The Sacramento Kings dismissed third-year coach Mike Brown on Friday, following a stunning one-point loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday. Brown held practice and a media session Friday, but was fired before the team's flight for its Saturday night game at the Los Angeles Lakers, setting off a wave of admonishment from other coaches around the league including the Golden State Warriors' Steve Kerr and Denver Nuggets' Michael Malone.
The dismissal came after the Kings allowed Pistons guard Jaden Ivey to convert a game-winning four-point play in the final seconds of regulation. Sacramento blew a lead that was as big as 19 points and 16 in the fourth quarter. Brown was heavily critical of the team's failure to foul before Ivey could launch the shot, and laid into star guard De'Aaron Fox for his defense on the play.
Fox spoke to reporters for the first time since the news on Saturday, and rejected the idea that Kings players feel "guilty" for how things went down with Brown.
“I wouldn’t use the word ‘guilt.’ That’s the nature of the job that we have," he said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "Obviously him signing his extension this summer, we thought we would be together a whole lot longer. But that’s the decision that they made. But at the end of the day too, he’s still getting paid. A great part of being an NBA player, being an NBA coach is those things can happen, but contracts are guaranteed.”
The team's other pillar player, forward Domantas Sabonis, hasn't played since Dec. 22 against the Indiana Pacers. He appeared to still be processing the news, saying that he hadn't been around the team enough during his injury to gauge their reaction to the change, but offered some thoughts on how Brown has impacted his career.
"He trusted me in my career," Sabonis said. "He put me in a position to succeed and gave me a lot of confidence. He's helped me for my career in the NBA. It's just part of the business, you know, things happen that way."
Domantas Sabonis says he plans to play tonight vs. Lakers, reacts to the firing of Mike Brown and how capable Doug Christie is taking over the head coaching reins pic.twitter.com/m5hw7kNnFi
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) December 28, 2024
Brown took over the Kings ahead of the 2022–23 season, guiding the team to its first playoff berth in 17 years in that first season with the team. Fox reached his first All-Star Game and was a third-team All-NBA selection under Brown that season. The talented guard has been floated as a potential trade candidate as the February 6 trade deadline nears. Sabonis, who had been acquired from the Pacers the year before, made his third All-Star Game and first of two third team All-NBA selections with the Kings that year.
Sacramento went 46–36 last season—just two games worse than its breakout 2022–23 campaign—but missed the playoffs. After Thursday's loss, the Kings are 13–18 and in 12th pace in the Western Conference.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kings Stars De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis Share First Reactions to Mike Brown Firing.
