For a team that has spent a lot of time down in the dumps, the Sacramento Kings have had their fair share of former players end up in the Basketball Hall of Fame. As of right now, there are 19 former Kings (or Royals) players and three former coaches who are currently in the Hall of Fame.*
[*Sidebar: Technically, the Kings have only had twenty former members of their organization end up in the Basketball Hall of Fame. That's because two of those people – Vlade Divac and Rick Adelman – double-dipped (played for and were part of the coaching staff/front office.]
The question (and the central premise of this post) now becomes: who will be the next Kings player to end up in the Basketball Hall of Fame?
Who Is Next?
For what my money is worth, I think the next Kings player to crack the Basketball Hall of Fame will be Peja Stojakovic. If you needed a refresher, Stojakovic spent 13 seasons in the NBA – eight with the Kings.
The Kings actually drafted Stojakovic with the 14th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft – the same year that they were denied the opportunity to select the late great Kobe Bryant.
The Case For Peja Stojakovic To Make The Basketball Hall Of Fame
First off, many people don't realize this, but Stojakovic was one of the best players to ever don the Kings' uniform. Recently, I was asked to participate in a panel for Sactown Sports that ranked the forty best Kings players since they moved to Sacramento 40 years ago.
On my ballet, I ranked Stojakovic second all-time behind only Chris Webber (who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021). And it seems like the rest of the voting body agreed with my assessment, as Stojakovic finished third overall in their rankings.
People underestimate Stojakovic because he wasn't really an on-ball star. But when you look at his accomplishments, man, did he put together an impressive career.
A quick look at Stojakovic's basketball reference shows that he was a three-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA selection. He also finished 16th in MVP voting in 2001-02 and 4th (!!) in 2003-04. Even after his prime, he helped contribute to the Dallas Mavericks 2011 NBA title run as a rotational piece (he appeared in 19 of their 21 games).
There’s something so special about watching a performance like this where almost every bucket is created away from the ball. https://t.co/0MKuVQc2M3
— ʜᴠ (@hoopvenue_) September 9, 2024
Some could argue that Stojakovic should have had even more accolades. It's just that voters back then didn't realize how valuable his shooting and off-ball gravity were to winning.
If the Kings are going to add another Hall of Famer to their ranks before De'Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis hang it up, it should definitely be Stojakovic.