The news of the Kings firing Mike Brown caught the NBA world by surprise.
On Friday, Brown held practice and addressed the media but was fired prior to the team's flight for its Saturday night game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The news also was a surprise to Sacramento's players, including star guard De’Aaron Fox, who learned of the development shortly after general manager Monte McNair communicated his decision to Brown.
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“It was surprising,” Fox told reporters after Saturday’s shootaround. “I found out a minute before everyone else did.”
Although it was a surprise to lose Brown, the unanimous winner of the 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year award, Fox alluded that he’s no stranger to coaching changes, having experienced four since being selected by Sacramento in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Interim head coach Doug Christie, who is expected to remain in that role for the rest of the 2024-25 season, will become Fox's fifth coach in the NBA.
“I mean, I’ve been through a coaching change before,” Fox added. “I think for some of the guys it’s the first time. I mean, you got to keep moving. This is Game 32, so we still have a long season to go.”
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But as one of the Kings’ star players, does Fox feel any pressure or guilt when a change of that magnitude occurs?
"Pressure or guilt?" Fox said. "I mean, obviously, we all know the job that we have. You can be traded at any point, released, cut, fired, whatever it may be.
“I mean, I wouldn't use the word 'guilt.' But that's the nature of the job that we have. But, I mean, obviously him signing his extension this summer, we felt like we'd be together a whole lot longer, but that's the decision that they made.
"But at the end of the day, too, he's still getting paid. A great part of being an NBA player, NBA coach is those things can happen, but contracts are guaranteed, so.”
Malik Monk, on the other hand, came across the news like the majority of people outside of the organization.
"I've seen it on Twitter," Monk said Saturday. "I think like everybody else did."
And, of course, the 26-year-old guard, who signed a four-year contract extension with Sacramento in July, was also caught off guard by Brown’s exit.
“Shocked, just like everyone else, I guess,” Monk added. “But it’s the NBA, anything can happen, so next man up, I guess.
Under Brown, Monk arguably played the best basketball of his career, finishing second in the race for the 2023-24 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
There’s plenty of reasons why Monk will miss Brown.
"The energy he brought, the passion he had for the game, the passion he had just being on the basketball court, that's what I took most out of him," Monk said.
“He never took anything for granted, and yeah, thank you, Mike."