SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings have hired longtime NBA and college head coach Mike Woodson as an associate head coach on Doug Christie’s new staff.

Christie announced the addition on Monday to bring Woodson back to the NBA after he spent the past four seasons as head coach of his alma mater, Indiana.

Woodson last week released a statement expressing gratitude for his time leading the Hoosiers.

“Coming home to lead Indiana Men’s Basketball was an honor,” Woodson wrote in his statement. “It was a great opportunity to represent the program that helped shape my college career, and I’m deeply grateful for the full-circle journey back to Indiana.

“Thank you to the fans for your support through the ups and downs, my players, my dedicated coaching staff, team managers, the IU professors who guided our young men off the court, the medical staff and trainers who kept us healthy, and the strength coaches who challenged us daily. To my wife, Terri, and our daughters, Marian and Alexis, your love and support have made this journey worthwhile. To my family and friends, thank you for giving me strength to continue building my vision while staying grounded.

“Coming back to my Alma Mater to coach brought me fulfillment. I’m proud to watch the young men I’ve coached transition into gentlemen on and off the court. I want them to know how proud I am of them. Our journeys will continue, and I’ll always be here for them.”

Woodson has extensive NBA experience, having played in the league for 11 seasons, including five seasons with the Kings franchise. He then coached from 1996 to 2021 as both an assistant and head coach before going back to college.

Woodson was an assistant on Detroit’s title-winning team in 2004 and has been a head coach for parts of nine seasons. He made the playoffs three times in six seasons with Atlanta and twice in three seasons with the Knicks. Woodson has a 315-365 career record as an NBA head coach.

Christie had a 27-25 record as interim coach last season for the Kings after replacing the fired Mike Brown in December before losing in the Play-In Tournament.

New general manager Scott Perry decided two weeks ago to keep Christie as the full-time head coach.