Sasha Vezenkov on Mike Brown: ‘He was not honest’

Jan 3, 2025, 10:22 AM | Updated: 10:22 am

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

In light of Mike Brown’s recent firing, one former Sacramento Kings player has shared his thoughts on his time with the former NBA Coach of the Year winner.

Sasha Vezenkov, the sharpshooting forward who spent his lone NBA season with Sacramento during the 2023-24 season, recently spoke of Brown in an interview with BasketNews’ Edvinas Jablonskis.

Brown was fired by the Kings last week amid a five-game losing streak that dropped Sacramento five games under the .500 mark for the first time in nearly three years.

Vezenkov, who returned overseas to the EuroLeague this past offseason following a tumultuous experience with the Kings, told Jablonskis that while he respected Brown’s basketball knowledge, he did not have the best experience with him in Sacramento:

“I try to learn from every coach, but I’m not going to lie to you. My experience with Mike Brown was not the best. I would never criticize his knowledge. He was the Coach of the Year in the NBA twice, so he proved something. But speaking of communication, I can’t say that our conversations were correct. He was not honest.”

Former Kings forward Sasha Vezenkov to BasketNews’ Edvinas Jablonskis – January 3, 2025

Olympiacos star Sasha Vezenkov discusses his NBA stint and challenges with Mike Brown 😬

He also names what did he miss the most about the EuroLeague and the improvement Olympiacos need to make for the 2nd part of the season:https://t.co/C1SkymdyAT

— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) January 3, 2025

Expectations were high for Vezenkov in the summer of 2023 when he inked a multi-year deal to finally make the leap from the EuroLeague to the NBA.

After securing EuroLeague MVP honors while playing for Greek club Olympiacos during the 2022-23 season, Vezenkov—the 57th overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft—joined a Sacramento Kings team that was coming off its first NBA Playoff appearance in 17 years.

While it appeared that Vezenkov, a 29-year-old sharpshooter, would fit in seamlessly with Sacramento’s pass-heavy and three-point-shooting-based offense, the forward found himself in and out of head coach Mike Brown’s rotations as the regular season began.

Once Vezenkov reemerged as a player in Brown’s rotation, the Bulgarian talent suffered a left ankle sprain that kept him sidelined for two weeks. Upon returning, Vezenkov injured his right ankle—a grade 3 partial tear—that kept him out of action for seven weeks, including the bulk of the Kings’ postseason push.

Between Vezenkov’s defensive struggles, injury issues, and inconsistent playing time, his fit with the team came into question heading into the offseason.

“Overall, it was, I can say, a, like, weird season,” Vezenkov responded when asked to reflect on his season following Sacramento’s Play-In loss to New Orleans last April.

“Ups and downs, new game, new life, a couple of injuries,” Vezenkov continued. “I tried to adjust as fast as possible, and you know, unfortunately, we finished too early. Everybody wanted to continue and go deep into the playoffs, but we have to learn from that.

“It was, as I said, a new experience, and I wanted every day to become better. Unfortunately, those two injuries, I think they held me back, but the whole situation was a little bit difficult and different.”

Over 42 appearances with the Kings, Vezenkov posted averages of 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game on 44 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent on attempts from three-point range. The 6’9 forward averaged 12.2 minutes per contest, ranking tenth among players on Sacramento’s roster.

The Kings traded Vezenkov, Davion Mitchell, and the 45th pick to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Jalen McDaniels on June 27th in a cap-clearing move and paved the way for DeMar DeRozan’s arrival in Sacramento.

Vezenkov returned to Olympiacos on a five-year contract that made him the second-highest player in the club’s history, and the forward has thrived in his return to Greece, averaging 19.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game this season.

More Kings coverage from Sactown Sports

It’s been a tumultuous week for the Sacramento Kings, but two straight wins have alleviated some pressure.

While the Kings have secured back-to-back victories, the firing of head coach Mike Brown could leave a lasting imprint on the organization, especially when factoring in the future of star guard De’Aaron Fox.

The Athletic’s Sam Amick joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to share his intel of what transpired leading to Brown’s firing, make clear that Fox was not responsible for the decision, share the latest trade rumblings surrounding Sacramento, and much more.

Full interview below: