NBA
Why did the Sacramento Kings fire Mike Brown?
The 54-year-old coach, who joined Sacramento in 2022, had only renewed his contract a few months ago.
The Sacramento Kings fired head coach Mike Brown, on Friday just hours after the team suffered a 113-114 home defeat to the Detroit Pistons - despite leading by 10 points with less than three minutes to go. Brown’s frustration was evident as he watched his team inexplicably throw away a three-point lead in the final 10 seconds.
It brought up the team’s fifth straight defeat. Sacramento are 13-18 and 12th in the Western Conference - and outside of the play-in places.
Brown, who arrived in Sacramento ahead the 2022-23 season, after holding coaching positions with the Cavaliers, Lakers and Golden State, had signed a three-year contract extension worth $25.5 million last June.
Brown takes Sacramento to the playoffs
Up until this season, the 54-year-old’s time in Sactown had been relatively successful. In 2023 he guided the Kings the playoffs for the first time in 17 years - a feat which saw him named NBA Coach of the Year
The Kings ended Brown’s first season in charge with 48–34 record but have been unable to replicate that kind of form this season. The campaign started off with defeats to the Timberwolves and the Lakers, after which the team responded until a new downturn in November with four straight defeats - a situation which Brown has been unable to reverse.
Also this summer, Brown lost his deputy, Jordi Fernandez, who was hired as coach of the Brooklyn Nets, becoming the the first Spaniard to occupy a head coach position in the NBA.
The Kings host the Lakers (17-13) at Golden 1 Center on Saturday with assistant Doug Christie reportedly set to take the reins as interim head coach until a permanent replacement is found.