The Mike Bibby file: Who is the new Sacramento State men’s basketball head coach?
Many Sacramento-area basketball fans, even the casual ones, may remember the name Mike Bibby.
Kings player, right? He’s does some Kings broadcasts and commercials the last couple of years, too, yeah? Yep. That’s him. And this: Bibby is a former Kings player and current TV analyst for the club who is now a first-time college basketball coach, having accepted the opening at Sacramento State.
More on Mike
The start: Bibby was born on May 13, 1978.
Athletic genes: Bibby is the son of one-time NBA player and USC Trojans men’s basketball coach Henry Bibby and the nephew of Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Bibby.
Prep stardom: Bibby was a national recruit All-American guard at Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, leading the program to its first state championship in 1996 when he averaged 19.3 points as a senior.
College stardom: As a true freshman starting point guard, Bibby led the University of Arizona to the 1997 NCAA championship. He was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year as a sophomore and earned All-American honors, averaging 17.2 points. His jersey No. 10 is retired by the basketball program.
NBA draft: Bibby was selected second overall in the 1998 NBA Draft, going to the Vancouver Grizzlies (later the Memphis Grizzlies). He earned all-rookie honors.
Traded to Kings: Bibby and teammate Brent Price on June 27, 2001 was traded to the Kings for Jason Williams and Nick Anderson. In seven seasons with the Kings, Bibby averaged 17.4 points, 5.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 476 regular-season games.
Big shot Mike: Bibby’s biggest shot, and the biggest in the Kings’ 40-year history in Sacramento, was during the 2001 Western Conference Finals against the hated Los Angeles Lakers. He hit a short jumper after coming off a screen in the closing minutes to win Game 5, though the Kings lost the series in seven games.
NBA career: A 6-foot-3 point guard, Bibby played 14 NBA seasons, logging 1,001 career regular-season games in averaging 14.7 points. He played in 105 playoff games, starting 101 of them, leading Sacramento to the postseason four times, the Atlanta Hawks three times, and the Miami Heat once.
Work ethic: While with the Kings, Bibby was known to spend extra time in the weight room and the practice facility, to hone his shot and tone his body. Said Bibby to The Bee in a casual chat at a Sacramento State football game of looking fit at age 47, “I like to look good and feel good.”
Coaching chops: Bibby has only coached in high school, but he was a winner. He led his alma mater Shadow Mountain High to five state championships in a six-year run, ending in 2019.
Personal life: Bibby and wife Darcy, his sweetheart since their teenage years, have four children, including Michael Jr., who played for his dad in high school and in college at South Florida and Appalachian State.
On air: Bibby in recent seasons has been a regular contributor to Kings TV broadcasts as an analyst for pre-game, halftime and post-game segments.
On air, some more: Bibby and his Kings backcourt running mate and current Kings interim coach Doug Christie have done commercials that show them in throwback Kings uniforms.
Never too late: Bibby left college after two years to play in the NBA, and he backed up his promise to his family that he would graduate some day. He did, from UNLV with a degree in multidisciplinary studies in 2017.
This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 7:05 PM.