Kings Sign Doug Christie to Multi-Year Deal as New Head Coach

The Sacramento Kings are in the final stages of completing a deal that would elevate interim head coach Doug Christie to the full-time head coaching role.

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ESPN's Shams Charania shared that the Kings and Christie are finalizing a multi-year contract to make him the franchise's next head coach.

Christie recorded a 27-24 record once he took over for former head coach Mike Brown in late December.

Christie spent most of his career with the Kings from 2000-05. He played the best basketball of his career in Sacramento, where he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2003 and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team three times.

Christie started his broadcasting career with the Kings as a color commentator for NBC Sports during the 2018–19 season. In August 2021, he transitioned from the broadcast booth to the bench, joining the Kings' coaching staff as an assistant.

The Kings finished their season with a 40-42 record, which was good for the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, the Kings were unable to win the Play-In tournament game they hosted against the Dallas Mavericks.

That ended their season, but there is optimism for the Kings moving forward as they not only will have a new head coach but also a new general manager: Scott Perry. Perry recently replaced former general manager Monte McNair. McNair and the team mutually agreed to part ways.

Christie is now at the helm of things, but the real question is what kind of roster will he coach next season? As things stand, Perry is not adamant about wanting to tear things down to the studs.

"First and foremost, we need to establish an identity of what it means to be a Sacramento King. So when teams play us, you got to know what you're facing. That is order No. 1," Perry said. "... It's got to be based on toughness, a defensive mindset, a sharing-of-the-ball mindset, a lot of accountability, discipline, hard work."

"Those got to be all of the components and variables of what it means to be a Sacramento Kings player and a part of the Sacramento Kings team. So, that needs to be reflected on a daily basis, even when the fans aren't watching," Perry continued. "But when we get on that court, win, lose or draw, we want that to shine through."

This offseason will be crucial for the Kings and their direction moving forward. Nonetheless, Sacramento feels it now has the coach who can lead it back to glory.

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