23 season also marks the first time they've reached 40 wins and their first winning season since 2005-06, when they finished with a 44-38 record.

Their 16-year absence from the postseason was by far the longest active playoff drought in the NBA, as well as all four major professional sports in the U.S.

With 6,172 days passing between their last playoff game and clinching their playoff spot this season, let's take a trip down memory lane to the last time postseason basketball was alive in Sactown.

MORE: Longest playoff droughts in American sports history

When was the Kings’ last playoff game?

iPhones didn't exist, Pluto was still considered a planet and Daniel Powter's 'Bad Day' was the No. 1 song on the Billboard charts the last time the Kings played a playoff game on May 5, 2006.

After finishing fourth in the Pacific Division, the Kings scraped into the postseason as the No. 8 seed. That set up a date with the defending champion Spurs in the first round, who had the second-best record in the league at 63-19. 

Going down 2-0, the Kings won the next two games on their home floor at Arco Arena to level the series at 2-2. The Spurs took care of business the next two games, closing things out to advance to the second round 4-2.

The Spurs cruised to a 105-83 win in Game 6, led by 31 points, five rebounds, and four assists from Tony Parker. Mike Bibby led the Kings in scoring in Game 6 with 19 points, while Bonzi Wills added 17 points and 11 rebounds.  

Prior to their 16-year drought, the Kings had made the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons from 1998-99 to 2005-06.

Kings 2005-06 playoff roster

The Kings took the floor in the 2005-06 playoffs with a starting five of Mike Bibby, Bonzi Wells, Ron Artest, Kenny Thomas and Brad Miller.

Artest arrived in Sacramento in a January trade with the Pacers, sending sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic to Indiana. The Kings took a swing on Artest, with the former Defensive Player of the Year coming off a 73-game suspension for his role in the Malice at the Palace.

"We're gamblers. So we're going to take a chance on him," then Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof said following the trade.

"We want to look forward, otherwise we wouldn't have made this happen."

That gamble paid off as the Kings reeled off a 20-9 record after the 2006 All-Star break to climb from the No. 11 seed into the final playoff spot. 

Bibby led the Kings in scoring that season, averaging 21.1 points, while Artest averaged 16.9 points in 40 regular season games. The roster also featured Miller (15.0 PPG) and Shareef Abdul-Raheem (13.6) off the bench.

They finished the 2005-06 regular season ranked No. 12 on offense, putting up 98.9 points per game (10th), and had the league's No. 11 ranked defense, only bolstered by the addition of Artest.

Kings record since last playoff appearance

It's been a lean run for the Kings since they last played a playoff game. Their best season came in 2018-19, where they finished with a 39-43 record. That was good enough for the No. 9 seed, however, they were still 9.0 games back of the No. 8 seed Clippers.

Their worst season during the playoff drought came a decade prior in 2008-09, where they finished with a 17-65 record — the worst in the league. 

Between 2006 and 2022, the Kings compiled a combined 467-809 record (.366), per Basketball Reference,

After 16 losing seasons, 11 different head coaches, and no shortage of drama, the Kings are officially back!