{"id":750740,"date":"2026-06-02T19:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T19:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/750740\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T19:00:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T19:00:20","slug":"deaaron-fox-mike-brown-finals-meeting-reopens-kings-wounds-the-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/750740\/","title":{"rendered":"De’Aaron Fox\u2013Mike Brown Finals Meeting Reopens Kings’ Wounds \u2013 The Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the 2026 NBA Finals kick off, there will be a few familiar faces to Kings fans on screen. Former Kings guard De\u2019Aaron Fox and former head coach Mike Brown<\/a> will both be fighting to lead their respective teams to a championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nearly a year and a half since the fall of that Kings group, there\u2019s no greater reminder of what could have been for them than this Finals matchup.<\/p>\n

The Kings Were on the Rise<\/p>\n

It seems like just yesterday that Fox and Brown led the Kings to the franchise\u2019s first playoff berth<\/a> in 17 years.<\/p>\n

Fox spent just over eight seasons in Sacramento and was along for every high and low\u2014in reality, more lows. The ultimate breakthrough for the team came in the 2022-23 season, after Brown left his assistant coaching gig with Golden State to take over as head coach of the Kings.<\/p>\n

The front office paired up<\/a> Fox with Domantas Sabonis<\/a>\u2014a somewhat controversial move at the time, given that it required giving up fan-favorite Tyrese Haliburton<\/a>. But for the Kings, the Sabonis-Fox partnership started strong.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The team finished third in the West that season, pushing the reigning champion Warriors to seven games before losing.<\/p>\n

But any hope of a long-lasting turnaround for the organization was short-lived. The team lost to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Play-In Tournament the following season and failed to make a postseason appearance after that.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

When Mike Brown was let go by the organization in the midst of a five-game losing streak, many coaches<\/a> around the league called it a classless move. Steve Kerr<\/a> used the word \u201cshocking\u201d to describe the decision. Former coach of the Denver Nuggets, Michael Malone, referred to the firing as \u201cawful.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the aftermath of Brown\u2019s firing, Malone expressed his discontent with the way the split went down. He seemingly took shots at the same management group that had fired him when he used to coach the team. \u201cI\u2019m not surprised that Mike Brown got fired because I got fired by the same person,\u201d he opined.<\/p>\n

Malone continues with his frustrations. \u201cHe does his postgame media, and he\u2019s in his car going to the airport in L.A., and they call him on the phone. No class, no balls.\u201d The lack of accountability also rubbed Fox the wrong way.<\/p>\n

Fox Wrongfully Blamed<\/p>\n

Oftentimes, after the departure of a coach, front office members meet immediately with the media to acknowledge and discuss the split. The Kings didn\u2019t do so until 40 days later.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou fire the coach, and you don\u2019t do an interview?\u201d Fox said<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The organization scapegoated both Brown and Fox; Brown for the Kings\u2019 tumble and Fox for wanting Brown gone. But in actuality, it was the opposite behind the scenes: Fox wanted him to stay with the team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo all the blame was on me. Did it weigh on me? No,\u201d the 28-year-old admitted. \u201cI don\u2019t give a f\u2014. But the fact that y\u2019all are supposed to be protecting your player and y\u2019all let that happen\u2026I felt at the time the organization didn\u2019t have my back.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was never any push back about anything. This narrative of us butting heads or me going to management saying anything is bullshit. So you can run with that if you want to. https:\/\/t.co\/z5rBpWmail<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 De’Aaron Fox (@swipathefox) December 30, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n

Rumors<\/a> circulated following Brown\u2019s exit, suggesting that a fallout between the player and coach led to the team\u2019s fracture. According to the star point guard, those were false.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like there\u2019s this perception that people thought we were at odds,\u201d Fox said<\/a>. \u201cYou can ask anybody in this organization: me and Mike have never had an argument. We could disagree on something. We talked about it, and it was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before deciding to sign Brown to an extension in the summer of 2024, the Kings solicited Fox\u2019s opinion. He made it clear that he wanted Brown along for the long haul.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want another coach,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n

The organization knew that Fox and Brown had been on solid terms. Yet, as the rumors grew, they stayed silent and never addressed them, letting Fox be the fall guy.<\/p>\n

In A Better Situation<\/p>\n

As the team entered a downward spiral and Fox\u2019s relationship with the front office splintered, he decided to leave Sacramento.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fox is no longer the primary option in San Antonio like he was with the Kings. He is playing behind basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama<\/a>, a role Fox is happy to fill if it results in winning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t stopped smiling since I\u2019ve been here,\u201d Fox said<\/a> back in December before facing the Knicks in the NBA Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Kings\u2019 struggles to consistently remain competitive have been on full display since Brown and Fox left. The experiment of DeMar DeRozan<\/a>, Zach LaVine<\/a>, and Russell Westbrook<\/a> failed dramatically this past season. Sacramento won just 22 games and landed at 12th in the West.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the team going through a losing stretch in the 2024-25 season, Mike Brown undoubtedly helped change the culture of the Sacramento Kings during his tenure.<\/p>\n

He helped break the 16-year playoff drought and brought back a standard of winning. Brown was also the first and only coach since Rick Adelman<\/a> in 1998 to own a winning record<\/a> in each of his first two seasons with the Kings.<\/p>\n

The iconic beam, which was traditionally lit after the squad\u2019s victories, has spent much of this season dimmed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

What Could Have Been<\/p>\n

The franchise\u2019s struggles are an indictment of their inability to draft well, along with their inability to identify and utilize star talent properly. <\/p>\n

Sacramento has seen many former players and coaches excel after leaving the team. Tyrese Haliburton<\/a> made the finals three years after his surprise trade to the Pacers. The Spurs will have Fox and former King Harrison Barnes<\/a> competing for an NBA title. Mike Brown will be the coach on the other side, coaching the Knicks.<\/p>\n

The Kings once had both Tyrese Haliburton and De’Aaron Fox on the roster.<\/p>\n

Both star guards have since reached the NBA Finals after being traded by Sacramento \ud83e\udd2f pic.twitter.com\/EWoK4wj2O0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The 2022-2023 Kings looked primed for the beginning of a resurgence with their core group. Instead, a majority of the players who were on that roster are no longer there. Meanwhile, the franchise is back to a position with more questions than answers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brown and Fox have moved on from the Kings, and now one of them is guaranteed to hoist the Larry O\u2019Brien Trophy. There\u2019s no reason to look back on the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really have anything to say,\u201d Fox said<\/a> about the state of his old team. \u201cThe grass is greener on this side.\u201d<\/p>\n