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Sam Lacey Obituary
SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — Sam Lacey, a former NBA All-Star center who spent most of his 13-year career with the Kansas City Kings, has died. He was 66.
The Sacramento Kings, where the franchise relocated in 1985, said they did not know the cause of death.
In a statement released through the team Wednesday, Kings general manager Pete D'Alessandro called Lacey "one of the finest and longest-tenured players to ever don a Kings uniform."
Lacey was drafted fifth overall by the Cincinnati Royals in 1970 after a stellar career at New Mexico State. The franchise became the Kansas City-Omaha Kings in 1972-73, and later just the Kansas City Kings before the 1975-76 season.
Lacey made his only All-Star appearance in 1975.
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Susan Johnston
June 14, 2025
Sam - we were watching the NBA Finals last night and thought of you and your tremendous All Star career - but most of all remembered you as the kind, caring and wonderful man you were. Never forgotten, always loved.
Nawanda Fuller
June 11, 2025
I met Sam in 1967-68 while working in the College of Education at NMSU. He had signed up for some PE classes, but didn’t notice some of them were girls PE classes, so I helped him change his class schedule. We all loved Sam.
Susan and John Johnston
March 8, 2025
Sam - how grateful we are for your presence!
Susan Johnston
March 10, 2023
God Speed Sam your legacy continues.
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Susan Johnston
March 17, 2022
We met Sam outside a gift shop in Independence Missouri after he had retired. He noticed our New Mexico license plates and asked where we were from. We visited and he mentioned his playing at NMSU and for the Kansas City Kings very modestly. After we left him we looked him up and found out what a terrific, talented and storied player he was. What a lovely person - we could tell from this short encounter that he was an extraordinary person. God speed and love to you Sam.
Judy Larkin Huebner
July 16, 2021
I went to NMSU in Las Cruces, New Mexico with Sam Lacey. He was a great player and friend. For his sake,! I hope they have basketball in Heaven. I know he is joining me in saying, Go Aggies!
Glenn Shivers
June 7, 2019
I meet him at a basketball camp at
Ottawa Kansas university I have a picture of myself and Sam at this boot camp. My parents could hardly afford food but they pay for this camp. He told me I could make the team. I guess the one thing that I learned out of this camp from Sam was to challenge no matter how big they were challenge them challenge anything in your life.
February 11, 2019
My classmate Gentry high 1966 played a lot of sandlot baseball and football games along side kept a bruised check from his sand lot passes
Ricardo Fernandez
June 11, 2017
Sam Lacey we love you.
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