May 23, 2022
While more than a few
generations of NBA fans believe the Sacramento Kings franchise
began its life when the team played (and lost) its very first
exhibition game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the
warehouse-converted ARCO Arena (I) on October 25, 1985 - serious
students of the game know better.
Indeed, a very rich and colorful
series of previous incarnations dating back to nearly a century
earlier - beginning as the primordial semi-pro "industrial league"
Rochester (NY) Seagrams in the mid-1920s, and evolving into the
NBL, BAA and eventually NBA versions of the Rochester Royals -
historically confirm the Kings as one of the sport's oldest
consecutively run professional outfits.
Gerry Schultz (Cincinnati's
Basketball Royalty:
A Brief History) joins the podcast this week to delve into
the club's pivotal, and, at times, legendary, 15-year stint as the
Cincinnati Royals (1957-72) - when the franchise and the league
both came of age by virtue of the play of some of the NBA's
greatest all-time performers.
Join us for a trek back to the
old Cincinnati Gardens (and frequently, other "home" courts in
Cleveland, Dayton, Columbus, and even Omaha, NE) - as we look back
at the exploits of eventual basketball Hall of Famers like Oscar
Robertson,
Jerry Lucas, Maurice Stokes, Clyde Lovellette, Wayne Embry, and
Jack Twyman - and ponder how today's Kings might better memorialize
the legacy of the club's mostly forgotten time in the Queen
City.
THANKS to OldSchoolShirts.com for their sponsorship of this
week's show (promo code "GOODSEATS" for 10% off all
orders!)