One of the most painful moments in Kings franchise history came during the 2001-02 Western Conference finals. Robert Horry’s 3-pointer, the Game 6 officiating debacle and missed free throws in Game 7 allowed a potential title to slip through Sacramento's fingers.
To add insult to injury, the Kings fell to their nemesis, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lost in time is that Mitch Richmond, perhaps the greatest of all Sacramento Kings, was hiding on the Lakers' bench during that series. He would go on to win an NBA championship, while his former franchise is still bitter over the outcome.
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“I played seven years in Sacramento and now I’ve got an opportunity to win a god d--- ring,” Richmond said during the latest edition of the Purple Talk podcast. “And I’ve got to go against the Sacramento Kings? Oh my god, that was nerve-wracking. Are you freaking kidding me?”
Richmond averaged just 11.1 minutes over 64 games for the Lakers that season, most of which came early in the year. During the postseason, he saw the court just four times, including a three-minute stretch in the Kings’ Game 5 victory at Arco Arena.
“I would sit on that bench and after the game, my whole uniform would be soaked without playing,” Richmond said. “I was like, oh my god, I cannot believe I have an opportunity to get a ring and the Kings are going to win it?”
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It’s painful to listen to Richmond recount his version of the storied series, but at the time, he was a 36-year-old veteran playing his final minutes in the league. After spending the bulk of his career on a Kings team that made the postseason just once, a title was in his sights.
“I think when Robert Horry made that shot, I was the first one out there to hug him,” Richmond added.
Richmond was a guest on the show along with Doug Christie, who was on the losing end of not only the Horry buzzer-beater in Game 4, but the seven-game series.
“I know that’s heartburn for you,” Richmond told Christie, “but it was heartburn for me too, just to go back.”
In 2014, Richmond became the first player from the Sacramento Kings to make the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named an All-Star in six of his seven seasons in a Kings uniform and he is widely considered one of -- if not the -- greatest players of the Sacramento era.
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He also has a Lakers championship ring hiding in a safe somewhere.