The Yakima Sun Kings were a Continental Basketball Association franchise located in Yakima, Washington, United States, covering the central Washington sports market of Yakima, Tri-Cities and Ellensburg. The Sun Kings played at the Yakima SunDome. In June 2005, the team was purchased by the Yakama Indian Nation and was renamed the Yakama Sun Kings (from Yakima to Yakama) to honor the Nation.
Originally located in Kansas City, Missouri, and then Topeka, Kansas, the franchise moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1990 and was renamed the Yakima Sun Kings. The Sun Kings were fairly successful historically, given the inconsistent nature of minor-league basketball; they won the 1994–95, 1999–2000, 2002–03, 2005–06 and 2006-07 CBA championships. The Sun Kings had a disappointing 2003–04 season when they posted a 10–38 record. They were also 0–9 against the CBA Champion Dakota Wizards.
Ronny Turiaf, a 2005 draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers, played nine games for the Sun Kings in the 2005–06 season, less than six months after undergoing open-heart surgery which caused the Lakers to void his contract. He averaged 13 points in nine games with the team before re-signing with the Lakers in January 2006.
The Sun Kings won their fourth CBA Championship with a 111-101 victory in Game 3 of a best-of-3 finals series against the Gary Steelheads on March 27, 2006.
In 2006–07 the Sun Kings repeated as champions, sweeping the Albany Patroons three games to none.
Although the Yakama Indian Nation announced they had shut down team operations on April 10, 2008, due to the franchise's financial losses, potential investors continue to meet with the team's owners in order to keep the team afloat.
Famous quotes containing the words sun and/or kings:
“Now is the sun upon the highmost hill
Of this day’s journey.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“God gave Solomon very great wisdom, discernment, and breadth of understanding as vast as the sand on the seashore...”
—Bible: Hebrew, 1 Kings 4:29.