Ex-Celtics Star Reacts to Kings' New Head Coach Hiring

Former Boston Celtics and Sacramento Kings star Isaiah Thomas showed support for the recent Doug Christie hiring.

Mar 22, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings interim head coach Doug Christie yells during the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings started their 2025 offseason off with a bang, hiring a new general manager and head coach before the first round of the playoffs was done.

The Kings brought in longtime NBA executive Scott Perry as their new general manager after parting ways with Monte McNair, and for his first big task in the new position, he made a significant coaching decision.

31 games into their 2024-25 campaign, the Kings fired Mike Brown and promoted Doug Christie to interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Christie went 27-24 through 51 games and missed out on the playoffs, but the franchise felt like he deserved a real chance.

Scott Perry and the Kings decided to bring back Doug Christie as their full-time head coach, dropping the interim tag and signing him to a multi-year contract.

Kings officially announce Doug Christie as new head coach: pic.twitter.com/9vw52x8jj1

— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) May 1, 2025

This was a big decision for the Kings, especially when many expected Perry to lean toward an outside hire, but many people are excited to have Christie stay in Sacramento.

12-year NBA veteran and former Kings draftee Isaiah Thomas took to Instagram to react to the new hiring, showing his support for Christie and his old team.

Isaiah Thomas: "🔥🔥🔥"

Thomas spent three seasons with the Kings after they drafted him 60th overall in 2011, but ultimately made a real name for himself with the Boston Celtics. Through two-and-a-half years in Boston, Thomas made two All-Star appearances and even finished top-five in NBA MVP voting, but the undersized star still showed love to the franchise that first gave him a chance.

Christie, a former Kings guard himself, is certainly expected to make a big difference as the full-time head coach in Sacramento, and the new pairing of him and Perry has the potential to revive the struggling franchise.