Kings fire coach Mike Brown amid five-game losing streak, source says

Jason Anderson, The Sacramento Bee on Dec 27, 2024

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Kings made a somewhat stunning move Friday, firing coach Mike Brown moments after he met with the media at the team’s Golden 1 Center practice facility in Sacramento.

A league source told The Sacramento Bee the Kings were parting ways with Brown amid the team’s five-game losing streak, confirming a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania. Sources said Doug Christie will take over as interim coach as the Kings prepare to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.

The move came a day after the Kings blew a 19-point lead in a 114-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Pressure has been mounting for weeks in Sacramento as the Kings lost 12 of 17, including all five games on their recent homestand.

The Kings (13-18) are currently 12th in the NBA’s Western Conference standings, three games out of the final play-in spot. The team has failed to meet expectations after adding DeMar DeRozan to a talented group that already featured De’Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis.

Brown addressed the media after practice Friday, just minutes before he was relieved of his duties. Brown was asked how he weathers the storm amid tumultuous times.

“That’s part of it,” Brown said. “That’s why I get paid the money that I get paid, but at the end of the day, when you go through adverse times, you know who was truly there for you because people will jump off the bandwagon quick, and the support, wherever it may come from, may not always be there.

“That’s part of what I have to deal with, not just for myself, but holding everybody together. That’s what I’m going to do and I’m OK with anybody criticizing me because I get paid to handle that. I get paid to get us through this, but whether it’s anybody that’s close, staff, players, friends, family, you’ll be able to tell who jumped off a little bit when we had some trying times, and you always remember that as you go forward because you know who’s truly in the foxhole with you and who’s not. At the end of the day, you best believe I’m going to handle all the smoke no matter where that smoke comes from because that’s what I’m paid to do.”

Brown, who signed a three-year contract extension in June, posted a 107-88 record in two-plus seasons with the Kings. The only other coach in the Sacramento era with a winning record is Rick Adelman, who guided the Kings to eight consecutive playoff appearances from 1999-2006.

Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year who last won the award in 2023 after leading the Kings to the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The Kings won 48 games to secure the No. 3 seed in the West, ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons.

Brown previously served as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. Brown spent six seasons as Steve Kerr’s lead assistant with the Golden State Warriors before the Kings hired him in May 2022 to help change the fortunes of a long-suffering franchise.

Jordi Fernandez, who worked as Brown’s top assistant in Sacramento before being hired as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, commented on Brown’s firing Friday in Brooklyn.

“He’s very good at what he does,” Fernandez said. “In my opinion, one of the best. I would not be here without him. Obviously, to me it’s really sad news and I don’t like it. It’s part of the business. A year and a half ago, he’s Coach of the Year, and now this situation happens.”