Mike Woodson is headed back to the NBA.
The Sacramento Kings struck a deal to bring in the longtime NBA coach and former Indiana Hoosiers coach as an assistant under Doug Christie on Wednesday afternoon, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Woodson marks the first hire for Christie, who was promoted as the team’s full-time head coach last month.
Woodson has spent decades coaching throughout the league. He spent six seasons as the Atlanta Hawks’ head coach from 2004-10, and then he has a three-year run as the New York Knicks’ head coach from 2011-14. Woodson has compiled a 315-365 record as a head coach in the league, and he also spent time as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers.
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Woodson spent the last four seasons at Indiana. He compiled an 82-53 record there and made the NCAA tournament twice, but the Hoosiers struggled under his watch during the final two seasons and he step down at the end of his fourth season. That decision came amid a tough stretch when the team had lost six of seven games. It marked Woodson’s only head coaching job at the college level. The Hoosiers have since hired Darian DeVries to replace him.
Woodson, an 11-year NBA veteran, will now join Christie’s staff in Sacramento. Christie was named the team’s interim head coach after the Kings fired head coach Mike Brown in December. The Kings went 27-24 under Christie’s watch and made it to the play-in tournament, though they were eliminated in their first game. The team then split with general manager Monte McNair and hired Scott Perry to replace him almost immediately
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This is Christie’s first job as a head coach in the league. The 15-year veteran joined the Kings’ staff after working as a color commentator for the Kings at NBC Sports.
Christie and Woodson will now be tasked with leading the Kings on a meaningful playoff run, something the franchise hasn’t seen in decades. The Kings have been to the playoffs just once over the last 19 seasons and haven’t won a playoff series since 2004. Christie is the 11th full-time head coach the team has had since then.
While Woodson’s run at Indiana didn’t work out well, he’s more than proven himself at the NBA level. His addition in Sacramento should be a welcome one for a franchise ready to reset.
