Sacramento’s Luke Walton Era has mercifully ended. The Kings announced Walton’s dismissal Sunday in a move that was long overdue, relieving the 41-year-old of his head-coaching duties on the heels of a dismal 6-11 start to the season. The Kings have been a disaster of late, losing seven of their last eight games with Saturday’s collapse against Utah representing the final nail in Walton’s coffin.
Owners of the NBA’s longest active postseason drought (their last playoff appearance was in 2006), the Kings reached a new level of embarrassment Saturday night with one of their fans delaying the game several minutes after vomiting in his courtside seat. That’s how it’s gone for the Kings, a team that hasn’t been competitive in over a decade, riding a streak of 15 straight seasons with a sub-.500 record.
Related
A three-time NBA champion (twice as a player, once as a coach), Walton rose to prominence as an assistant on Steve Kerr’s staff in Golden State, serving as interim coach throughout Kerr’s recovery from back surgery. Walton parlayed his success with the Warriors into a job with his former team, the Lakers, replacing Byron Scott as head coach in 2016. The Lakers never placed better than tenth in the Western Conference under Walton, who went just 98-148 (.398 winning percentage) during his dreadful three-year stint in Los Angeles.
After “mutually” parting ways with the Lakers, Walton quickly caught on with Sacramento, becoming the Kings’ seventh coach in as many seasons. Walton, whose Kings tenure began in controversial fashion after being accused of sexual assault by a former television host (the suit was later dropped), largely underachieved in his two-plus seasons in Sacramento, squandering a talented backcourt led by De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and 2021 Rookie of the Year finalist Tyrese Haliburton.
With Walton (who is the son of Hall-of-Famer and former NBA MVP Bill Walton) surrendering his keycard, the Kings will now turn to Alvin Gentry as their interim head coach. Gentry ranks 35th among all-time coaches in career victories (510) with his most recent assignment coming in New Orleans from 2015-20. He’s also coached the Suns, Clippers, Pistons and Heat.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram