The Sacramento Kings have announced Mike Brown as their next head coach.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr addressed the media shortly after the official announcement Monday morning and wished Brown nothing but the best. Kerr’s associate head coach will remain with Golden State through the end of its playoff run before joining the Kings.
“I don’t even know where to begin,” Kerr said. “What Mike has done for me, for this organization in his six years here, just an incredible contribution. He’s an amazing coach, an amazing friend and Sacramento made a great choice."
This will mark Brown’s fourth stint as an NBA head coach. The 52-year-old coached the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-10, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011-12 and the Cavs again in 2013-14. He has been part of Kerr’s staff since the 2016 season. For his career, Brown sports an impressive .616 win percentage (357-216 record) in the regular season and .566 win percentage in the playoffs (47-36 record).
Kings Announce Mike Brown as Head Coach
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“Thrilled for Mike and his family," Kerr said. "Loss for us, but this is how it’s supposed to work. You want people who are really talented on your staff, who can come in and contribute and have a great experience and hopefully learn and grow at the same time, and hopefully be able to advance careers and move on to something that that person wants.”
This past season, Brown has taken on something of a defensive coordinator role for the Warriors. Both Kerr and the players alike have lauded Brown for developing an individual defensive point system that caused some in-team competition and raised the level of the team’s defense. The Warriors finished the regular season ranked second in the NBA with a 106.6 defensive rating.
Recently, Warriors guard Jordan Poole praised Brown for his attention to detail and communication.
“He’s extremely meticulous when it comes to specific details,” Poole said. “Especially on the defensive end. He doesn’t let anything slide. He points stuff out but he also does a really good of asking the players, especially like Draymond (Green), vets like Andre (Iguodala) and Steph (Curry) what they think would work best. Because some of these guys have been in these situations before. He’s extremely proactive and his communication is top-notch.”
During his tenure with the Warriors, Brown helped the franchise win two titles during the Kevin Durant era in 2017 and 2018.
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Kerr said it’s too soon to think about Brown’s replacement. The Warriors currently hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series over the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference semifinals.
“It’s too early to even go down that path,” Kerr said. “We’ve got very important business at hand right now, trying win a series against a great young team. We’ll worry about that stuff later.”
Warriors assistant and former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson reportedly has also interviewed with the Charlotte Hornets about their head-coaching vacancy but he remains on Kerr’s staff for now.
Brown will be tasked with a tough turnaround job in Sacramento. The Kings haven’t made the playoffs since 2006, which is the longest postseason drought in NBA history, and last season traded away fan favorite and emerging star second-year point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Sacramento’s nucleus includes De’Aaron Fox, Damontas Sabonis, Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes. The Kings will pick in the NBA Draft lottery, which is set to occur next Tuesday, May 17.
Brown is just the latest coach to go from the Golden State to Sacramento pipeline, joining others like Garry St. Jean, Rick Adelman, Eric Musselman, Keith Smart, Michael Malone, Luke Walton and Alvin Gentry.
“Mike’s ready to do this again and we’re excited, we’re thrilled for him,” Kerr said. “Much deserved. He’s a great choice.”
