All Starr Sports Zone- Nicknames, History & Trivia

Team Name: Kansas City AC (Athletic Club) Blue Diamonds
Years from: 1920 to:  1931
League: Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)
History:

Team Name: Kansas City Stars

Years from: 1945 to: mid 1960's
League: Black Professional Basketball League
History: Marques Haynes played for the Stars before joining the Harlem Globetrotters in 1947.  Meadowlark Lemon played his first season with the Stars in 1953 before signing with the Globetrotters.  High scoring, one-armed forward Boid Buie played for the Stars. The Stars are a powerful and highly entertaining team and part of the Harlem Globetrotters organization. All of their players are under contract with the Globetrotters.  In their first season, 1945-46, they won 128 of 131 games including a 62 game winning streak. In a four year total, they won 481 games and lost only 31.

Team Name: Kansas City Blues
Years from: 1947 to: 1948
League: Professional Basketball League of America
History: The team and league folded in Nov. 1947.  The Blues finished the abbreviated season 7-3.  Home Court: Municipal Auditorium.

Team Name: Kansas City Hi-Spots
Years from: 1947 to: 1948
League: ABC 

Team Name: Kansas City Bulldozers (later re-named the Rolling Pioneers)
Years from: 1948 to: ?
League: National Wheelchair Basketball Association
History: Prior teams and wheelchair leagues were Veteran's Associations.
This was the first "civilian" hometown team and was later renamed the Kansas City Rolling Pioneers.

Team Name: Kansas City Blues
Years from: 1951 to:  1952
League: National Professional Basketball League
Kansas City Blues Team Data

 

Team Name: Kansas City Kaycees
Years from: 1957 to: 1958
League: National Industrial Basketball League
History: The league was founded in 1947 to give mill workers a chance to play basketball.  The league was originally formed with teams that did not make the newly formed NBA.  The Kaycee one season record was 2-28.

Team Name: Kansas City Hi-Spots
Years from: 1950 to: 1951
League: National Professional Basketball League
History: Kansas City and some other teams disbanded during the season. 
The Hi-Spots finished with a 4-19 record, dropping out of the league before the season end in the league that lasted just one season. 
Home Court: Pla-Mor Arena with seating capacity of 7,000

Kansas City Hi-Spots Team Roster
1950-51 Kansas City Hi-Spots Roster
1951 Kansas City Hi-Spots Team Data

Team Name: Kansas City Steers
Years from: 1961 to: 1963
League: American Basketball League
History: George Steinbrenner (later owner of the New York Yankees) signed All-American Jerry Lucas to a $40,000 contract to play for the Cleveland Pipers (AAU National Champions). Steinbrenner had a secret deal with the NBA commissioner to merge the Cleveland Pipers with the Kansas City Steers and join the NBA!  The schedule was printed for the 1963-64 season with the Pipers (merged with the Steers) playing the New York Knicks in the first game.  However, the ABL sued and blocked the move resulting in Steinbrenner not having a team or league.
University of Kansas star player Bill Bridges played for the Steers including Maurice King and Larry Staverman. 
Western Division Champions 1961-62 with a 54-25 record.
Kansas City Steers were considered the champions of the abbreviated 1962-63 season due to its first place status at the time.  The ABL disbanded 12-31-62.  
Home Court: KC Municipal Auditorium '61-62 then at Memorial Hall, Kansas City, KS '62-63.  The ABL had the first three-point shot (25 feet away) in professional basketball!

Kansas City Steers Uniform Numbers
1961-62 Kansas City Steers Roster
Kansas City Steers Team Data

Team Name: Kansas City_______(an un-named team, that did not play before being moved)
Years from: 1967 to: 1967
League:  American Basketball Association
History: Kansas City was awarded an unnamed franchise team.
They had difficulty in finding an arena to play in.  Due to an inability to find a suitable home arena, the team moved to Denver to become the Denver Larks who was later renamed the Rockets.

Team Name: Kansas City-Omaha Kings

Years from: 1972 to:  1975
League:  National Basketball League
History: In 1972 Kansas City acquired the Cincinnati Royals team with promises of building a new indoor arena. They changed the franchise name to the Kings to avoid confusion with the baseball team the Kansas City Royals and minor league Omaha Royals.  Other nicknames considered: Steers, River Kings,  Tornadoes, Plainsmen, Barons, Regals, Scouts, Crowns and Stars.  A unique franchise arrangement of splitting a team between two cities (Kansas City, MO and Omaha, NE) for its home games.  The Kings play their first game at Kemper Arena on Nov. 10, 1974 and lose to the league champions Boston Celtics 102-99. 
The franchise started in 1945 as the Rochester Royals, moved to Cincinnati Royals in 1957, moved to Kansas City-Omaha to be the Kings in 1972, Kansas City Kings in 1975, then moved to Sacramento Kings in 1985 to present.
Team colors: red, white and blue. 
Home Court: KC Municipal Auditorium AND Omaha Civic Auditorium--1972 to 1974
Kansas City Kemper Arena and Omaha Civic Auditorium--1974-1978

Team Name: Kansas City Kings

Years from: 1975 to: 1985
League: National Basketball League
History: Home Court: Kemper Arena--1978 to 1979  Municipal Auditorium--1979-1980   The Kings were forced to move to Municipal Auditorium after the June 4, 1979 collapse of Kemper Arena's roof.  Kemper Arena--1980-1985.  The Kings were division champions in 1979, made the conference finals in 1981 and made playoff appearances in: 1975, 1979, 1980, 1981, and 1984.
On April 14, 1985, in the final game before moving to Sacramento, CA, the Kings lose 122-116 to the Los Angeles Lakers.  
Team colors: red, white and blue.  Tiny Archibald is in the Basketball Hall of Fame.  Phil Ford was rookie of the year in 1979.

Team Name: Kansas City Sizzlers

Years from: 1985 to: 1986
League:  Continental Basketball Association

Home Court: Municipal Auditorium

Owner: Bernie Glannon  Head coach: Bill Ficke
History: The Sizzlers made it to the playoffs but got swept 0-4 games.  The Sizzlers moved to Topeka, KS for the 1986-87 season.

Team Name: Kansas City Mustangs
Years from: 1993 to: 1995
League: Women's Basketball Association
History: Home Courts:
1993: Mason-Halpin Field House, Rockhurst College, KC, MO
1994: Penn Valley Community College Gymnasium, KC, MO
1995:  Memorial Auditorium, Kansas City, MO
Played three seasons before suspending operations with plans to play as a  12-team league in 1997, disbanded  before 1997 season. In 1995 the Mustangs were host to the WBA All Star Game played at Municipal Auditorium.  

Team Name: Kansas City Lightning
Years from: 1997 to: 1997
League: Women's Basketball Association
History:

Team Name: Kansas City Knights

Years from: 2000 to: 2006 
League: American Basketball Association
History: Home Court: Kemper Arena.  On April 12, 2002, the Knights won the ABA Championship by beating the Southern California Surf 118-113, their 24th straight victory.

Team Name: Kansas City Legacy

Years from: 2001 to: 2006 
League: National Women's Basketball League

Team Name: Kansas City Steers

Years from: 2003 to: ?
League: The National Alliance of Basketball Leagues
Team colors: silver and navy blue.

Team Name: Kansas City Spartans

Years from: 2008 to: 2009
League: American Basketball Association
Home Court: Hickman Mills High School

Team colors: crimson and white

Team Name: Kansas City Stars

Years from: 2009 to: 2009
League: American Basketball Association
Home Court: Municipal Auditorium

First game: Nov. 27, 2009, where the KC Stars blows out the St. Louis Stunners 152-106 in KC.

Team Name: Missouri Rhythm

Years from: 2010 to: current
League: American Basketball Association
History: Named the Rhythm based on what Kansas City is known for, it's jazz, barbecue and rhythm.
Team colors: Primarily Red with White and Blue.
First home game: Dec. 3, 2011.
Home Court: First Baptist Church, Raytown, MO

Team Name: Kansas City Attack

Years from: 2014 to ?

League: Central Basketball League

Team Colors: 

Home Court: 

Team Name: Kansas City Soul 

Years from: 2015 to: present

League:  New Era Basketball Association 

Team colors:  Black, Blue and White 

Home Court: 

 

Team Name: Kansas City Majestic

Years from: 2016 to: present

League: Women's Blue Chip Basketball League 

Team colors:

Home court: 

History: nickname of the team is "Lady Eagles".  

Team Name: Kansas City Tornadoes

Years from: 2018 to: present

League: North American Premier Basketball League

Team colors:

Home court: Municipal Auditorium, which was to be called "The Hive" on game days with the Buzz nickname but that was changed with the revised nickname of Tornados.  In 2018, they changed the spelling from Tornados to Tornadoes. 

History:  The nickname was initially the Buzz. However to avoid trademark problems with having a very similar logo as Georgia Tech bee, the nickname and logo were changed to the Tornados in December 2017.  Among the first players to the team former University of Kansas players Sherron Collins and Kevin Young will play on the Buzz.