The Sacramento Kings named Mike Brown their new head coach on Monday.
Terms of the deal were not released but ESPN reported it would be a four-year contract for the Golden State Warriors assistant coach. The post will be Brown’s third as a head coach.
“Mike has consistently demonstrated his ability to lead winning teams throughout his long and successful coaching career,” Kings general manager Monte McNair said in a statement. “He has worked with some of the best players in the NBA and is one of the league’s premier defensive minds. I am excited to bring his extensive experience to Sacramento.”
Brown, former head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, owns a 347-216 record as a head coach, including two 60-win seasons with Cleveland when LeBron James was in his mid-20s.
The 52-year-old has worked on Golden State’s staff since 2016 and was part of two Warriors title teams (2017 and 2018). The Warriors are still active in the 2022 playoffs, in the midst of a Western Conference semifinal series with the Memphis Grizzlies that will continue Monday.
Brown also helped Gregg Popovich’s staff to an NBA title with the 2003 San Antonio Spurs and was named NBA Coach of the Year with Cleveland in 2009.
In addition to his NBA duties, Brown is in charge of the Nigerian men’s national basketball team and coached them in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Kings have missed the playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons, the longest drought in NBA history.
Sacramento fired third-year head coach Luke Walton early in the season after the Kings started 6-11. Interim head coach Alvin Gentry was not retained after the Kings finished 24-41.
–Field Level Media