The writing has been on the wall for some time and the Sacramento Kings have finally done something about it.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA franchise has fired head coach Luke Walton following the team’s seventh loss in eight games, which dropped them to 6-11 on the season. It also comes a night after a blowout home loss to the Toronto Raptors in which the crowd chanted “Fire Luke Walton” and a court-side patron vomiting on the floor.
The Sacramento Kings fired coach Luke Walton on Sunday, sources told ESPN. Kings have lost seven of eight games and dropped to 6-11 on season – leaving them 12th in the Western Conference.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 21, 2021
Kings associate head coach Alvin Gentry is expected to be interim head coach given his extensive history as a head coach in the NBA.
Walton was hired by the Kings in 2019 following a three-season stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. His Kings teams put up back-to-back 31-41 seasons before starting 6-11 this year. Walton’s record with the Kings was 68-93 overall. In five full seasons as a head coach, he has never led a team to a winning record.
The firing felt inevitable to many, especially as some of his own players seemingly took shots across the bow when asked about their motivations and whether or not Walton was the guy to lead them.
Meanwhile, there was plenty of strong reactions on social media from the NBA world following the news.
Luke Walton needs to take a year off and then get a low-major college coaching job.
The Kings need a new owner.
— Matt Zemek (@MattZemek) November 21, 2021
Luke Walton's final act featured an 18-point loss at home and a courtside fan vomiting.
Fitting. https://t.co/L8HLrIJCzH
— Chris Walder (@WalderSports) November 21, 2021
https://twitter.com/highkin/status/1462482114931167234
It’s been a tough stretch for the Kings franchise for the last decade. They haven’t had a winning season since 2006 and it’s been a long time since the Chris Webber days. But if this sparks a return to winning ways for the franchise, Kings fans are more than ready to welcome it.
[Woj]
