This season’s Kings are given flashbacks to 20 years. The Sacramento Kings are playing some of their best basketball in many years. With the No. 3 seed in hand, the Kings are legitimately challenging the rest of the Western Conference. De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes, and Domantas Sabonis are taking us back to the days of Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, and Chris Webber. The 2002 Kings made their best run to the NBA Finals since 1951.
The 2002 Kings finished the regular season with a 61-21 record and won the Pacific Division. The Kings won more games than the Los Angeles Lakers, who were coming off back-to-back championships. Unfortunately, the Lakers got the last laugh in the Western Conference Finals, which remains one of the most controversial series of all time. It’s been several years since these players have suited up. They are off to the next phase of their life.
It’s time to check in and see where the 2002 Kings are now.
Brent Price (Retired)
Credit: Fadeaway World
In the 2001 offseason, Price was traded to the Kings with Mike Bibby in exchange for Jason Williams and Nick Anderson. Price played 20 games during the regular season and averaged 4.5 minutes per game. Price averaged 1.6 points per game and did not make an appearance in the playoffs.
Price missed the following season and then spent one season with the Oklahoma Storm. After 2004, his professional career ended. Price is presumed to be living in Oklahoma with his wife and four kids. Price is the younger brother of former All-Star Cleveland Cavaliers guard Mark Price.
Mateen Cleaves (United Wholesale Mortgage Leader)
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The former 2000 Final Four Outstanding Player of the Year was acquired in the 2001 offseason for Jon Barry and a first-round pick. In his first season, Cleaves averaged 2.2 points in 4.8 minutes in 32 appearances. He did not make a playoff appearance. After that, Cleaves played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2004 and then the Seattle SuperSonics from 2004 to 2006. He then played in Russia and Greece. He made a brief return to the NBA in 2008 but was waived before the 2008-09 season.
After basketball, he was a studio analyst for Fox Sports Detroit and then was a studio commentator for CBS Sports from January 2013 to March 2016. In 2016, Cleaves was accused of sexual assault and the trial process lasted three years before he was fully acquitted of the charges in 2019. Since 2019, Cleaves has served as a motivational speaker and holds a leadership coach position at United Wholesale Mortgage.
Chucky Brown (High School Basketball Coach)
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Brown made 18 appearances with the Kings and averaged 5.1 minutes per game. During that time, Brown averaged 1.2 points and 1.8 rebounds. Brown made one appearance in the playoffs where he played one minute of action.
This was the final season of Brown’s career in the NBA which stretched back to 1989. After leaving the league in 2002, Brown got into coaching. He served as a coach for the Raleigh Knights and then became an assistant coach for the D-League Roanoke Dazzle. From 2006 to 2009, Brown was an assistant for the Los Angeles D-Fenders. From 2009 to 2010, he served as the head coach. After that, he spent time as a scout for the Pelicans but in 2019, he became the head coach of the West Johnston High School basketball team.
Jabari Smith (Father)
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In 12 games, Smith averaged 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. Smith did not make an appearance in the playoffs because he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers during the season. After playing with the 76ers, he made a return to the Kings in the 2003 offseason. He finished his NBA career in 2005 with the Nets. After that, he played internationally in Spain, Turkey, Iran, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. His last professional appearance came in 2010.
Smith is the father to Jabari Smith Jr., the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. After his playing days concluded, Smith’s son was around seven years old. During that time, he likely attended as many games and coached up his son to become an All-American in high school. Smith was named the Wayman Tisdale Award winner in 2022 at Auburn and an All-American. He is now playing his rookie season with the Houston Rockets.
Gerald Wallace (Motivator)
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The 19-year-old at the time made 54 appearances as a reserve for the Kings. Wallace averaged 8.0 minutes of action. During that time, Wallace averaged 3.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and shot 42.9% from the field. Wallace made five appearances in the playoffs, averaging 0.8 points in 2.9 minutes. Wallace played with the Kings up to 2004.
Wallace played for the Charlotte Bobcats from 2004 to 2011, where he was an All-Star in 2010 and the league leader in steals in 2006. During his All-Star season, he was an All-Defensive First-Team selection. Wallace played with the Trail Blazers, Nets, and Celtics before retiring in 2015. Since then, Wallace hasn’t made too many headlines but has been spotted making an appearance at Elvin Hill Elementary talking about setting goals and working hard to achieve those goals.
Lawrence Funderburke (Father)
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A former Greek All-Star Slam Dunk Contest champion (1996), Funderburke joined the Kings in 1997 and played most of his professional career with the team. During this season, Funderburke averaged 4.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game in 56 appearances. Funderburke made five appearances in the playoffs, averaging 1.2 points and 0.4 rebounds in 2.8 minutes.
Funderburke played with the Kings up to 2004. He finished his career with the Bulls in 2005. He established the Lawrence Funderburke Youth Organization, which helps youth communities in Ohio native. In 2022, Funderburke qualified for the NCAA Division I Swimming Championships and was named a CSCAA First-Team All-American for her contributions in the 400-yard medley.
Bobby Jackson (Stockton Kings Coach)
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Jackson played in 81 games as a key reserve. Averaging 21.6 minutes of action, Jackson averaged 11.1 points. He was one of the best free-throw shooters on the team, shooting 81.0% from the free-throw line. In the playoffs, Jackson averaged 10.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 23.4 minutes of action.
Jackson played with the Kings up to 2005. During that time, Jackson claimed the 2003 Sixth Man of the Year Award. He played with the Grizzlies, Hornets, and Rockets, and then returned to the Kings to finish out his career in 2009. After that, Jackson joined the Kings as an assistant coach from 2011 to 2013. After a brief period out of the league, he was named the head coach of the Stockton Kings of the G League in 2021.
Scot Pollard (Real Estate)
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Pollard was used in 80 games but served as a spot starter for the injured Chris Webber during the season. Pollard made 26 starts, averaging 6.4 points and 7.1 rebounds. When Webber returned, Pollard continued to be used as a reserve in the frontcourt. In 12.9 minutes, Pollard averaged 3.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in the playoffs.
After one more season with the Kings, Pollard joined the Pacers. He played with the team until 2006. He spent the 2006-07 season with the Cavaliers. His final season was fruitful with the Celtics, where he was a part of the team’s 2008 championship team. After retiring, Pollard spent time as a broadcaster on Celtics Now and then served as a fill-in color commentator. In 2014, he joined Mark Boyle’s radio crew calling Pacers games. In 2016, Pollard was a contestant on Survivor: Kaon Rong. He was voted out on Day 27. In 2019, he joined Joe Kempler and formed the Kempler-Pollard Group selling real estate.
Hedo Turkoglu (President Of The Turkish Basketball Federation)
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At 22 years old, Turkoglu was just getting his feet wet in the NBA. He was relied on by the Kings for 10 starts but saw more success coming off of the bench. Turkoglu averaged 24.6 minutes. During that time, he averaged 10.1 points and shot 36.8% from three-point range. He made eight starts in 16 games in the playoffs, averaging 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds. He finished the 2001-02 season with votes for Sixth Man of the Year.
Turkoglu joined the Spurs in 2003 and then the Magic in 2004. With Orlando, he was named the Most Improved Player in 2008 and played in the NBA Finals in 2009. Turkoglu left the NBA in 2015 after stints with the Raptors, Suns, and Clippers. In 2016, Turkoglu was named a chief advisor to President Recept Tayyip Erdogan. In 2019, Turkoglu made headlines for responding to critical comments from Enes Kanter about the Turkish government. In 2021, he was re-elected as the president of the Turkish Basketball Federation, a role that he has held since 2015.
Vlade Divac (Vlade Divac (Former Sacramento Kings GM)
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The man in the middle was one of three players that made at least 80 starts for the season. Divac was coming off his lone All-Star appearance in his career in 2001. Divac produced 11.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. Divac also shot 47.7% from the field. In the playoffs, Divac averaged 13.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.
Divac played with the Kings up to 2004. He spent one more season with the Lakers before leaving the league for good in 2005. After basketball, Divac pursued an administrative career, which resulted in being named the Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the Kings in 2015. He served in that role until 2020. The Kings did not make any playoff appearances. Divac hasn’t made many headlines since leaving the Kings. He recently received Montenegrin citizenship. It’s said that he now spends time with his family in Lustica.
Mike Bibby (Fan Controlled Hoops Head Coach)
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As the team’s primary point guard, Bibby averaged 13.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.1 steals in 33.2 minutes per game. During the playoffs, Bibby averaged 41.3 minutes on the floor. He was one of three players to average at least 40 minutes of game time. During that time, he averaged 20.3 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.3 steals. Bibby’s Game 5 performance of the Conference Finals might have been a key reason he landed a seven-year, $80.5 million contract extension by the franchise.
Bibby played for the Kings up to 2008. After that, he spent time with the Hawks from 2008 to 2011. During the 2010-11 season, Bibby was moved to the Wizards and Heat. His career concluded after the 2011-12 season with the Knicks. Bibby quickly got into coaching where he served as a coach for Shadow Mountain High School from 2013 to 2019. He was the head coach of Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix for 10 games before mutually parting ways from sexual-abuse allegations. Recently, Bibby was named the head coach and senior strategist for Fan Controlled Hoops, where he will coach all four teams. Bibby is working with Baron Davis and Michelle Roberts for this league.
Doug Christie (NBA Assistant Coach)
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Christie was another reliable starter for the team. Christie started all 81 games he played this season. In 34.5 minutes of action, Christie averaged 12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. In the playoffs, Christie saw his average dip to 11.1 points, but he also contributed 5.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists. In the end, his defense is what made him stand out with the Kings, making the All-Defensive Second Team in 2001, 2002, and again in 2004.
In 2003, Christie was named All-Defensive First Team, making four total appearances with the Kings. In 2005, Christie was traded to the Magic for Cuttino Mobley and Michael Bradley. He left the team second in all-time total steals. Christie then spent one season with the Mavericks and then finished his career in 2007 with the Clippers. In 2021, Christie was brought into the coaching world to serve as an assistant coach for the Kings. He has served under Luke Walton, Alvin Gentry, and currently Mike Brown.
Peja Stojakovic (Former Executive)
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During the regular season, Stojakovic was the second-leading scorer. With 21.2 points per game, Stojakovic was the team’s best outside shooter, shooting 41.6% from three-point range.
In the playoffs, Stojakovic averaged 14.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and shot 27.1% from three-point range, a massive decrease compared to the regular season. However, he joined Chris Webber at the All-Star Game and won the Three-Point Contest.
Stojakovic was an All-Star between 2002 and 2004, being an All-NBA Second Team selection in 2004. He won the Three-Point Contest in 2003 as well. His No. 16 is retired by the Kings. Stojakovic played for the Kings until 2006. Then he spent time with the Pacers, Hornets, and Raptors, and then won a championship as a member of the Mavericks in 2011. In 2015, the Kings hired him to be the director of player personnel and development. In 2018, he was promoted to Assistant General Manager. In 2020, Stojakovic stepped down from his position. Stojakovic has been watching his son, Andrej, play basketball. Andrej Stojakovic was recently named to the McDonald’s All-American game.
Chris Webber (Analyst And Businessman)
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Despite battling injuries this season, Webber was an All-Star for averaging a double-double of 24.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.4 blocks. In the playoffs, Webber averaged 23.7 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game. Outside of this season, Webber made four All-Star appearances with the Kings and two All-NBA Second Team selections with one All-NBA Third Team appearance. Webber played with the Kings up to 2005.
Webber spent time with the 76ers until 20007. He ended his career with the Pistons and Warriors in 2008. After basketball, Webber served as an analyst for TNT’s Inside the NBA up to 2021. Webber has expressed interest in becoming a GM and owner in the NBA. Outside of basketball, Webber has business interests in music production. He also served as a professor at Wake Forest University and Morehouse College. Recently, Webber launched a private equity fund for investing in minority-owned cannabis businesses. In 2022, he laughed at “Players Only,” which is a type of cannabis.
Source: fadeawayworld
