The New York Knicks are in the middle of a West Coast trip, but head coach Mike Brown is in a familiar place Wednesday night.
With the Knicks playing the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Brown got a heartwarming treatment from fans inside the building.
After getting introduced as New York's head coach, Brown received cheers from Kings fans, who clearly are still grateful for his time calling the shots for their team.
Mike Brown received a loud ovation from the Kings crowd in his first game back 🙏
pic.twitter.com/50EFKNdzX1
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 15, 2026
Before he was hired by New York, Brown spent three seasons coaching the Kings from the 2022-23 campaign to the 2024-25 season.
Brown's stint with the Kings marked his first return to a head coaching gig after spending several years as part of Steve Kerr's staff as an assistant for the Golden State Warriors.
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During his time with Sacramento, Brown put together a 107-88 record in 195 games coached. In his first campaign with the Kings, Brown steered the Kings to their first winning season and first appearance in the NBA Playoffs in nearly two decades. He also won his second NBA Coach of the Year award that season.
However, Browns and the Kings failed to build on that success, leading to his eventual firing after a 13-18 start in the 2024-25 season.
Now with the Knicks, Brown finds himself in a much more stable environment with a better and deeper collection of talents.
With a 1-2 punch of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns and the likes of Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, the Knicks have the players to seriously compete for an NBA championship. They entered the Knicks game with a 25-14 record.