Christie will leave his role as the team’s color commentator.
The Sacramento Kings announced Monday afternoon that Doug Christie will join Luke Walton’s coaching staff for the 2021-22 NBA season. Here’s what Christie had to say about his new role via the team’s announcement:
“It’s been a dream of mine to coach for the Sacramento Kings,” said Christie. “I feel like I have some unfinished business. I’d like to thank my family at NBC Sports California as well as KHTK for an amazing ride. I look forward to working with Coach Walton to deliver a winning team to the great fans of Sacramento.”
“Doug has been a pillar within the Sacramento Kings organization for decades,” said Walton. “I’m excited to add his years of basketball knowledge and energy to our coaching staff and our great group of players.”
Christie will leave his duties as the color commentator for NBC Sports and radio host on 1140 KHTK as he transitions into his new role. Christie had been the network’s primary color commentator since he replaced Jerry Reynolds at the beginning of the 2018-19 season.
This will be Christie’s first assistant coaching gig in the NBA but with Christie’s prior experience with the organization, there should be some comfort between him, the players, and the rest of Walton’s staff.
Christie played five seasons for the Kings during the glory years of the franchise from 2000 to 2005 and will presumably look to do his part in bringing the team back to those heights. As for the TV side, it will be interesting to see who is chosen to take Christie’s color commentary role next to Mark Jones in the broadcast booth.