Mike Brown was fired as head coach of the Sacramento Kings on Friday, just 31 games into his third season (with a 13–18 record) and six months after signing a three-year contract extension.
Several of Brown’s peers had thoughts to share when asked for their reactions by reporters. Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was particularly outspoken, having been fired by the Kings just 24 games into his second season as head coach in 2015.
“I’m not surprised that Mike Brown got fired, becuase I got fired by the same person,” Malone said, presumably referring to Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé.
Malone said he was initially surprised, then wasn’t because of the harsh realities of being an NBA head coach. Success is credited to the players, while failure is ultimately blamed on the coach.
“No class, no balls,” he added, citing the Kings firing Brown over the phone as he was driving to the airport. “That’s what I’ll say about that.”
Steve Kerr, who played under Brown while Brown was an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs and later had Brown as a top assistant on his Golden State Warriors staff, took a subtle shot at the Kings while praising the front office he coaches under with the Warriors.
“I know they’ve been in a tough spell, but this is the NBA. We all go through tough spells,” Kerr said, via reporter Mark Medina. “I feel very fortunate to work in an organization that really values continuity, and that allows our team and our staff, our group, to get through the rough patches.”
Jordi Fernandez on the Kings firing Mike Brown: “He’s very good at what he does. In my opinion, one of the best. I wouldn’t be here without him. It’s sad news. I don’t like it. It’s part of the business. A year and a half ago he’s Coach of the Year and now this situation happens” pic.twitter.com/KQEGb1SZcz
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) December 27, 2024
Brooklyn Nets coach Jordi Fernandez was an assistant under Malone in Denver and an associate head coach with the Kings for the past two seasons before becoming a head coach.
“He’s very good at what he does. In my opinion, one of the best,” Fernandez said before Friday’s matchup with the Spurs, via Michael Scotto. “I wouldn’t be here without him. It’s sad news. I don’t like it. It’s part of the business. A year and a half ago, he’s Coach of the Year and now this situation happens.”
As Fernandez pointed out, Brown won NBA Coach of the Year honors for guiding the Kings to a 48–34 record and a playoff berth. (It was the second time he won the award.) Overall, he finished with a 107–88 record in Sacramento.
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was surprised the Sacramento Kings fired Mike Brown:
“The firing of Mike Brown today was just shocking to me … I view him as one of the standard bearers for integrity for our profession, and I’m just, just absolutely shocked” pic.twitter.com/7UN07chApU
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) December 27, 2024
Before his team’s game versus the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle expressed his support for his former assistant. Brown was on Carlisle’s Pacers staff during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.
“It was just shocking to me,” Carlisle told reporters, via ClutchPoints’ Daniel Donabedian. “I had the privilege of working with Mike when I was in Indiana as the head coach the first time. I view him as one of the standard bearers for integrity for our profession.
“I’m just absolutely shocked that that decision was made,” he added. “He’ll certainly land on his feet. You look at the job that he did and the turnaround that they had, it’s really hard to believe.”
Brown helped engineer an 18-game turnaround in his first season, with the Kings going from 30–52 under Luke Walton and interim coach Alvin Gentry to a 48–34 record and first-place finish in the Pacific Division.
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