Former Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Brown hoping to bring 'leadership' to Sacramento Kings
- Sean Fisher
- 23 June 2022
Just a day after helping the Warriors to a fourth championship in eight years, Mike Brown was revealed as the new Sacramento Kings head coach.
Mike Brown's six years as assistant coach at the Golden State Warriors has come to an end, with the 52-year-old stepping back up to become head coach at the Sacramento Kings.
Brown started the month by helping the Warriors defeat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, only to immediately begin his role with the Kings one day after winning the series.
It was confirmed that Brown would join the Kings back in May, and it seems the former Cavaliers and Lakers coach was keen to start his new role.
Brown confirmed on Wednesday that he's already been "heavily involved" in planning the side's off-season, including having "talked to every single player on multiple occasions."
My favorite part from Mike Brown's press conference today, talking about what NEEDS to happen in order to change the culture of the Sacramento Kings.
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) June 21, 2022
Love that he didn't shy away from including the organization, not just players and coaches, in the plan. pic.twitter.com/DRgBoG7AAA
He'll face a tough task in California, with the Kings currently enduring a 16-year playoff drought - the longest in franchise history.
Sacramento's .366 winning percentage was its worst since the 2017/18 season.
"First of all, I'd like to start out by thanking everyone in Warrior land," Brown said.
"One of the main reasons that I was brought here was to bring some leadership in a lot of different areas.
"I've been with a lot of different teams in my 30 years. I've experienced something that I believe can get organizations over the top, not just in one year but year in and year out, and that's having a winning culture.
"My job is to lead in that area. Every organization out there, in my opinion, has a soul. The stronger that soul is the better that organization will be."
Coach Brown has way too much swag to be called “grandpa” 😂
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) June 22, 2022
Hear more from the Kings head coach, aka “Big Mike”, in the full, 30-minute interview ➡️ https://t.co/WnWhpyvfRf pic.twitter.com/YfpJxeLauF
Brown did enjoy some courtside experience last season having occasionally stepped in for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr when he was absent through Covid-19.
Now back in a hotseat of his own, the 2009 NBA Coach of the Year will hope to emulate some of his earlier success.
