22. Michael Stewart – France
The Kings signed Michael Stewart as an undrafted free agent in 1997, and he lasted just one year with the club. But in that time, he made enough of a name for himself to earn over $25 million during the course of his eight year career.
The Kings only paid him $242,000 of that, which got them 81 games of mediocre performance. Stewart’s rebounding numbers were actually quite solid, averaging 6.6 per game, translated to a per-36 average of 11.
Stats with Kings: 81 games, 21.7 minutes, 4.6 points, 6.6 rebounds
21. Bill Wennington – Canada
Bill Wennington was the first internationally born player to take the court for the Kings in the Sacramento era, all the way from far off Canada.
Wennington actually had two different stints with the Kings. He spent a year in Sacramento in 1990-’91, which was followed by his memorable run with the Chicago Bulls from 1993 until 1999. He won three championships with the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Wennington returned to the Kings for his final NBA season, appearing in just 7 games and amassing 14 total points.
Stats with Kings: 84 games, 18 minutes, 5.4 points, 4.3 rebounds
20. Tariq Adbul-Wahad – France
The Kings were on the brink of something special when Tariq Abdul-Wahad showed up in Sacramento. The team drafted him with the 11th overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, and he never lived up to the hype. Looking back on that particular draft class, there isn’t a name that stands out that the Kings should have selected instead, which is why this entry is not further down our list.
Fun Fact: Abdul-Wahad was actually selected as the starter over Peja Stojakovic for much of the season. His time in Sacramento lasted just two turbulent seasons, and he was traded to the Magic in 1999 in exchange for Nick Anderson.
Stats with Kings: 108 games, 20 minutes, 7.7 points, 2.8 rebounds
19. Sergio Rodriguez – Spain
Sergio Rodriguez was a member of one of the most decorated non-American international basketball teams ever while playing for his home country of Spain, but his NBA career never really took off. He spent his first three seasons in Portland before being traded to the Kings during the summer of 2009. Rodriguez never saw big minutes, relegated to third string point guard for 39 games before being traded to the New York Knicks during the season.
One interesting fact: Rodriguez played on a 2009 Kings team that was extremely international. Five players on that roster made this list, and we haven’t gotten to any of the other four yet.
Stats with Kings: 39 games, 13.3 minutes, 6 points, 3.1 assists