Doug Christie’s future with the Kings disclosed following a challenging season

Sacramento Kings to Keep Doug Christie as Head Coach

The Sacramento Kings have decided to retain head coach Doug Christie, despite encountering a rocky first full season. Reports indicate this decision follows various challenges the team faced throughout the year.

Christie initially stepped in as the Kings’ coach on an interim basis in December 2024 after Mike Brown was let go. He managed a fairly decent record of 27-24 during that stretch. However, this season has seen a sharp decline, with Sacramento poised to finish at the very bottom of the Western Conference standings.

As the team heads into its final game against the Blazers, the Kings hold a record of 22-59, which ties them for the fourth-worst in the league and ranks them at the lowest in the Western Conference, sharing this unfortunate spot with the struggling Utah Jazz.

The Athletic was the first to report that the Kings would stick with Christie, who faced significant challenges this season, including limited playtime from key players like Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine.

Last offseason, after being named full-time head coach, Christie guided Sacramento to a more competitive finish, notably going 8-12 in the last 20 games. However, both he and the organization are under league investigation following a perplexing decision made during a recent game.

In a controversial move, Doug McDermott intentionally fouled Golden State’s Seth Curry when the Kings were ahead by a single point with just over three minutes remaining. Many fans perceived this as blatant tanking since the Kings were vying for better draft lottery odds.

Nevertheless, an NBA investigation later cleared Christie of any wrongdoing, clarifying that he mistakenly thought the team needed to commit a foul and attempted to use a timeout effectively.

Ultimately, the Kings lost that particular game 110-105. Christie stated following a victory over the Jazz last month, “Tanking is the last thing you do.” Throughout the season, he has often relied on veteran scorer DeMar DeRozan for crucial minutes.