Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr lavished praise on Mike Brown after he was hired by the Sacramento Kings.
Ahead of Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors learned that there will be changes made to their coaching staff. On Sunday, May 8, reports indicated that assistant Mike Brown had agreed to a four-year contract with the Sacramento Kings to be their next head coach.
Brown had been on Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s staff since 2016, and ahead of Game 4, lavished praise on his longtime associate head coach.
Steve Kerr praises Mike Brown after he was hired as the Kings’ next head coach
Brown had been with Golden State since 2016, and was part of the team’s three NBA Championship-winning seasons. He is also a former 2009 NBA Coach of the Year during his time leading the Cleveland Cavaliers, who he also coached to their first Eastern Conference Championship in 2007.
Overall, Brown has a 347-216 record in the regular-season and a 47-36 record in the playoffs as a head coach.
As Kerr pointed out in the tweet above, Brown was set to be part of the Warriors’ staff through the remainder of the playoffs. Sure enough, the team needed him for Game 4, as Kerr was placed in the league’s health and safety protocols. As a result, Brown served as the interim head coach for Golden State for Game 4.
The Kings certainly had to feel great about the decision to hire Brown, as the Warriors did bounce back after trailing 69-62 entering the fourth quarter. Yet, the Warriors battled back with 39 points in the final 12 minutes of regulation to win 101-98 and take a 3-1 series lead.
Sacramento got their new head coach in Brown, who received quite the endorsement from Kerr.