Best: Sacramento Kings (Cincinnati Royals) — Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson is surely the greatest player in franchise history, even if he did it all for the Cincinnati Royals. Robertson nearly averaged a triple-double as a rookie, then upped his game and did it his sophomore season.
Two years later he won the MVP, and he averaged 29 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds in his decade with the Royals. Eat your heart out, Russell Westbrook. The Big O never reached the NBA Finals before leaving the team, but he remains the best player in franchise history no matter the name.
Worst: Sacramento Kings — Pervis Ellison
As bad as the Kings have been, they’ve only picked first in the draft once since 1960, and they used the pick on “Never Nervous” Pervis Ellison of Louisville in 1989. Ellison missed over half his rookie season with injuries and would be injury-plagued throughout his career.
The Kings dumped Ellison for two no-name players and three picks after one year. They probably wish they’d gone with Shawn Kemp, Glen Rice, Tim Hardaway, Vlade Divac, Clifford Robinson, Mookie Blaylock, Sean Elliott, or any number of other options.