Now, the Spurs are heading to the NBA Finals<\/a> for the first time since 2014, while their opponents, the New York Knicks, just completed a clean four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals to reach their first NBA<\/a> Finals in 27 years.<\/p>\n Game 1 tips off Wednesday, June 3, in San Antonio.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n However, shortly after the Spurs Game 7 win in OKC, attention shifted to another NBA franchise that finished well outside of the playoff picture, the Sacramento Kings<\/a>.<\/p>\n De\u2019Aaron Fox, the Kings\u2019 former franchise player, played a major role in getting San Antonio to the Finals. Coaching the Knicks, meanwhile, is\u00a0Mike Brown<\/a>, who got fired by Sacramento in December 2024, just over a year and a half after leading the Kings to the playoffs and winning NBA Coach of the Year honors.<\/p>\n Now, Fox and Brown are set to face off on basketball\u2019s biggest stage, while the Kings are staring down another losing season.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n More news: The WNBA Has a New Must-Watch Superstar \u2014 and Her Name Isn\u2019t Caitlin Clark<\/a><\/p>\n When Brown arrived in Sacramento in 2022, the Kings hadn\u2019t made the playoffs since\u00a02006, a 17-year drought that stood as the longest active postseason absence<\/a> in North American professional sports.<\/p>\n He ended it in his very first season, coaching the team to a 48-win campaign, a No. 3 seed in the West, and a Coach of the Year trophy.<\/p>\n He did it again the following year with 46 wins. Then the Kings fired him, just months after he had signed a multi-year contract extension<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Fox\u2019s exit wasn\u2019t any prettier. After the Kings failed to make the playoffs in 2024, Fox passed on a $165 million extension<\/a> and landed with the San Antonio Spurs at the NBA trade deadline in February, then inked a four-year, $229 million max contract extension<\/a> that summer.<\/p>\n But this is just the latest chapter in a franchise horror story that stretches back decades.<\/p>\n During the 2002 Western Conference Finals, the Kings were one win away from the NBA Finals with one of the most entertaining teams the league had seen in years, headlined by Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, and Doug Christie.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Then Game 6 happened in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n The Lakers staved off elimination behind a dominant 41-point, 17-rebound performance from Shaquille O\u2019Neal and 31 points and 11 rebounds from Kobe Bryant, then closed Sacramento out in Game 7, an overtime gut-punch on the Kings\u2019 own floor.<\/p>\n And so began a downward spiral that they still haven\u2019t fully recovered from over two decades later.<\/p>\n In 2011, Sacramento passed on both Klay Thompson (11th pick) and Kawhi Leonard (15th pick), selecting Jimmer Fredette 10th overall instead. In 2018, holding the No. 2 overall pick, they chose Marvin Bagley III. The next selection was Luka Doncic.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n To be fair, the Kings did hit on some drafts, most notably Fox in 2017 and Tyrese Haliburton in 2020, two of the best point guards of their generation.<\/p>\n Of course, neither is on the roster now.<\/p>\n Sacramento traded Haliburton to Indiana in 2022 for Domantas Sabonis, a player who has since emerged in trade rumors of his own, while Haliburton took the Pacers to the NBA Finals just a year ago.<\/p>\n More news: LeBron James Return to Cleveland Could Set Up a Win-Win Blockbuster Trade<\/a><\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n TORONTO, ON \u2013 MARCH 20: De\u2019Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings speaks to head coach Mike Brown in a break against the Toronto Raptors during the first half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on March 20, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mark Blinch\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"De'Aaron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20337c7b578e8064fe3115ba41c0840e.jpeg\"\/)
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