A day after losing their fifth-straight game, the Sacramento Kings decided to part ways with head coach Mike Brown. But the timing of the firing was a bit odd, to say the least.
Despite the loss, which came in dramatic fashion after the Kings allowed a four-point play in the final moments, it appeared as if it would be business as usual on Friday morning for the Kings. The team went through their practice as usual before having Brown speak to the media as planned.
During his post-practice media session, minutes before being fired, Mike Brown spoke about the skill of players in leadership roles taking accountability when they make mistakes or things go wrong.
In his opinion, great leaders have that skill. pic.twitter.com/G4ipd1ZMHY
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) December 27, 2024
I just asked Mike Brown about the pressure mounting on him and how he weathers the storm as head coaches are always to blame for losses. This was his response prior to being fired by the Kings moments later. https://t.co/BrOXIOLSmu pic.twitter.com/8ph2Rx9H2C
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) December 27, 2024
However, just minutes later, Brown was relieved of his duties as acting head coach of the Kings, first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Just In: The Sacramento Kings are parting ways with head coach Mike Brown, sources told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/mNdn5EOv4U
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 27, 2024
It’s unclear whether Brown was let go because of something he said on Friday, the team’s struggles throughout the season, the collapse on Thursday night, or a mix of all of these things. But it sure seems like the smart thing for the Kings to do would be to have let him go ahead of Friday’s practice if their mind was already made up.
We saw a similar situation in the NFL in November when the Chicago Bears parted ways with head coach Matt Eberflus after letting him talk to the media hours prior, which of course resulted in Bears executives receiving a ton of flack for the timing of the move.
This is perhaps even worse considering Brown was let go just minutes after finishing up his media availability. Especially when you consider Brown is a coach who did experience plenty of success in Sacramento, ending a 16-year playoff drought for the organization in the 2022-23 season.
It’s fair to argue that Brown deserved far better than to be let go minutes after speaking to the media. So it will sure be interesting to see whether there are critics that emerge about how this was handled by the Kings.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.