NBA Fans React to Sacramento Kings' New Head Coach Hire

After a disastrous 2024-25 season, the Sacramento Kings are already building toward the future. Immediately after the conclusion of the season, the Kings parted ways with general manager Monte McNair and hired Scott Perry as his replacement. Now, Perry has already made his first big decision as the Kings' general manager.

On Tuesday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Kings are finalizing a deal to hire Doug Christie as their new head coach.

The Sacramento Kings and interim coach Doug Christie are finalizing a multiyear contract to make Christie the franchise's next head coach, sources tell ESPN. Christie's agent, Andy Miller of Klutch Sports, negotiated a new deal for the Kings' full-time job this week. pic.twitter.com/OKdBWxszVm
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 29, 2025

Christie spent the last 51 games of the 2024-25 season as Sacramento's interim head coach after they fired Mike Brown, and he impressed in his first head coaching gig. Through 51 regular season games, Christie led the Kings to a 27-24 record, but could not do enough to get them back into the playoffs.

The Kings have now fallen short of the postseason for two consecutive seasons, and the new combination of Perry and Christie could help them build toward something better.

While Christie is a fine hire and the easy decision for the front office, it has the fan base split. Many people expected the Kings to go with an outside hire, especially considering all of the connections that Perry has around the NBA. Some others are skeptical that this was not Perry's call, and think that the Kings' ownership made this decision.

Via Brenden Nunes: "I struggle to believe that Scott Perry, known for his leaguewide connections, solely made the decision to keep Doug Christie around.

IF the new GM didn’t get to pick his HC, they’re repeating the same mistakes yet again."

I struggle to believe that Scott Perry, known for his leaguewide connections, solely made the decision to keep Doug Christie around.

IF the new GM didn’t get to pick his HC, they’re repeating the same mistakes yet again.
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) April 29, 2025

While this may or may not be the case, Perry is a well-respected executive around the league and should have the power to make his own calls around the organization. We saw what happened when ownership took control of the front office already, and many are hoping the Kings are finally straying away from that.

Many fans have taken to social media to comment to the hire, showing many mixed reactions.

"Kings are hiring someone who understands the level of success that this franchise once had. It’s probably if not the least attractive franchise to play for. See what happens," one fan commented.

Mar 19, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings interim head coach Doug Christie on the sideline during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

"This was Vivek’s decision not Scott Perry," another fan said.

"Great. Now get out of his way and let him grow as a coach. We have a chance to make a Sacramento great a long-term coach and the fans love him. If we can beef up with support staff, that'll be nice," a fan replied.

"Fair to assume that Scott wanted someone else and Vivek told him no, and honestly in this situation I’m ok with that. Doug earned this job and deserves it. But now Vivek needs to take a step back and let Scott and Doug lead this franchise," one fan said.

Former Kings center Richaun Holmes even took to social media to congratulate Doug Christie on the hiring.

Via Richaun Holmes: "YESSIR DOUG! Well deserved!"

YESSIR DOUG! Well deserved! https://t.co/JzGrTqoRrj
— Richaun Holmes (@Rich_Holmes22) April 29, 2025

Christie was an incredible player for the Kings, and now he gets the opportunity to leave his mark on the franchise as their new head coach. While many fans are split on the hire, with a full offseason of being able to retool his staff and have a say in roster construction, Christie could be much more impactful than we saw this season.

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