The Sacramento Kings fired head coach Mike Brown on Friday, Dec. 27, just 31 games into his third NBA season with the franchise. Brown was commanding a 13-18 start at the time of his firing.
On Thursday, Dec. 26, the Kings suffered a devastating loss to the Detroit Pistons, their fifth straight loss during their current homestand. But the way they lost may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
The Kings gave up a 10-point lead with three minutes to go, allowing the Pistons to score 40 points in the fourth quarter. Jayden Ivey clinched the game at the buzzer with a four-point play, marking a brutal cap to the losing streak.
When asked what he felt needed to change, star player De’Aaron Fox opted to deflect, saying, “Uh, I don’t know.”
Fox may not have known what needed to change, but the team’s front office did. They fired Brown after Friday morning’s practice.
Before he learned his fate, Brown talked about his team’s struggles during the previous night’s loss.
“I don’t know why our pace wasn’t there and our physicality defensively when we want to go win the game –– instead of asking the refs to help us win the game –– wasn’t there,” Brown said. “I’m disappointed in all those things. Maybe a loss like this helps us, I don’t know, but we need to wake up.”
The dismissal was a surprise given that Brown was the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2023 and had back-to-back winning records in his first two seasons in Sacramento, including a playoff appearance that snapped a 16-year drought.
In June, Brown signed a three-year, $30 million contract extension. Now, he’s out just 31 games into his third season in Sacramento and his fourth head coaching job overall.
Former Kings player Doug Christie has been named the interim head coach. He was an assistant on Brown’s staff. The Kings’ next game is Saturday, Dec. 28, in Los Angeles against LeBron James and the Lakers.
