Sacramento Kings' Mike Brown Wins NBCA Coach of the Year

The Sacramento Kings' 2022-23 season just keeps getting better. The National Basketball Coaches Association officially announced that Kings head coach Mike Brown has won its annual Coach of the Year award.

ESPN Sources: After leading one of the league’s most dramatic recent turnarounds, Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown has been voted the National Basketball Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year: https://t.co/oyb4ogbfFj
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 13, 2023

The NBCA Coach of the Year award is the only major award decided on by a coach's peers; only the NBA's 30 head coaches vote. Brown's win speaks to the respect and admiration he has earned around the association over his long career. He worked for the Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors before earning the Kings' job last offseason.

In his first year with the team, Brown led the Kings to a 48-34 record and the Western Conference's third seed. The team also set the all-time record for offensive rating at 119.4. Prior to Brown's arrival, the Kings hadn't made the playoffs since 2005-06.

Brown and the Kings' return to glory is one of the most welcome redemption stories in the NBA. He coached the Cavaliers and Lakers from 2005 to 2014, amassing a respectable 347-216 record, but an ugly final year in Cleveland relegated him back to assistant duties for six years. Now, Brown finds himself back in the upper echelon of his field, and he has brought the Kings with him.

Brown is all but a shoo-in for other major end-of-season awards, but his work isn't done yet. The Kings host the Golden State Warriors for the first game of their seven-game series on Saturday. As wonderful as his achievements are, an early playoff exit would certainly spoil the party. Hopefully, the Kings have more good times ahead.