Cincinnati Royals

American basketball team

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July 20, 2026

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The Cincinnati Royals were an American professional basketball team that played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Founded in 1945 as the Rochester Royals, the team won the National Basketball League (NBL) championship in its inaugural season. They later joined the NBA and, led by future Hall of Famers, secured the NBA championship in the 1950-51 season.1

The franchise relocated to Cincinnati in 1957 and became known as the Cincinnati Royals. During the 1960s, they featured star player Oscar Robertson, who famously averaged a triple-double for an entire season. The team moved again in 1972, becoming the Kansas City Kings, and eventually relocated to Sacramento in 1985, where they are known today as the Sacramento Kings.21

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Jack Twyman
He played professionally with the Royals, who moved from Rochester, New York, to Cincinnati, following the 1956–57 season. Twyman scored 15,840 points (an average of 19.2 points per game) and registered 5,424 rebounds in an 11-year (1955–66) career. Considered one of the best pure-shooting forwards in the NBA, he was…
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He played professionally with the Royals, who moved from Rochester, New York, to Cincinnati, following the 1956–57 season. Twyman scored 15,840 points (an average of 19.2 points per game) and registered 5,424 rebounds in an 11-year (1955–66) career. Considered one of the best pure-shooting forwards in the NBA, he was…
Read More