LAS VEGAS -- Mike Bibby played like a star during the Sacramento Kings' run to the Western Conference finals last season. Now he'll be paid like a star as well.

	Bibby

Bibby signed a seven-year, $80 million contract with the Kings on Friday. Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof announced the signing during a celebratory news conference with Bibby at The Palms casino in Las Vegas, which is owned by the Maloof family.

"This was the best situation for me,'' Bibby said. "This team plays the style of game that I like and that I have fun with. I've never been on a team that played like this before. We have so much fun. I don't play the game just for the money. I love the game, and I love how our team plays.''

Though Bibby, a restricted free agent, was never seriously thought to be leaving Sacramento, his signing keeps the entire nucleus intact from the team that finished with the NBA's best regular-season record at 61-21. Except for Vlade Divac, every starter is signed beyond the 2003-04 season.

The Kings also added Keon Clark on Wednesday, signing the highly regarded free agent forward to a one-year deal for their $4.5 million salary-cap exception. Sacramento hopes it has the pieces in place to take a stronger run at the three-time champion Los Angeles Lakers, who beat the Kings in the conference finals.

"With the addition of Keon Clark and the signing of Mike, I think this is one of the better teams that has been assembled,'' Gavin Maloof said. "We're putting it up against anybody.''

Bibby and his agent, David Falk, originally sought a deal worth more than $100 million, but the NBA's decreasing salary cap and Bibby's strong desire to stay in Sacramento led to the $80 million arrangement.

Bibby arrived in Sacramento last summer in a trade with the Grizzlies for Jason Williams. Bibby lobbied for the deal, convinced he could contribute to Sacramento's high-octane offensive game.

Bibby averaged 13.7 points and 5.0 assists during the regular season, seamlessly making the transition from lowly Vancouver to high-flying Sacramento, which won its first Pacific Division championship with Bibby starting 80 games.

The former University of Arizona star then elevated his game to remarkable levels in the playoffs, averaging 20.3 points per game as the Kings stretched the Lakers to seven games in the conference finals.

Bibby scored 29 points in Game 7, capping a string of 10 20-point games in the Kings' final 11 playoff contests. In Game 5, he hit the game-winning jumper with 8.2 seconds left.

With Bibby in charge, Sacramento was second in the league in scoring at 104.6 points per game. The Kings didn't miss a beat from the previous three seasons, when they were among the league's most exciting teams with Williams running the show. The team also improved its defense, allowing just 97 points per game.

Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations, missed the news conference to be at a wedding, but Bibby's signing for a relatively modest price is another coup for the executive who has turned the Kings around from perennial losers to title contenders in just four seasons.

"He'll be one of the best point guards in the NBA for years to come, and it solidifies that position for us,'' Petrie said in a statement. "We're really appreciative of the way Mike reached out to try and help make our team better. It will be exciting to watch our team continue to come together.''