Sacramento was ‘special’ place for Adelman to make Nuggets coaching debut
David Adelman could have made his NBA coaching debut in any of the 30 cities across the league.
Fate brought him to Sacramento, where his father guided the Kings to the brink of greatness, establishing an unmatched legacy as the most successful coach in franchise history.
Adelman didn’t shy away from the moment or the significance of his surroundings while leading the Denver Nuggets to a 124-116 victory over the Kings on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
Kings guard Keon Ellis made a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to four with 4:44 to play in the fourth quarter, but the Nuggets held on to win one day after Denver fired Michael Malone and appointed Adelman as interim head coach.
“This is one of the best crowds, always has been one of the best fan bases in the league, so it’s special to come here and win because it’s an actual basketball venue,” said Adelman, 43, the son of former Kings coach Rick Adelman.
“It’s not people just buying tickets to check something out in town. These people care about that team. That’s unique. It really is. It’s one of those things where you feel it. Like when Keon made the 3 in the corner, the place exploded. I didn’t like that he made it, but that’s a cool feeling. I like being in that environment, in this place. If you want to find that environment, it’s in Sacramento.”
Christian Braun scored 25 points for the Nuggets (48-32), who snapped a four-game losing streak to move up to fourth in the Western Conference playoff race. Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
Zach LaVine had 27 points and 11 assists for the Kings (39-41), who could have clinched the No. 9 spot and a first-round home game in the play-in tournament with a win.
Interim Kings coach Doug Christie, who played for Rick Adelman in Sacramento from 2000-05, said he was happy to see David Adelman get an opportunity with the Nuggets.
“Super excited for him, super proud of him,” Christie said. “Just to watch the process he’s gone through to become a champion and a well trusted coach on a great coaching staff that has done some wonderful things.
“For him to get the shot in Sacramento, yeah, that’s crazy, but this is the basketball gods, so you roll with it. After the game, I’m sure I’ll have some words for him. He’s a good kid and he’s paid his dues, and this is an incredible opportunity for him, so I’m sure he’s excited.”
Adelman said he had a similar experience when he filled in for Malone in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers, a team his father played for from 1971-73 and coached for six seasons.
“It’s cool,” Adelman said. “It’s obviously kind of bizarre. I think I’ve had a lot of moments like this. I coached a game against the Blazers years back when coach was sick, and what I realized is I’m going to have a lot of special moments and my dad got fired a lot.
“He coached a lot of places, but all jokes aside, this place (Sacramento) was so unique and special, and the style of basketball they played here was — maybe I’m biased — some of the best basketball ever played.”
Rick Adelman amassed 1,791 wins and 1,042 losses with a .582 winning percentage over 23 seasons as a head coach. He coached the Blazers from 1988-94, Golden State Warriors from 1995-97, Kings from 1998-2006, Houston Rockets from 2007-11 and the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2011-14.
Adelman made the playoffs six times with two NBA Finals appearances in six seasons with the Blazers. He guided Sacramento to the playoffs eight times in eight seasons, taking the Kings to the brink of an NBA championship before they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in a controversial seven-game series in the 2002 Western Conference finals.
Those teams featured the likes of Mike Bibby, Doug Christie, Peja Stojakovic, Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Brad Miller. Together they orchestrated a beautiful brand of basketball that became a worldwide phenomenon, dubbed the “Greatest Show on Court” by Sports Illustrated.
David Adelman, who was 21-year-old high school assistant coach when his father took Sacramento to the Western Conference finals, has fond memories of that era of Kings basketball.
“Very forward thinking, playing through the bigs, the guards were more scorers,” he said. “You had Webb and Vlade, Brad, playing through those guys, legendary players. Really crazy that it’s Doug tonight, coaching against Doug. All those guys are special to this community, and I think the cool thing is it’s still special to them, and it reminds me of Portland in that way.
“It’s cool to come back. He (Rick Adelman) mentioned it today a little bit when I talked to him on the phone because this is a really special place for him. A lot of great memories, and they came so close here. This place really deserves something like that, and I know they’re trying to work towards it.”
This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
