Sacramento Kings coach Doug Christie’s job remains safe despite the team’s 8-29 record, team sources said. The first-year head coach is in the first season of a three-year contract with the final season as a team option. General manager Scott Perry has given Christie strong support during the difficult start to the season.
“He has an organization that has his back and believes he will be there to help us get through it and turn the corner,” Perry said.
Christie took over in December 2024 after Mike Brown was fired following an 0-5 homestand. The Kings hired Christie in part because he shares Perry’s vision of building a physical, fast team that emphasizes competitiveness and strength.
Christie’s closeness to Perry has been evident in his public posts all season. Management’s support has given Christie the freedom to train his team on efforts he often deems inadequate. The new head coach has already been hypercritical of his players several times this season.
“I wish I could have put on the jersey at 55,” Christie said after the Nov. 13 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. “I would have shown you better than that. At least I’m going to use all six faults. I may not be able to move, but I’m going to fucking destroy someone.”
Christie said knowing he has organizational support allows him to speak freely to his veteran roster. The coach emphasized that his direct approach reflects the culture Perry wants to establish in Sacramento.
“Knowing he has my back allows me to speak freely,” Christie said. “Those aren’t the things I’m going to do all the time, but what I want to say is this is who we are and this is what we’re about. And we stand for this and it’s not just me saying it. Scott is with me.”
Perry and Christie both visited the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp in August to study the organization’s continued success. Kings executives spent three nights at Saint Vincent College with access to coach Mike Tomlin and his staff. Christie attended offensive line, defensive back and quarterback meetings during the visit.
Perry wants Sacramento to emulate Pittsburgh’s culture of competitiveness and consistency. Christie indicated that he immediately aligned himself with Perry’s philosophy after watching his introductory press conference.
“I saw Scott’s first press conference,” Christie said. “I thought, ‘Damn, that sounds like me.’ I was vibrating with it.”
The Kings rank 28th in defensive rankings and 29th in offensive rankings through 37 games. Sacramento has lost five straight games by double digits. Christie serves as the face of Perry’s rebuilding plan, despite the poor record and challenging roster construction.
Perry emphasized that the rebuild will take time, but maintained his commitment to Christie leading the franchise through the process. This represents a trial period for Christie as the new head coach, but team sources indicated his position will remain stable for the foreseeable future.
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