The 30 greatest NBA team rivalries in league history

24. Best NBA rivalries of all-time: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings have rarely if ever been fond of the Los Angeles Lakers. Located less than 400 miles apart in the state of California, the purple and gold have always been the kings of the land, while the actual Kings have struggled to earn their dues.

Their battles date as far back as the 1950s. The Lakers — then in Minneapolis — would win four of their five playoff matchups with the Kings — then the Rochester Royals — throughout seven seasons. The one time Rochester managed to come out on top was during the glorious 1950-51 campaign that wound up bringing the franchise its first-ever NBA title.

It’s the modern-day adaptation that comes to mind for most, one that took place in the early 2000s with each team playing into their persona quite nicely. Sacramento was a scrappy and hard-fought bunch, as the Lakers dominated with arguably the greatest dynamic duo ever in Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Three straight physical playoff battles led to three hard-fought consecutive losses for the Kings, but the wound cuts deeper than that. It was the 2002 Western Conference Finals and Sacramento had taken a 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6 at Staples Center. What followed was a black mark on the NBA that lives on in infamy.

The 40-25 free-throw advantage in favor of Los Angeles doesn’t do it justice, nor does the 25-9 in the fourth quarter either. Go watch the tape and you’ll see fouls both called and not that even the worst set of eyes could see for what they truly were.

It was later revealed that ex-referee Tim Donaghy essentially rigged the game in favor of the Lakers. Sure, the Kings had their chance in a Game 7 on their home court, but that doesn’t take away from an opportunity stolen right under their feet, a feeling that’s still no-doubt harbored to this day.