Kings’ coaching finalists work Grizzlies-Warriors game while Vivek Ranadive sits courtside
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive was seen sitting courtside while two finalists in his team’s coaching search worked Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors on Saturday night at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Warriors assistant Mike Brown was on the Golden State bench while ABC/ESPN analyst Mark Jackson sat across the floor at the broadcast table. Ranadive and his daughter looked on from their baseline seats near the Grizzlies bench.
Brown, Jackson and Brooklyn Nets coaching consultant Steve Clifford all visited Sacramento earlier this week to interview for the Kings’ coaching job. They arrived amid reports that Ranadive wants to hire Jackson while Kings general manager Monte McNair and his staff would prefer Brown.
The Kings have not responded to those reports except to say they are conducting a fair and equitable search and each candidate has an equal opportunity to win the job. A source with knowledge of the situation said there was nothing new to report Saturday when asked for an update on the search.
Brown, 52, is in his sixth season as Steve Kerr’s lead assistant with the Warriors. Brown has a 347-216 (.616) record with six playoff appearances in eight seasons as a head coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. He went to the NBA Finals as a head coach with the Cavaliers and served as an assistant for NBA championship teams with the San Antonio Spurs (2003) and Warriors (2017, 2018).
Jackson, 57, compiled a 121-109 record with two playoff appearances in three seasons as head coach of the Warriors from 2011-14. Since 2014, Jackson has worked as an analyst for ESPN, calling games with play-by-play man Mike Breen and former coach Jeff Van Gundy. Jackson has reportedly interviewed with the Lakers as well.
This story was originally published May 7, 2022 at 7:26 PM.
