Sacramento Kings: Ranking All 33 International Players In Team History
10. Andres Nocioni – Argentina
The first entry in our top 10 is Andres Nocioni.
Nocioni arrived in Sacramento when he was involved in the trade that sent Brad Miller to Chicago, and spent a solid season and a half with the Kings. He started in 44 percent of the games that he played in.
His production in the first 23 games with in Sacramento after being traded was good. The Kings were in desperate need of another scoring option to go along with Kevin Martin and John Salmons, and Nocioni was able to fill that role. He averaged 13.7 points in that first season.
By the time the next year rolled around, Nocioni’s minutes and production took a dive. The Kings now had more young scoring options like Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi, pushing Nocioni further down the bench. Sacramento eventually traded him along with Spencer Hawes to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Samuel Dalembert.
Stats with Kings: 98 games, 22.3 minutes, 9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds
9. Nemanja Bjelica – Serbia
Another current player on the Kings roster that makes it near the top of our list is Nemanja Bjelica. At time of writing, he had played two seasons in Sacramento and has been the starting power forward for a large majority of the games he has played in. His contract is team-friendly, and he would certainly garner more money on the open market than he is currently paid.
Bjelica’s numbers have improved every year, and had the seventh best 3-point field goal percentage of any player in the NBA this past season. He was one of the few consistant pieces that the Kings had on their roster in 2019-’20 and is an underrated rebounder. He also had one of the most memorable buzzer beaters in the history of the franchise.
Stats with Kings: 141 games, 25.6 minutes, 10.6 points, 6.1 rebounds
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8. Francisco Garcia – Dominican Republic
The career of Francisco Garcia in a Sacramento Kings uniform is an interesting study. He was drafted at the tail end of the glory years for the franchise, and was one of the “new” fan favorites that helped bridge the gap between eras.
Garcia was drafted near the end of the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft, but was buried under some recognizable talent during his first two seasons. Guys like Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, and Kevin Martin were all teammates of Garcia’s. His numbers increased as the team got worse due to a huge uptick in his usage rate.
His decline coincided with the aquisition of Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, and Garcia was traded to the Houston Rockets in February of 2013.
Stats with Kings: 462 games, 22.2 minutes, 8.3 points, 2.7 assists
7. Omri Casspi – Israel
The first Israeli-born NBA was Omri Casspi, who made his debut with the Sacramento Kings in 2009. He was drafted by the team with the 23rd overall pick, and he made an impact immediately. He was one of two rookies that averaged over 10 points per game for the Kings during the 2009-’10 season, the other being Rookie of the Year winner Tyreke Evans.
Casspi’s first stay in Sacramento was a short one, as he was traded for J.J. Hickson in 2011. But he would eventually make his way back. He signed with Sacrmento as a free agent in 2014, and was a solid contirbutor for a team that couldn’t decide if it was tanking or making an unlikely playoff push.
Casspi had certainly turned in to a fan favorite, but was traded along with DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017. He has since played for the Timberwolves, Warriors, and Grizzlies.
Stats with Kings: 306 games, 23.9 minutes, 9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds