King Is the Next to Leave Sprinkle's Huskies for the Transfer Portal

A 6-foot-8 small forward with a shooter's touch, Christian King came to the University of Washington basketball program as a member of a unique fraternity -- that as the son or the nephew of a one-time Seattle Sonics player.

On Thursday, King ended his Husky connection after two years in Montlake by announcing he would be entering the transfer portal, joining freshman guard Jase Butler as players who have exited Danny Sprinkle's team once the season ended.

King comes off a redshirt freshman season in which he appeared in 20 games -- or two-thirds of the schedule -- and averaged 2.5 points and 1.6 rebounds per game, all as a reserve player. He originally signed with former UW coach Mike Hopkins.

With Sprinkle once more revamping the roster with veteran players following the UW's last-place finish (13-18 overall, 4-16 league) in the Big Ten, King probably faced long odds of drawing a more meaningful role.

He came up with a season-high 9 points against Eastern Washington and NJIT, and shot 42.1 percent from the field and 38.5 from 3-point range.

First, I would like to thank Coach Sprinkle and the coaching staff for the amazing opportunity at Washington. I would also like to thank everyone who supports the program for taking me in. With that being said, I will be entering the transfer portal with 3 years of eligibility. pic.twitter.com/B3frLgFi8q
— Christian King (@christiianking) March 20, 2025

From an NBA birthright to Montlake, King is the son of 7-foot-2 Rich King, a first-round draft pick and a Sonics center in 1992-95 who played collegiately at Nebraska and settled in the city after his pro career ended.

Rich King at one time worked as a financial analyst and sold prepaid leases for private jets. Meanwhile, Christian made a basketball name for himself playing nearby at Seattle Preparatory School.

Others who share in this Huskies and Sonics connection are the following players who have all come through the UW over the past two and a half decades:

Forward Shawn Kemp Jr. (UW, 2012-15), whose father Shawn was an All-Star forward when the latter played in Seattle in 1990-97.

Guard Donald Watts (UW, 1996-99), whose father Slick died over the weekend and was a popular Sonics point guard in 1974-78.

Christian King fires up a jump shot against WSU. | Skylar Lin Visuals

Forward Marlon Shelton (1999-02), whose father Lonnie was an NBA championship team forward and played for the Sonics in 1979-83.

Guard Bryan Brown (UW, 1998-01), whose father Fred was one of the premier shooters across the NBA when the older Brown played in Seattle in 1972-84.

And center Spencer Hawes (UW, 2007), whose uncle Steve, himself a former Husky, played for the Sonics in 1983 and 1984.

Christian King plays defense against Illinois this past season. | Skylar Lin Visuals

The challenge for King was to do what the others did -- each of them either used up all of their eligibility with the Huskies or, in the case of Hawes, left early for the NBA.

However, King tended to play extra cautiously this past basketball season and never took more than 7 shots in a game, whereas he needed to better establish his role with the new coaching staff.

When Sprinkle took over, he inherited just three of Hopkins' players in 6-foot-11 center Franck Kepnang, 6-foot-10 forward Wilhelm Breidenbach and King.

With Breidenbach using up his eligibility and King moving on, only Kepnang remains as a remnant of the Hopkins era while seeking a medical redshirt in order to continue.

As for the Sonics and Huskies crossover, it might be a while before another offspring turns up, with the city going without an NBA franchise since 2008 and patiently waiting for another.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington