Fox details relationship with Christie, Kings’ energy shift originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Kings have flipped a switch on their 2024-25 NBA season, and interim coach Doug Christie has been the energizing light bulb helping it all happen.
Christie boasts an impressive 8-2 record since taking over for former Kings coach Mike Brown, who was fired on Dec. 28 following a five-game losing streak and disappointing start to the season.
Sacramento now has won eight of its last 10 games, including huge victories over the defending champion Celtics in Boston and a down-to-the-wire win against one of the best teams in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets.
While winning surely could solve everything, it’s hard to deny the energy shift from the players with Christie at the helm.
“I think everybody’s in good spirits,” Kings star point guard De’Aaron Fox said after practice Saturday (h/t “The Deuce & Mo” podcast). “Obviously, whenever you’re winning, those things raise a bit. But Doug’s that type of guy. He lights up a room.
“And like I said before, going from the fourth guy on the bench to being the first guy on the bench, it exudes even more because you’re the guy standing up. You’re the guy everybody sees.”
While Christie’s role might be new, his connection to the team certainly isn’t. From player to broadcaster to assistant to now interim coach, Christie always will be regarded as a Kings legend.
Fox, whom Sacramento drafted in 2017, always has been familiar with Christie. Christie was a commentator for three of Fox’s first four years in the league before he joined the team as an assistant.
“It’s always been good,” Fox shared of his relationship with Christie. “Even when he was doing the broadcasting, he was always around. He was always in the gym. Obviously he wasn’t working with us hands-on, but he was always around. He’s just always been a great guy. He always has a smile on his face when he comes in here.
“And like I said, he just lights up the room whenever he enters it, and you kind of see that within the guys right now.”
The vibes are rolling, now it’s on Christie and the Kings to keep things going for the second half of the season.
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