February 23, 2004

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. – Sacramento Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie announced today that the club has requested waivers on veteran forward Lawrence Funderburke.

Funderburke, who has spent his entire seven-year NBA career as a member of the Kings, had the longest running tenure of any of the players on the current Sacramento roster. He played an integral role in the Kings’ recent success of becoming a perennial playoff team.

Funderburke underwent surgery on his left Achilles tendon during this past off-season, which has forced him to be sidelined up until this point.

Originally selected by Sacramento out of Ohio State in the second round (51st overall) of the 1994 NBA Draft, Funderburke opted to play professionally in Europe following his collegiate career. The Kings retained his rights and signed him to a two-year contract in 1997. Sacramento re-signed Funderburke to a multi-year deal before the start of the 1999-00 campaign.

One of the most community conscience players in the NBA, Funderburke established the Lawrence Funderburke Youth Organization in 2000 with a primary goal of motivating kids to continue their education and live their lives with a positive purpose. He was named winner of the NBA’s first-ever Hometown Hero of the Month community service award (12/5/00).

In helping the Kings advance to the playoffs in each of the past five seasons, Funderburke has amassed career averages of 6.4 points (.506 FG%, .118 3FG%, .676 FT%), 3.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 316 games during his seven NBA campaigns.