The Sacramento Kings have decided to retain Doug Christie as their head coach for another complete season, even after experiencing one of the most disappointing campaigns in the organization’s history.
An anonymous source with knowledge of the situation confirmed Sunday that Christie will continue in his role for the second year of his contract, which includes a team option extending through the 2027-28 season. The individual requested anonymity since the organization has not made an official announcement, though The Athletic initially broke the story.
Christie originally stepped into the role on a temporary basis following the dismissal of Mike Brown during the early stages of the 2024-25 campaign. Under Christie’s leadership, Sacramento posted a 27-24 record for the remainder of that season before their playoff hopes ended in the play-in tournament.
Following that season, the Kings brought in Scott Perry as their new general manager and chose to keep Christie as the permanent head coach. However, this past season proved far more challenging, as injuries to crucial players including Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray, and DeAndre Hunter severely impacted the team’s performance from the beginning.
By mid-February, Sacramento held the NBA’s worst record at 12-46, which included a devastating 16-game losing streak. The team managed to show improvement in their final games, posting a 10-13 record leading up to Sunday’s season finale, though this late surge may negatively impact their draft lottery position. Currently, the Kings share the league’s fourth-worst record with Utah.
Entering Sunday’s final game against Portland, Sacramento’s 59 losses represent the second-highest total in franchise history, trailing only the 65 losses recorded during the 2008-09 season. While rookies Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell provided bright spots, the organization is counting on lottery luck to secure a foundational player after trading away star point guard De’Aaron Fox during the previous season.
The Kings’ playoff drought continues, having reached the postseason only once over the past two decades – a first-round exit to Golden State in 2023 during Brown’s inaugural season as head coach.
Since Vivek Ranadive became the team’s owner in 2013, Sacramento has compiled the NBA’s fourth-worst overall record. During this period, the franchise has cycled through five top executives and nine different head coaches, including interim appointments.
