Mike Brown named 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year

From 2006 through 2022, a revolving door brought in and sent out Sacramento Kings head coaches.

Twelve head coaches over the past 17 years have taken the reigns of the franchise with hopes of securing a postseason berth–much like Hall of Fame head coach Rick Adelman’s eight-year run of playoff appearances.

Instead of playoff celebrations, those twelve head coaches all came and went as Sacramento’s playoff drought reached 16 seasons.

When the time came for the Kings to select its next head coach, general manager Monte McNair brought in then-Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Brown to try and lead this team to the promised land.

Just under a year from Brown’s hiring date of May 9th, Sacramento has reached the NBA Playoffs and is currently up 2-0 in the first round on Brown’s old team, the Warriors.

And now, Brown has been named Coach of the Year by the NBA after leading the Kings to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Brown is the first unanimous pick for Coach of the Year in NBA History, as all 100 voters picked him as their top choice for the award.

Mike Brown is the 2022-23 @NBA Coach of the Year! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/eyI8lNQRIC

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 19, 2023

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 is 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)

Sacramento’s 2022-23 season has its latest triumph, with Brown taking home Coach of the Year honors just 24 hours after De’Aaron Fox was named NBA Clutch Player of the Year.

For a franchise that needed badly needed a culture change and a change in direction, Brown has done that with his winning attitude, the expectation of success, and drive to win.

“I’m not here to coach regular season games,” Brown said during his opening night press conference on October 18th. “It’s just as simple as that.”

Mission accomplished.

Brown and the Kings are playing–and winning–NBA Playoff games, as they have a chance to put the defending champion Warriors in a 3-0 hole on Thursday night in San Francisco.

Not a bad first season as head coach. Fans have long joked about building a statue for the head coach that ended the Kings’ playoff drought. At this point, putting a Mike Brown statue outside of Golden 1 Center might not be a bad idea.

Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule

NBA Western Conference Playoffs – First Round

• Thursday, April 20th – Game 3: Sacramento Kings @ Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PST
• Sunday, April 23rd – Game 4: Sacramento Kings @ Golden State Warriors – 12:30 PM PST
• Wednesday, April 26th – Game 5**: Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors – TBD
• Friday, April 28th – Game 6**: Sacramento Kings @ Golden State Warriors – TBD
• Sunday, April 30th – Game 7**: Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors – TBD

**If necessary

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