Beleaguered by injuries from the onset of training camp in October, Adelman and his staff juggled 13 different starting lineups, four more than a year ago when the club marched to an NBA-best 61-21 record. Despite major injuries to key ingredients in Adelman's mix, Sacramento captured its second Pacific Division crown in as many seasons. The off-season acquisition of free agent forward-center Keon Clark and the pickup of free agent swingman Jim Jackson early in December buoyed the bench play and eased the losses of Chris Webber (14 games), Mike Bibby (27 games), Peja Stojakovic (10 games), Bobby Jackson (22 games) and Scot Pollard (56 games). When the dust settled on April 16, every Kings player on the roster had missed at least one regular season game due to injury, illness or suspension. Statistically, Sacramento was once again an imposing club on paper, ranking high in several major categories. Two mainstays-scoring and passing, continued to highlight the Kings' offensive strength, finishing third in both scoring (101.7 ppg) and assists (24.8 apg).

Sacramento's long-range shooters flourished from beyond the arc, ranking fourth after hitting 38 percent of their 3-pointers. For the second straight season, Sacramento led the league in defensive rebounding with 33.6 per game, helping them finish third in overall rebounding (44.5 rpg). Defensively, the Kings had a vice grip on rival shooters, holding opponents to an NBA-low .420 field goal percentage. Additionally, Doug Christie helped a ball hungry defense swipe 8.98 steals per game, second-best in the Association. Nursing a sprained left ankle, Chris Webber was forced to sit out what would have been his fifth consecutive All-Star appearance. Peja Stojakovic was named his replacement and was the lone Kings' representative in Atlanta for the 2003 All-Star game on February 9th, recording five points, three rebounds and one assist in his second All-Star appearance. For a second straight year, Stojakovic defeated Wesley Person in the final round to win back-to-back 1 800 CALL ATT Shootouts. He is the first player to win consecutive three point titles since Cleveland's Mark Price in 1993 and 1994.

The Kings achieved a variety of individual accomplishments this season, most notably Head Coach Rick Adelman reaching the 600-win plateau on April 6th at Philadelphia. The victory moved Adelman into elite company, becoming just the 18th coach in NBA history to reach the milestone. Chris Webber was named the Western Conference Player of the Week (12/9 - 12/15) and Western Conference Player of the Month for December after averaging 24.4 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 5.5 apg and 1.8 bpg. Peja Stojakovic also garnered Player of the Week accolades (3/17 - 3/23). En route to asserting themselves as a championship contender in 2002-03, the Kings tallied the most home wins in the NBA with 35, the second consecutive season they've led the league in home victories. Sacramento especially stifled Eastern Conference opponents at ARCO, becoming just the fourth Western Conference team in NBA history to go unbeaten at home vs. the East (15-0). The team also added 24 road victories, joining Dallas, San Antonio and Philadelphia as the only teams to register 20+ road wins three straight seasons (1999-00 - 2002-03).

The season concluded with several Kings in the running for postseason awards, including Rick Adelman for Coach of the Year, Chris Webber for Most Valuable Player, Bobby Jackson for Sixth Man of the Year/Most Improved Player and Doug Christie for Defensive Player of the Year.