Kings Assistant Coach Doug Christie Joins The Jason Ross Show
Aug 20, 2021, 8:50 AM | Updated: Oct 24, 2022, 1:49 pm
(Rocky Widner: Getty Images)
(Rocky Widner: Getty Images)
The recently-named assistant coach joined the show to discuss Sacramento’s summer league championship and much more
He’s back!
Old friend and newest member of the Sacramento Kings coaching staff Doug Christie joined The Jason Ross Show with special guest Michelle Dapper of KCRA 3 on Thursday afternoon to discuss his new role, the team’s success in Las Vegas and much more.
Christie, who joined Sacramento head coach Luke Walton’s coaching staff earlier this month, was a part of Bobby Jackson’s coaching staff during the team’s championship run at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
“It was incredible, man, I’m going to be honest with you. All credit to Bobby and his staff and everybody who put the work in. These kids played their absolute heart out,” Christie said on Thursday.
On becoming an assistant coach with a team that means so much to him, Christie made it clear that he has unfinished business at the NBA level.
“It’s difficult when you get as close as we got and it’s something that you have to live with, because you’re no longer an athlete,” Christie said of the 2002 team that was one win away from the NBA Finals.
“That part bothers me. This is as close as I can get, and quite frankly, I probably didn’t realize how much I needed this mentally to exorcize some demons. This for me is the ultimate therapy because it’s as humanly close as you can get to the action, and then you have vested interest in this guys, to watch them succeed and work with them daily. For me, the gym is my sanctuary, my nirvana. There just aren’t many other places that I would want to be.”
Christie was a four-time member of the NBA’s All-Defensive team, so he knows a lot about defending at an elite level. Recently drafted guard Davion Mitchell turned heads during Summer League with his impressive defensive ability, garnering MVP honors after leading the Kings to a 5-0 championship run.
Doug shared his excitement on working with Mitchell:
“This kid is special, man. He’s willing to sacrifice, he’s willing to be coached, he’s willing to listen, he’s willing to take said information and try it on the floor, he stays in the gym, you know, I’ve got a man crush (laughs), I love it.”
To listen to Doug’s full interview with Jason Ross and Michelle Dapper, click the play button on the audio file that is located at the top of the page.
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