The Kings have retired 10 numbers in franchise history.
- #1 Nate Archibald
- #2 Mitch Richmond
- #4 Chris Webber
- #6 (Sixth Man) – The Fans of Sacramento
- #11 Bob Davies
- #12 Maurice Stokes
- #14 Oscar Robertson
- #21 Vlade Divac
- #27 Jack Twyman
- #44 Sam Lacey
Should the number 16 also be raised to the rafters at Power Balance Pavilion? That question was posed to the Kings color commentator and director of player personnel today on KFBK.
Well I don’t know to be honest with you. I would hope so. He was a (three-time) All-Star and was certainly a key guy on the great teams in Sacramento Kings history. So you know, I don’t know. In fairness, you have to give some of these things time because sometimes your emotion probably gets carried away sometimes. Should he be? In my opinion yes. But my opinion really doesn’t count and it’s a good thing that it doesn’t.
The ever-so humble Jerry Reynolds on retiring the no. 16 jersey.
After the jump, a list of Stojakovic’s career accomplishments and the opinions of fans on the matter.
Stojakovic’s NBA Accolades
- Three-time NBA All-Star (2002, 2003, 2004)
- Finished fourth in the 2003-04 MVP Race.
- Two-time All-Star Weekend Three-point Shootout Champion (2002-03)
- Fourth all-time in NBA/ABA history in three-pointers made (1760). Only Jason Kidd, Reggie Miller and Ray Allen have made more.
- Third all-time NBA/ABA history in free-throw percentage (89.5 percent). Only Mark Price and Steve Nash rank ahead of him with career free-throw percentages of 90.4 percent
- 2004 All-NBA Second Team
- 2011 NBA Champion
The 2003-04 NBA season was arguably Stojakovic’s best in his 13-year NBA career. He finished fourth in MVP voting behind Jermaine O’Neal, Tim Duncan and eventual winner Kevin Garnett (and ahead of Kobe Byrant and Shaquille O’Neal, who placed fifth and sixth respectively that season) Fellow TrueHoop blogger Danny Chau wrote a fantastic piece during the lockout on Stojakovic’s near-MVP season for Hardwood Paroxysm:
While the system played a role in cultivating Peja’s career season, it wasn’t as though it was a brand new concept. Adelman’s Princeton style offense deserves a good chunk of the credit, but in the absence of Webber, Stojakovic became a more well-rounded scorer out of necessity. He was efficient as ever in a standstill position, but diversified his game by taking his jumpers off the dribble, and being more open to backdoor cuts and inside finishes. Peja always had the size to do damage in the interior, and he was finally given the room to maximize his talents. He still wasn’t a big threat in isolation situations, as he was below average at best in off the dribble situations, but hidden facets of his game had emerged, along with the confidence of a star. There was no dip in his efficiency — still 48 percent from the field, and well over 40 percent from the three-point line — which was astounding given his higher usage rate and the significant uptick in minutes.
Responses from fans on Twitter:
@itsJONsantiago No, as integral as he was to the Kings glory years he’s not on the same level as CWebb, Vlade, and Mitch
@itsJONsantiago No. Peja was a great king, a multi-time allstar, and his 03-04 season was incredible, but he was not a franchise changer.
@itsJONsantiago @cowbell_kingdom yes Retire his jersey!!
@itsJONsantiago no they shouldnt if they didnt retire @TheBobbyJackson or doug christie than peja should have his number retired. Chris and Vlade were the leaders of that team so there numbers deserved toget retired Peja was a great roleplayer not leader
@itsJONsantiago @Cowbell_Kingdom it better be retired! #justsayin
@itsJONsantiago @Cowbell_Kingdom of course it should and im not even a kings fan .
@itsJONsantiago peja was one of the good guys. So easy to root for and fun to watch him drain 3’s! Loved him and Vlade together. #retire16
Personally, I think his number should go up, and sooner rather than later. The cynic in me says that most jersey retirements are marketing ploys to get fans in the seats. And since there’s still a chance the Kings might relocate following this season, it would be better to retire it now with this year guaranteed in Sacramento. Besides, we’re not talking about the Hall of Fame, which is an entirely different debate. Stojakovic is regarded as one of the greatest players in Kings franchise history. There are plenty of players who’ve had their numbers honored by their respective franchises and never made it to the Hall of Fame.
What do you think?
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