The NBA Finals are set, and while the matchup features the Knicks and Spurs, the Kings may find themselves watching with mixed emotions.
After all, two of the biggest figures from Sacramento’s recent past are now competing for a championship.
Mike Brown is coaching the Knicks. De’Aaron Fox is leading the Spurs. Not long ago, the pair helped deliver one of the most exciting seasons Kings fans had seen in years.
Brown guided Sacramento to 48 wins and a playoff berth in 2023, ending the franchise’s lengthy postseason drought. Behind Fox, the Kings pushed the defending champion Warriors to seven games in the first round and appeared positioned to become a fixture in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Instead, things unraveled.
Brown was fired during the 2024-25 season after Sacramento stumbled to a 13-18 start. Reports at the time suggested growing tension between the coach and portions of the locker room, with Brown’s public criticism of the team following a loss to Detroit serving as a flashpoint.
The Kings have yet to regain the momentum they enjoyed under Brown. Meanwhile, he now has the Knicks in the NBA Finals.
Fox’s departure followed a few months later.
The former franchise point guard was traded to San Antonio in a deal that brought Zach LaVine and multiple draft picks to Sacramento. Fox later acknowledged that Brown’s firing played a significant role in his decision to seek a fresh start elsewhere.
“I wasn’t going to play for another coach,” Fox told ESPN after the trade, via Sporting News.
Now, Fox has helped guide the Spurs to the Finals in his first full season alongside Victor Wembanyama.
For Sacramento, it serves as another reminder of how quickly things can change in the NBA.
The Kings finished 22-60 this season and missed the playoffs. Brown and Fox, meanwhile, are four wins away from a championship.
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