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On Tuesday morning, news broke that Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown had interviewed with the Los Angeles Clippers for their vacant head coach position. In that article, I mentioned that Brown was hoping to follow in the paths of Alvin Gentry and Luke Walton, other Warriors assistants who had received head coaching opportunities.
Just a few hours later, news came out that those two are linking up. According to a report from Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Sacramento Kings are hiring Gentry to join Walton’s staff.
The Kings and Alvin Gentry have an agreement to bring the ex-Pelicans coach to Sacramento, league sources add
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 7, 2020
Philadelphia sought Gentry for the same role on Doc Rivers' staff but the Kings are poised to soon announce Gentry's hiring after he worked with Walton in Golden State
Gentry spent just one year on the Warriors bench, but it was the first year of Steve Kerr’s tenure, and the Warriors won a championship. He then took a head coaching gig with the New Orleans Pelicans, which he held for five years until being fired at the conclusion of this season.
His first year with the Warriors was also Walton’s first year with the Warriors, as well as Walton’s first year as an NBA coach. In 2015-16 Walton impressed at the helm when Steve Kerr was out with a back injury, and that earned him a head coaching role with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Walton was fired after three years on that job, but was immediately hired by the Kings last offseason. In Sacramento he was reunited with Harrison Barnes, and now he’ll be reunited with Gentry as well.
The two former Warriors assistants will certainly have ample opportunities to go up against Kerr and the Dubs, which I’m sure they’re all looking forward to.