Will new Kings GM Scott Perry keep coach Doug Christie?

Jason Anderson, The Sacramento Bee on Apr 18, 2025

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Interim Kings coach Doug Christie said his work was not done following Wednesday’s season-ending loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA play-in tournament.

Christie said the organization had offered him no assurances, but he made it clear he wanted to keep his job after the Kings suffered a 120-106 loss to the Mavericks at Golden 1 Center.

“This is where I want to be,” Christie said. “I think you guys know that.”

Team sources told The Athletic that Christie is “well positioned” to keep the job, but his fate could be decided by new general manager Scott Perry. A league source told The Sacramento Bee the Kings were finalizing a deal with Perry on Thursday after parting ways with former general manager Monte McNair late Wednesday night.

Christie took over as interim coach when Mike Brown was fired Dec. 27 after the Kings went 13-18 to start the season. The Kings went 27-24 in 51 games under Christie to finish ninth in the Western Conference.

Christie seems to have strong support among his players despite the adversity they faced this season.

“I got all the respect and love for Doug,” Kings forward DeMar DeRozan said. “I had a relationship with Doug years ago, way before I even thought he would be a coach or I would be in Sacramento, so the respect and love I have for him is unlimited.

“To see him thrown in the position he was thrown in and rally us together when everything was so chaotic, he held his own. First time being in that position with so many uncertainties, he kept us together. That says a lot about the capability he has to bond a team together.”

Christie played for the Kings from 2000-05. He later worked as a color commentator for Kings games before leaving his broadcasting career to become an assistant coach in 2021.

During his playing career, Christie helped the Kings reach the brink of greatness before they lost a controversial seven-game series to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2002 Western Conference finals. Christie still wants to bring an NBA championship to Sacramento.

“I need to finish what I started,” Christie said. “That’s the only reason I ever even stepped onto the sideline from where I was at initially because I had to exorcise some demons for myself.”

Christie, who is driven by his love for the Kings, their fans and the community, wants to do away with Sacramento’s reputation as a floundering franchise.

“When you hear the narratives that are written by people who are not here and just have random stuff to say, it irks me because they don’t know,” Christie said. “It’s an incredible fan base. It’s an incredible organization, and when it’s right and you’re going around beating the hell out of people, not a lot of people have a lot to say. When you’re getting your butt beat, they’ve got a lot to say, and I feel you, but when that tide turns and the rabbit has the gun, we’ll see.”