Mike Brown and Domantas Sabonis reportedly had ‘tricky’ relationship: ‘Domantas would push back a lot’

The Sacramento Kings reached a stunning decision to fire head coach Mike Brown last week amid a poor start to the 2024-25 season.

Brown, who won Coach of the Year honors with the Kings in the 2022-23 campaign, was in his third season with Sacramento before being fired.

Now that the dust is beginning to settle following the move, some behind-the-scenes info is being shared. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Brown and Kings star Domantas Sabonis had a “tricky” relationship.

“Sabonis and Brown were known to have a tricky relationship where Domantas would push back a lot on Mike, and so, some angst on that front,” Amick said.

Despite what Sabonis and Brown’s relationship might have been like, Amick didn’t seem to indicate that it was a core reason for Brown’s firing.

In fact, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Sacramento’s stars weren’t consulted before the move was made.

“After informing Brown, [Wes] Wilcox and [Monte] McNair called [De’Aaron] Fox, [DeMar] DeRozan and All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis,” Shelburne wrote. “Fox and DeRozan were getting ready to head to the airport. Sabonis was home sick and missed the call. None of them were consulted on the decision.”

The head coach’s exit comes just months after he was given an extension with the team, adding to the surprise of the move.

Brown did an impressive job of pumping some life into the franchise as soon as he took over. He inherited a team that went 30-52 in the 2021-22 season, then he led the squad to 48 wins and a playoff bid in his first season at the helm.

In his second season, Brown again led the Kings to a winning record, but their 46-36 mark wasn’t quite enough for an outright playoff bid. Instead, they landed in the play-in tournament, where they were eliminated.

This season, the Kings were off to a shaky start under Brown, going 13-18 through 31 games. Despite roster flaws, the franchise opted to make a change at head coach.

Even if Sabonis and Brown had a complicated relationship, the big man played some of the best basketball of his NBA career under Brown. In Brown’s first season with the Kings, Sabonis earned MVP votes for the first time in his career, then he received MVP votes again the following season. He also earned All-NBA nods in each of those campaigns, his first ever.

Now, the Kings are entering a new era, and it’s anyone’s guess whether the decision to move on from Brown will age well or look like a mistake after some time passes.