The Kings have made the playoffs 30 times in franchise history and won one championship, which came in 1951 when they were the Rochester Royals. Let’s highlight their top five all-time steals leaders.
1. Sam Lacey, 950 Steals
Lacey entered the NBA in the 1970-71 season. When steals first became tracked for the 1973-74 season, Lacey averaged 1.6 per game. That began a streak of five straight seasons in which he averaged at least 1.5 steals per game. Lacey played 13 years in the NBA, 12 of which came with the Kings franchise. He averaged 1.5 steals with the team for his career.
2. De’Aaron Fox, 731 Steals
The Kings selected Fox with the fifth pick in the 2017 Draft. He averaged 1.0 steals per game during his rookie season, then averaged at least 1.5 steals in each of his next three seasons. In the 2023-24 season, Fox led the league by averaging 2.0 steals per game.
3. Doug Christie, 717 Steals
Christie played for seven different teams during his tenure in the NBA. He joined the Kings for the 2000-01 season and finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, averaging 2.3 steals per game. He would average at least 2.0 steals in each of his first three seasons with the Kings. Christie averaged 2.0 steals per game during his five seasons with the Kings.
4. Mitch Richmond, 670 Steals
Richmond played the first three seasons of his career with the Warriors before joining the Kings. After winning the Rookie of the Year Award with the Warriors, Richmond made six All-Star teams with the Kings. Richmond was an excellent scorer and averaged at least 1.1 steals per game while he was with the Kings. In total, he averaged 1.3 steals across seven years with the franchise.
5. DeMarcus Cousins, 661 Steals
The Kings selected Cousins with the fifth pick in the 2010 Draft. While Cousins was an excellent offensive player, he also averaged at least 1.4 steals in five of his six full seasons with the franchise. In over seven seasons with the Kings, Cousins averaged 1.4 steals per game.
