The Sacramento Kings and interim coach Doug Christie are nearing a deal to make the former NBA guard the team’s full-time bench boss.

Sacramento fired head coach Mike Brown after getting off to a 13-18 start this season and replaced him with Christie, who led the Kings to a 27-24 record and spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

The ninth-seeded Kings fell 120-106 to the No. 10 seed Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento’s second straight exit from the Play-In Tournament after winning the Pacific Division title in 2022-23 in Brown’s first season as head coach.

The 54-year-old Christie played in the NBA from 1992-2007, including parts of five seasons with Sacramento, before joining his former team as an assistant coach prior to the 2021-22 campaign.

The Kings have not won a play-off series since advancing to the second round in 2004.

The Sacramento Kings and interim coach Doug Christie are finalizing a multiyear contract to make Christie the franchise's next head coach, sources tell ESPN. Christie's agent, Andy Miller of Klutch Sports, negotiated a new deal for the Kings' full-time job this week. pic.twitter.com/OKdBWxszVm

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 29, 2025