Mike Brown on the important summer ahead for the Sacramento Kings

May 3, 2023, 9:26 AM

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 25: Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown gestures from the bench a...

(Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

Sacramento Kings Beat Writer

Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown met with the media for his end-of-season press conference on Tuesday before heading into the offseason.

The reigning Coach of the Year winner reflected on the team’s successful season, recapped the seven-game series against the Golden State Warriors, discussed what the Kings need to improve on this summer, and much more.

In his first year with the organization, Brown led the Kings to a top-three finish in the Western Conference standings, a record of 48-34, the team’s first Pacific Division title since 2003, and first playoff appearance in 17 years.

The 53-year-old was the first Kings head coach to win Coach of the Year since Cotton Fitzsimmons secured the award in 1978-79 when the franchise was located in Kansas City, Missouri. Brown is also just the third coach in franchise history to win the award, joining Fitzsimmons and Phil Johnson (1974-75).

Brown, who previously was named Coach of the Year following the 2008-09 season while coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers, is one of 11 head coaches in NBA history to win the award more than once:

Don Nelson (3)
Pat Riley (3)
Gregg Popovich (3)
Gene Shue (2)
Hubie Brown (2)
Bill Fitch (2)
Cotton Fitzsimmons (2)
Mike D’Antoni (2)
Mike Budenholzer (2)
Tom Thibodeau (2)
Mike Brown (2)

Quotes

Brown on losing to the Warriors in seven games

“It was a necessary step in our growth. Sometimes you have to go through the pain of some adversity and pain to find out how you’re going to get to that next level.”

Brown on how important summer will be for Sacramento

“This summer is going to be huge for us. I am proud of what we accomplished in year one, but we have a lot of work to do. It’s only going to get harder from here. People are going to come at us, they know exactly how we’re going to play and they’re going to gameplan against it.”

Sacramento Kings Offseason Schedule