The Sacramento Kings leader (and arguably their best player), De'Aaron Fox, currently wears the number five (the number he's worn since he was drafted by us in 2017). But how many players in team history have ever donned that uniform?
How Many Kings Have Worn The #5?
In total, between the Sacramento Kings, the Kansas City Kings, the Kansas City-Omaha Kings, the Cincinnati Royals, and the Rochester Royals, there have been 25 players in franchise history to sport the #5.
Number five is tied for the fourth-most worn jersey in franchise history (it is tied with the #3). The only numbers that have been worn more than it are #10 (29 players), #15 (28), and #20 (29).
Jersey Number | Times Worn |
|---|---|
#10 | 29 times |
#20 | 29 times |
#15 | 28 times |
#5 | 25 times |
#3 | 25 times |
Other Famous Players To Wear The #5
Before Fox, there weren't too many all-time great players wearing the #5. If there were, the jersey may be retired at this point (although if Fox keeps up at his current pace, it may not be long until that actually happens).
Anyway, some names that pop out include Hedo Turkoglu (2001-03), Andres Nocioni (2009-10), and John Salmons (2012-14). Of those three, the one who had the most successful career was easily Turkoglu, who ended up becoming a focal point on the 2008-09 Orlando Magic team that made the NBA Finals.
Mike D'Antoni (1974) and Rick Adelman (1975) also wore that number for the Kings. D'Antoni is one of the all-time best coaches, and he's often credited with being the pioneer for modern-day offensive X's and O's (during his time with the Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns). Meanwhile, Adelman went on to become the Kings' Head Coach from 1998 to 2006 (the most prosperous era of Kings basketball in this century). Adelman is the Kings' all-time leader in career wins with the team (395 wins).
Given that Fox has worn the #5 for six seasons, he is the franchise leader in years played with that jersey number. The next closest is Tom Van Arsdale, who played with the #5 for four years from 1969 to 1973.
For the full list of players who wore the #5, be sure to visit this page on Basketball Reference.