The Sacramento Kings announced they will retire Peja's jersey, with the ceremony held on December 16th.
The Sacramento Kings announced today that the will retire the number 16 in honor of Peja Stojakovic. This move was hinted at when Ben McLemore changed from 16 to 23 this offseason, but is now official. The Kings will retire Peja's jersey on December 16th (16 on the 16th, get it?) when the Kings host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the press release, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive praised Peja as being "instrumental in putting Sacramento on the map on a global scale."
Peja was drafted by the Kings with the 14th pick of the 1996 draft, to cries of "who???" He went on to be the Kings (Sacramento-era) all-time leader in three pointers made and attempted, as well as the leader in free throw percentage. He's second all-time in Kings scoring, third in field goals made, and fifth in steals.
There's been debate in these parts over whether he should have his number retired. We can still debate the merit, but now it's happening. If nothing else, it gives us a fun excuse to once again remember some of the best teams Sacramento has ever seen.