The Sacramento Kings have hired Luke Walton as their coach just days after the Los Angeles Lakers parted ways with him following three losing seasons.
The Kings announced Monday that Walton will replace Dave Joerger.
Sacramento general manager Vlade Divac fired Joerger last week following a 39-43 finish that was the best record for the franchise in 13 years.
The 39-year-old Walton was dismissed by the Lakers on Friday after Los Angeles went 37-45. He went 98-148 in three years with Los Angeles in his first full-time head coaching job. The former Golden State top assistant never led the Lakers to the playoffs, not even after the arrival of LeBron James last summer.
Before joining the Lakers, Walton was an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors from 2014-15 to 2015-16. During his time with the team, they appeared in consecutive NBA Finals and won the NBA Championship in 2015. He received Western Conference Coach of the Month honors (October/November 2015) while serving as interim head coach in Steve Kerr’s absence and leading the Warriors to a 39-4 start for the 2015-16 season, including winning the first 24 games, an NBA record.