Alvin Gentry has accepted a full-time position in the Kings‘ front office, according to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link), who report that Gentry’s title will be vice president of basketball engagement.
Gentry began the 2021/22 season as an assistant on Luke Walton‘s coaching staff, then became the interim head coach when the Kings dismissed Walton in November. Sacramento went just 24-41 under Gentry, so the club opted not to keep him in that role going forward and has since announced the hiring of Mike Brown as its new head coach.
Although the Kings decided not to retain Gentry as their head coach, he still had a year left on his contract, and reports last month suggested the two sides were discussing a possible front office position. Subsequent reporting indicated that Gentry explored the possibility of becoming a coaching consultant, like Steve Clifford was with the Nets in 2021/22, but he and the Kings ultimately reached an agreement on a move to the front office.
The plan is for Gentry to assist with the Kings’ player evaluation and team-building strategy, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, who tweets that the 67-year-old will be based in Sacramento but will travel to NBA, G League, and college sites. Gentry is with general manager Monte McNair and other Kings executives at the NBA’s draft combine in Chicago this week, per Charania and Amick.
“Mike has consistently demonstrated his ability to lead winning teams throughout his long and successful coaching career,” GM Monte McNair said in a statement. “He has worked with some of the best players in the NBA and is one of the league’s premier defensive minds. I am excited to bring his extensive experience to Sacramento.”