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Mike Bibby, who spent the bulk of his prolific NBA career with the Sacramento Kings, is returning to the city to take over as the head coach of Sacramento State, ESPN reported Monday.

Sacramento State was in need of a new coach after David Patrick left the post in 2024 to accept a job as the associate head coach at LSU. Last season, the Hornets went 7-25 under interim head coach Michael Czepil. They had a 3-15 record in the Big Sky, finishing last in the conference.

Bibby hasn’t coached since 2019, and his experience is limited to the high school level. But Sacramento State went for the recognizable name as it continues trying to increase its athletics profile. The athletic department pursued Michael Vick to become its football coach this offseason before hiring Brennan Marion, and it has said it wants to move up from FCS football to FBS.

Bibby, 46, was drafted second overall in 1998 by the Vancouver Grizzlies before joining the Kings in 2001-02. He averaged 17.6 points per game in six-plus seasons in Sacramento, along with 17.9 points per game in 51 playoff appearances for the franchise.

He had career marks of 14.7 points, 5.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game for the Grizzlies (1998-01), Kings (2001-08), Atlanta Hawks (2008-11), Washington Wizards (2011), Miami Heat (2011) and New York Knicks (2011-12).

–Field Level Media