The Sacramento Kings are retaining head coach Doug Christie after a brutal first full season in cost, according to reports.
Christie took over for the Kings on an interim foundation in December 2024 following the firing of Mike Brown – placing collectively a respectable 27-24 end – but fared far worse this 12 months with Sacramento set to end the season in the cellar of the Western Conference.
Entering Sunday’s season finale against the Blazers, the Kings are 22-59, which is tied with the equally tanking Utah Jazz for the fourth-worst mark in the league and the worst mark in the West.
Doug Christie will reportedly be retained as the Kings’ head coach. NBAE via Getty Images
However, The Athletic was first to report the news that the Kings would be maintaining Christie, who got just 19 video games from Domantas Sabonis and 39 from Zach LaVine this season.
Christie, who was given the job on a full-time foundation last offseason, did lead Sacramento to a more aggressive end down the stretch as the Kings have gone 8-12 over their last 20 video games.
However, he and the franchise were still investigated by the league following a curious late-game choice this previous week.
The Kings were INTENTIONALLY fouling Seth Curry in crunch time to lose the sport…
We’ve NEVER seen this degree of tanking 😭 pic.twitter.com/fU9q7d4JEV
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) April 8, 2026
With the Kings main the Warriors by one level with 3:15 left on Tuesday, Doug McDermott deliberately fouled Golden State’s Seth Curry – a profession 86.4 free throw shooter – placing the guard at the line for two pictures.
Many saw the play as an egregious tanking offense, as the Kings have been jostling with the likes of the Jazz, Pacers, Nets and Wizards for draft lottery odds,
However, an NBA investigation later cleared Christie and the Kings, explaining that the coach instructed his team to foul because he mistakenly thought his team had a foul to give, and needed to get in one of his ‘use it or lose it’ timeouts.
Sacramento in the end fell 110-105 in that contest.
Christie said after a win over the Jazz last month that “tanking is the last thing” he’d do, and he has performed veteran scorer DeMar DeRozan heavy minutes for much of the season.
Regardless, the Kings will be taught their NBA draft destiny when the lottery is held on May 10.
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