Ex-Lakers, Warriors Player Calls Out Kings for Controversial Decision

Former NBA center Andrew Bogut called out the Sacramento Kings for firing head coach Mike Brown.

Dec 3, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown talks with forward Keegan Murray (13) and guard De'Aaron Fox (5) during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings had an eventful 2024-25 season, but mostly for the wrong reasons. Just 31 games into the season, the Kings fired head coach Mike Brown, a controversial decision by the franchise.

Brown won NBA Coach of the Year in the 2022-23 season after helping the Kings break a 16-year playoff drought, quickly cementing himself as one of the best coaches in franchise history, and giving the organization hope again. Still, all it took was a bad start to the season for the Kings to part ways with the veteran coach, replacing him with interim Doug Christie for the remainder of the year.

Christie ended the season with a 27-24 record as interim head coach, a solid mark, but not nearly good enough. Of course, Christie was put in a challenging position, as everyone knew Brown was not the problem, but merely a scapegoat for the weakness of the front office and ownership.

The Kings reportedly fired Mike Brown right before the team’s flight to LA, shortly after he led practice and spoke to the media, per @MattGeorgeSAC 😬 pic.twitter.com/65ECluagEz

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 27, 2024

Retired 14-year NBA veteran Andrew Bogut, who notably spent time with the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and more, recently called out the Kings' organization for their decision to fire Mike Brown.

"That is a prime opportunity for you as an ownership group, as the GM to say, ‘You know what? Look in the rearview mirror. Look at our last 20-odd years. We’ve been s**t. We have a bit of success. Some of it’s because of the roster. Some of it’s because of our coach. We’re backing the coach.'

"They should have done something like Miami does, right? ‘Sit down. Shut the f**k up. This is our guy. You don’t want to be here? We’ll get you out of here.’ But at least they had something. Now, Doug Christie wasn’t awful. Finished the season okay, but they finally had a coach that had something to him. Gone. Michael Malone. Similar story. Gone."

Brown finished his Kings tenure with a 107-88 record through two-and-a-half seasons and a mere 3-4 playoff record in one short appearance. Of course, there are always some internal issues that lead to big decisions like this one, but from the outside, it does not seem like Brown should have been let go.

The Kings and new general manager Scott Perry will now be searching for a new head coach, which is unfortunate when they had a good one in their hands just earlier in the season.