Kings coach Mike Brown is known for holding his players accountable, so it was only right the team returned the favor last season.
Kevin Huerter joined the "All the Smoke" podcast and was asked which player was most likely to be late for the team bus, to which he shockingly responded Brown. The Kings guard went on to explain a friendly -- or not-so-friendly -- wager that Brown put in place as soon as he took over as head coach last season.
Apparently, Brown made players fully aware from the get-go that if they were late to any team activities, from meetings to games to practices, they would be fined. No ifs, ands or buts. And there weren't any warnings or second chances, Huerter said.
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But when it was Brown who was the one showing up late, Kings guard Malik Monk threw that back at the coach and made sure to keep all the receipts.
"As every team, you have your fine schedule. If you're late, usually each team individually gets fined," Huerter shared. "So Mike set the standard very early on and Malik held Mike accountable for everything the rest of the year. Literally to the second. Before games, team meetings.
"And of course, Mike is probably at a coach's meeting somewhere and rushing from something. But Mike said it was like $20,000 in fines last year."
NBA
When Brown talks, players listen.
This time, though, it seems to have turned around and bit him in the behind.
As the 2023-24 season officially is underway, Brown -- and the rest of the team -- likely won't be late for anything from here on out.