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The Sacramento Kings shocked the NBA world by firing Mike Brown on Friday. Their decision comes amid a five-game losing streak and a 13-18 start to the season. Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who was Brown's lead assistant with the Kings for the last two seasons, reacted to the surprise move.
“He’s very good at what he does. In my opinion, he's one of the best,” Fernandez said. “I wouldn’t be here without him. Obviously, to me, it’s really sad news, and I don’t like it. But it’s part of the business. Things can go one way where if you think about it, a year and a half ago, he’s Coach of the Year, and now this situation happens. I wasn't there in the last few weeks, months, but my Mike means a lot to me. Mike is, like I said, one of the best, and seeing this, it's something we can all say is part of the business, but personally, I don't like it.”
“I always say the same thing: making honest mistakes is always fine because you're trying to do what's best for the team. And that's what he always taught me is whatever you believe in, whatever you believe that your culture and everything you want to build is, just try to do what’s best for the group, not for yourself. That’s what he’s always done… And I'm pretty sure he did it up until the last second he was there.”
Brown was named NBA Coach of the Year during his first season with the Kings in 2022-23. He led Sacramento to the West's No. 1 seed before losing to the Golden State Warriors in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
Kings fire Mike Brown in surprise midseason move
The Kings have struggled to replicate that success over the last year and a half. They finished ninth in the West with a 46-36 record last season before losing to the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament.
Sacramento has been among the NBA's worst clutch teams this season, posting a 6-13 record in games within five points in the final five minutes. Brown’s final game was a 114-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, during which his team led by 19 points in the third quarter and 10 points with under three minutes left.
Kings star De’Aaron Fox, whose future has been a frequent subject of speculation, fouled Jaden Ivey on a four-point play to give Detroit the lead in the final seconds. Brown, who signed a three-year extension in June, was critical of his top player's mistake in his postgame press conference following the heartbreaking loss.
Kings assistant coach Doug Christie will be named interim coach, according to multiple reports. Christie has been an assistant with Sacramento since 2021-22 and was an analyst on the team's TV broadcasts for three seasons prior. He played for the Kings for five of his 15 NBA seasons.
