Former Knicks Guard Named Kings Interim Coach

New York Knicks fans may recognize the new Sacramento Kings coach.
Feb 14, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Sacramento Kings assistant coach Doug Christie before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Feb 14, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Sacramento Kings assistant coach Doug Christie before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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A former member of the New York Knicks is now leading one of the benches in the NBA.

"Doug Christie is expected to be the Sacramento Kings’ interim head coach, sources tell ESPN. Christie has been an assistant with the Kings since 2021-22 and played in Sacramento for five of his 15 NBA seasons," NBA insider Shams Charania tweeted.

Christie, 54, played 15 seasons in the NBA after he was the No. 17 overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. However, he never played a game for the franchise and was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers before making his pro debut.

Shortly after the Knicks went to the 1994 NBA Finals, they acquired Christie from the Lakers in exchange for a pair of second-round picks. Christie made his debut for the Knicks on Dec. 27, 1994, 30 years to the day where he was named the interim head coach following the firing of Mike Brown.

During his time with the Knicks, Christie participated in the 1996 NBA Slam Dunk competition during All-Star Weekend in San Antonio. However, he didn't play very much, which led to his trade to the Toronto Raptors.

That's when Christie's career began to take off. With an opportunity to play, Christie made the most of his time with the expansion Raptors. Christie saw the rebuild through, making it to the playoffs with Toronto in 2000.

That summer, Christie was dealt to the Kings, where he spent five years as the team's starting shooting guard. Christie was part of the team that made it to the 2002 Western Conference Finals, which is arguably the best team in Kings franchise history.

Now, the Kings are calling upon him again to help their franchise get to the next level.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.