Former Knicks Coach Hired By Kings

Former New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson has gained some keys to the Sacramento kingdom.

Per Shams Charania of ESPN, Woodson has been hired to serve as the Sacramento Kings' associate head coach under newly-minted full-time boss Doug Christie. It's Woodson's first job in the Association since he served as an assistant on Tom Thibodeau's original staff in New York during the 2020-21 campaign.

Woodson, 67, is fresh off four years as the head coach of Indiana University Bloomington's legendary men's basketball program. He amassed an 82-53 record at the helm but missed the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons. Woodson announced that he step down from the role in February and finished his final season at his alma mater with a 19-13 mark (10-10 Big Ten). The Hoosiers turned down invitations to other major postseason tournaments and replaced Woodson with former West Virginia boss Darian DeVries.

Mike Woodson, Carmelo Anthony — January 5, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson talks with small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

In Knicks lore, Woodson is perhaps best-known as the head coach of the 2012-13 group that posted a 54-28 record and a second-place finish on the Eastern Conference bracket. Woodson originally took over in the latter stages of the prior campaign, which saw him post an 18-6 tally in the wake of Mike D'Antoni's resignation. Though his tenure ended with a disappointing 37-45 mark in 2013-14, Woodson's win percentage of .580 is third-best in Knicks coaching history behind only Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy.

Woodson previously played one season for the Knicks, who drafted him out of Indiana with the 12th choice in 1980. In other coaching endeavors, Woodson previously oversaw the resurrection of the Atlanta Hawks, ending the franchise's lengthy playoff drought in 2008.

As they look to get back on the right track, the Kings have turned to the services of former Knicks: the team recently hired former general manager Scott Perry to fill the same role in California's capital while Christie played parts of two seasons with the Knicks between 1994 and 1996.

Woodson is the first official hire of Christie, who took over for the fired Mike Brown in December. As an interim coach, Christie guided the Kings to a 27-24 record, which proved good enough to compete in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament.

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